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Need help! My iMovie 6.0 is going wonky on me!

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Hi. I just joined today after spending several hours in frustration, googling has always led me to this site when I have needed help with something before so I've joined and am coming to you for help.

We got a Mac in 2008, I started messing with iMovie 08 and HATED it. I was a PC (ugh, once you go Mac you NEVER go back!) before getting my Mac and one of the things I loved on my PC was Windows Movie Maker. I got super psyched about getting a Mac when I learned how great they are for video editing since it became a great hobby of mine. Well, iMovie 08 sucked so much that I was ready to just return the $1700 computer because I couldn't do even half the stuff I could do with WMM. Then someone told me to download iMovie HD 6.0 and I did, it worked great, loved it. It has been a few months since I made a movie using it because I've been quite busy.

However, today when I opened it make a video for two friends of mine who just got married, my iMovie started "searching" for files that it said it couldn't find files that end with .dv and it wouldn't let me return to my editing. It kept searching for these files. I've never had it act wonky on me like this before. I've assumed that my children have gotten into my iMovie and possibly messed with things but they wouldn't really know how to do much except for maybe open a movie to watch that I've previously made. However, usually they are too busy playing video games to care about my stuff. Now, being that iMovie is really one of the only reasons I was so excited about and fall in love with my Mac in the first place this is a serious issue for me. I have spent the last several hours in extreme frustration.

I have tried to find downloads for iMovie HD 6 but it seems that there aren't any. I've found some for 6.0.2 or 6.0.3 but it won't let me install them. It says for 6.0.2 that I need 6.0.1 and it's not recognizing the version I have.

Does anyone have or can anyone help me get a version of iMovie 6 that I can use because iMovie 8 simply can not do what I need it to, and my frustration is leading me to want to just smash this $1700 piece of machinery. I feel jipped. :(
 

Slydude

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You might want to try deleting/moving iMovie's preference files first to see if that fixes the problem. Look in your user folder for a Preferences folder. The preference is called com.apple.iMovie.plist. With iMovie shut down move that preference somewhere else like the desktop. Now launch iMovie and see if the problem disappears. If the program launches properly you will have to reset/re-enter your preferences. If this solves the problems you can delete the old preference file.
 
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Thanks. I tried that. It didn't work. When I'm looking through the media files to add photos and video clips it keeps telling me "Searching for data file 'Bounce Across 04.dv'" then "The movie file 'Bounce Across 04.dv' cannot be found. Without this file, the movie cannot play properly." I click cancel and it does the same with a different file. It keeps doing this and I have to force quit to get it to stop. I've rebooted and I've followed the given advice, and it didn't work. I'm getting to the point where I'd rather have a PC just so I can use Windows Movie Maker again. And I have come to hate PC's because obviously Macs are far superior BUT not when it comes to WMM vs. the newer versions of iMovie!

Any other suggestions or advice? Anyone else have this problem? Please help! I am going crazy with frustration.
 
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Wow, I've noticed that in the last few days, there have been like 3 first time posters who are so frustrated and impatient with their very first iMovie problems that they're ready to give up or destroy their machines (all without giving us their specs or much other information). I wonder if it's the same person using different names for each issue! Are so many people so mercurial that one issue is all it takes to go from loving their Macs to throwing them out the window?

First of all, having used Windows Movie Maker for years and iMovie for such a short time, I can safely say that iMovie can do FAR more than WMM ever could... you just have to stop trying to make it work like WMM. It's a totally different interface and workflow, and if you have WMM in mind when using it, you aren't going to get very far.

Off the top of my head, I would say that it could be that the original files in your iMovie Events folder have been renamed, deleted, or had their extensions changed. When the window pops up, does it prompt you to locate the missing files? If so, navigate to your iMovie Events folder in the Finder and make sure the files are there and properly named with the correct extension.

Most editing programs work like this: the project files in the program are referring back to the original files on your hard drive. If the original files are moved, renamed or deleted, the program cannot link back to them and will try to search for them. Sounds like this is what's happening here.

If the files are there, and you're sure that your version of iMovie has issues with DV formats, you can try exporting the footage as mov files in Quicktime Player.

But if these files were working before and they haven't been altered or moved, it could be the project file is corrupted, in which case you should start from scratch by importing the footage into a new project.
 
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Oneironaut, the OP isn't talking about iMovie 08/09, so he isn't using the 'iMovie Events' folder. The older iMovie creates a container folder for each project and when you import video from a camera, it is placed in that folder structure.

OP, nobody cares to listen to you whining or wants to read your history. Keep to the point. Also, yelling, the "PLEASE HELP!!!!!", will get less responses.

Also, what version of OS X are you running and what version came with your Mac? What Mac is it? I suspect your box came with 10.5.x and iLife 08.

I don't think a reinstall of iMovie will fix the problem. It sounds like the .dv files have been moved or are missing. Check the trash.

I suspect you are running OS X 10.5, so try finding your missing movies by using Spotlight.

You say it continues to give you that error. Keep going through them all until it stops giving the error, then create a new project and save it. I think after doing this, you will at least be able to open iMovie without seeing the errors, until you try opening the affected project(s).

If you didn't backup your iMovie 6.0.3, then you'll have to find a version of iLife 06. I don't think Apple sells it any longer, so perhaps eBay, craigslist, or other source will have it available.

You should create a separate user account for the kids, the wife, guests, etc.

Lastly, backup, backup, backup. That can save your caboose.
 
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Thank you for the replies.

First of all, I am female, not male. I am the wife, not the husband. ;)

My frustration comes from the fact that I have been using this machine for nearly 2 years and have had no problems with iMovie 06 until now. WMM can do a lot more then I can with iMovie 08. I have been doing video editing for many years, this isn't something I'm new at. iMovie08 is just bloody awful. And thanks for the assumption that not only am I male, but that I would use different screen names to ask about the same thing. I don't do that, but again, thanks for the assumption. I assure you I only have one account on this forum and joined only for this specific problem.

As for the suggestions, I really do appreciate it. Thank you. I apologize that I can be a bit impatient. Frustration does that. I can not check the trash because there is nothing in the trash, if things were moved into the trash they are long gone by now unless there is a way to retrieve deleted trash that I am not aware of.

And yes, I am using OS X 10.5.8, I will use spotlight and try to find the missing files. I will also follow the other suggestion as well and hope that something helps.

It was a new project, not an old or corrupt one, that I was working on when the errors started. It worked fine until I went to go through the media files to put more photo and video images into the project. While scrolling through the photos in media that is when it started acting wonky on me.

Additionally and finally, I did have separate accounts set up for the children but we have MagicJack for phone service now so that is no longer an option at the moment.
 
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Help with a movie

Hi,

My son made a move for his school project and now we cannot get it to save to an email because it says it is too big (8 Mg or g, I can't remember what he said, but I am sure that there a huge difference). I am not sure if it is movie 6 or whatever you were talking about because I don't know where to look.

It is due today and it won't post to his Utube account, facebook, an email and it is too big for our memory stick or for a DVD.

If anyone has any suggestions other than bringing the computer to school to show the teacher (he says he would rather die first than do that) I would be so thankful.

Best regards,
Jennifer
 
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