Editor's nightmare

I'm working on FCP 7, Macbook Pro Core 2 Duo, 2.4 ghz, 4gb RAM. I've been storing my video clips on a WD 1TB external hard drive, which now is not reconnecting to FCP. Disk Utility shows Invalid Node Structure, which it can't repair. And I can't copy the clips to the computer - it indicates damaged clip which is unable to be copied. Any idea of how I can get my hundreds of gigs of video clips safely off the hard drive? TIA.

Hope you're not working in Mavericks.

Otherwise, you can try running repair disk in disk utility.



www.strypesinpost.com

Repair disk won't solve the problem. Running 10.7

DISKWARRIOR almost always saves you.

Dennis Couzin
Berlin, Germany

Data recovery is often too expensive an option BUT i did have success getting ALL of my hard drive's contents back this year after a drive failure. After all the eye watering quotes and almost criminal fees, i found a local laptop shop guy who did it for £30.

Small shop, nothing corporate, but he really knew his stuff and saved my bacon big time, maybe hunt locally?

Needless to say i now back-up regularly and will never have the problem ever again. A second drive to back up is well worth the spend to save you from the stress and panic you're currently going through

Good luck,

WM,

Dennis, Disk Warrior kept getting stuck on the spinning beach ball of death. Super duper also got stuck; Carbon Copy Cleaner is running now, and I at least hope to salvage some of what's on the hard drive.
And yes Wanted Man, I'm gonna start backing up this drive too.
Any other suggestions for what to do next - reformat the hard drive? Return it, as it's still under warranty?

Reformatting is the last thing you should do if the data on the drive is not backed up. It will simply make data recovery even less likely to succeed. At this point, you should consult a professional. One option is to swap the drive out to a new enclosure, but as far as I can tell your issue is with the disk inside, not with the power supply or enclosure.


www.derekmok.com

If possible, cloning the bad drive makes sense if only to send the original to a pro recovery outfit, local or other. I wouldn't expect any repair out of copying (but who knows?) but it's backed. In fact, I would try DiskWarrior on the clone before sending out the original.

- Loren

Today's FCP keytip:
Boost or lower clip audio by 3DB with Control-] or [ !

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I was referring to what's best to do to the hard drive after data recovery. Carbon Copy Cloner also froze after 8 hours. Do you know why "Invalid Node Structure" just happened to the drive? Never saw it before and I've been on Macs and FCP for many years now.

And I was suggesting to clone it beforehand, but certainly back up your footage afterward.

I would also stay away from Western Digital anything-- but that's my particular bias. On whatever storage you use, FireWire or SATA are the streaming protocols to use. If you're using a USB connection, which is packet-driven, you might encounter weirdness.

Good luck.

- Loren

Today's FCP keytip:
Boost or lower clip audio by 3DB with Control-] or [ !

Your Final Cut Studio KeyGuide™ Power Pack.
Now available at KeyGuide Central.
www.neotrondesign.com

Loren, I am indeed using a USB connection; my other external hard drives are Firewires. Live and learn, eh? Thanks for your good advice.

It'll be good if everything goes to a streaming protocol and this never happens again! ;-)
But I hope it helps.

- Loren

Today's FCP keytip:
Boost or lower clip audio by 3DB with Control-] or [ !

Your Final Cut Studio KeyGuide™ Power Pack.
Now available at KeyGuide Central.
www.neotrondesign.com