Can't open old project

Hi all,
I have a project I created in either 7 or 8 almost 3 years ago that won't open.
In Sonar X2 it acts like it's going to and then peters out ...hour glass turns to arrow and then nothing until I click somewhere and get the hour glass again and the "not responding" thing.
I would hate to have to install 7 or 8 just to open this, does anyone have any suggestions (safe mode didn't make a difference BTW).
Thanks very much,
Randy

Have you tried opening it in safe mode? Most likely it's a plugin that you no longer have installed, or is not completely installed.

Thanks Herb...unfortunately, the audio is the only thing I don't need...it's all the MIDI track I need.
That said I think I'll install Sonar 7 and try it...I'll report back...wish me luck!

The D/L link doesn't show up in my account for Sonar 7 (just serial # does)so I'm just going to try 8.5 with the patch.
I'm sure my PC was 64 bit then but it seems there were Sonar 64 bit issues back then and most people just used the 32 bit version...does that ring a bell with anyone?
I ask b/c I wonder which I should install as I D/L.

...Oh hell, does this mean I would have to finish it in 8.5 even if I can open it?

scook


SONAR 7 was not available as a download. Did you try opening the project in 32bit X2a? IIRC, the 8.5 download required SONAR 8 be already installed on your PC.

You're right, I have 7 on a disc I had forgotten about.
Dumb question, if I want to open the project in X2a 32 bit...I would need to D/L and install and choose 32 bit right (I've been using 64 bit so long I don't recall)?

scook


Yup, if you did not save the X2 installers locally, you would need to download again. Depending on what the project requires, you might be able to get away with just installing the X2 02_* files and the X2a update. I would skip the Rapture install in that set unless you absolutely need it.

Bueno, I'll try that instead of 8.5 then...so if I can open it in X2 32 bit I should be able to save and then open in 64?

ugh, now I remember...jBridge...that was the reason most people just used the 32 bit version...thanks Steve, I'm installing now.

If it does open in 32-bit mode, you could save the project itself off to a new name in a new folder, which would keep the original.

I would then go through the process of stripping down the project to the midi tracks you wanted to keep, making notes of all plugins used and then remove them as well, so that you ended up with just the captured midi data.

Then that should be able to be opened in 64-bit X2a, plugins added back in, etc.

Just some thoughts - I don't know your particular needs, as far as retention goes, other than the earlier comment about largely wanting to preserve the midi.

I hope any of that helps, and in any case I hope you can get this to work.

Bob Bone

This actually brings up an interesting point. We should therefore be in the habit of backing up all projects that contain MIDI data as a plane old MID. file too. Were talking a few extra KB here. 

I'm guessing here...  I don't generally (or ever) export midi tracks but I think it is possible to do.... so if you can open it in the earlier versions.... save it again and try to open as a project with Sonar x2.... if not joy, try exporting the midi tracks as midi tracks individually and drag them into a new x2 project. 

Where there's a will there's a way.

John


Aria is a very stable sample player. I'll bet that when you tried to open that project a dialog popped up asking if you wanted to use the 64 bit version of Aria. It was probably hidden by the Sonar program.  Thus the wait. Not knowing it was there you thought the project was a problem.

If a project seems to take too long to load always check for a hidden dialog waiting for your input.  

I have had that sort of thing happen to me.  EXCELLENT tip.


Bob Bone

I know that it may not appear in the task manger because it is often a sub window of Sonar itself. You have to minimize Sonar's main window to see a dialog underneath.

In Windows 8 the task bar will show sub windows along side the main windows. In Vista this didn't happen so I had to check it out for myself.

I am not saying it is the only reason for a load hang but it is often the cause.

Heck I can relate a scan that was hung only because a dialog was hidden. Yet it looked as if Sonar had crapped out.

 

What John described happened to me several vastly intermittent times in the past, and once I finally learned to check for any hidden dialog boxes (waiting for some response from me), by minimizing the main windows, I was able to respond to the dialog box and keep on running my apps with no further trouble.

Again, this is just supportive comments on the tip - and that too is not just related to Sonar, but to other software as well.

Anyways, glad that you got things up and going again for you, 

Bob Bone