Media Offline errors/messages

marcel-vossen wrote on 4/5/2009, 2:13 AM
Hi all

Since my current project is crashing AGAIN after the 15 hour rendering of 65% of it, I want to take a closer look at this error I see in my timeline all the time which I feel shoulnt be there and might be causing the other trouble:

Randomly all the items on the timeline show 'Media offline' inside f them, is this normal?

And when I save a project with all media in a folder, after re-opening that project Vegas often can't find random media that simply are just there inside the folder. I have to point out where they are and then it loads.

Anyone have any idea how to fix this? Are there any known errors with windows services like the indexing service, file rights, or maybe my (NOD32) viruscanner? Some other common software I have installed is the Adobe Creative CS3 suite, Quicktime+itunes, Nero, PowerDVD 8 and Office 2007 and some small things like Yahoo and MSN.

Any help is appreciated!

Comments

blink3times wrote on 4/5/2009, 5:11 AM
"Randomly all the items on the timeline show 'Media offline' inside f them, is this normal?"

This is normal provided you have done something like move the media files from their original position. Vegas is looking for them but can't find them. Something is blocking it from seeing the files or the files have been moved without telling Vegas where you moved them to.

Did you move any files since beginning the project? Are any files on an external drive that maybe you have turned off?

Nero and NOD32, and Quicktime (7) are known for raising hell... and not just with Vegas either. These are all programs that install (too) DEEPLY into your computer and install as memory resident systems (some part of them are open and running right from the time you boot up). If I was you I would go through your startup folder and turn off EVERYTHING that is not a microsoft service (in other words all after market services that you have installed). Make sure you have no third party memory resident systems running. (in fact... the NOD32... I would uninstall that rubbish COMPLETELY. There have been a few posts now on nod causing problems)

Then relink vegas with your off line files and try again.
marcel-vossen wrote on 4/5/2009, 5:24 AM
Hi there,

This has nothing to do with files being moved or even being offline FOR REAL, not at all....

What I meant to say was that Vegas shows that message ALL THE TIME during editing too, if I change focus between Vegas and Outlook for example, and then go back to Vegas, I get to see this text "Media Offline" for a second or so , it's inside the media on the timeline, and then it changes back to normal. I wondered if i'has something to do with the other trouble I am having, just troubleshooting here.

So I was wondering if that is 'normal behavior' , but from your reaction I can see you don't have that text inside Vegas all the time?

blink3times wrote on 4/5/2009, 5:28 AM
Under those circumstances it is then not normal. Again I would go through your start ups and services and clean it out....anything that's not M$, turn it off... and get rid of nod.
blink3times wrote on 4/5/2009, 5:34 AM
"So I was wondering if that is 'normal behavior' , but from your reaction I can see you don't have that text inside Vegas all the time?"

The ONLY time I EVER see the "off line" pop up is when I have moved something and not told Vegas, or when my media is on my external which I have not turned on.

BTW: I don't run ANY memory resident systems that I don't absolutely have to.
farss wrote on 4/5/2009, 6:44 AM
There's a switch in the Vegas Preferences that causes Vegas to release the lock on all media files when it looses focus. If you use Vegas with say Sound Forge then Vegas needs to release the file locks so SF can work on the media files.

I'd suggest you check the state of that switch first. I suspect releasing the file lock is letting other things access the file and then when Vegas gets focus again it cannot lock the files and flags them as Offline.

Although all the other programs running around are not a good thing there's something more fundamental wrong here that should be addressed before you get involved in trying to disable services and uninstall programs as that can really bring things unstuck if you're not very careful.

Bob.
blink3times wrote on 4/5/2009, 8:04 AM
" There's a switch in the Vegas Preferences that causes Vegas to release the lock on all media files when it looses focus."

I thought of that Bob... it's called 'close media files while not active application' (or something like that)

My switch has always been checked and it still does not do what he is describing.
MTuggy wrote on 4/5/2009, 6:54 PM
Power DVD!! Get rid of any editing software that came with it.

That was the software that I installed about 2 weeks ago that screwed up Vegas' ability to recognize some types of media. I found that when I installed Producer (part of the Power DVD package that came with my Blu-Ray writer) that was the issue. When I uninstalled it, then reinstalled Vegas, everything was back to normal.

marcel-vossen wrote on 4/7/2009, 2:29 AM
Thanks for all input, I have unchecked that focus switch and it seems te help, thanks very much! Now lets hope this brings more stability!