Blackmagic Forum

My computer is busted and I need to format and / or reinstall windows. Unfortunately I didn't export my DaVinci projects. I still have access to the hard drive in safe mode, and my project is stored on an external SDD, but I can no longer open DaVinci and therefore can't export my project

What should I do? Any advice would be appreciated!

Maybe you can find it in the user profile folder:

C:\Users\User\AppData\Roaming\Blackmagic Design\DaVinci Resolve\Support\Resolve Project Library

Basically, what Kruno said. But a few things:

You mention "my project is stored on an external SDD". What exactly does that mean? Did you create a Resolve Project Library on the external SSD? Or are you referring to the project media?

If you only had the default Local project library called "Local Database", then your project will be there.

In this Projects folder:

C:\Users\user_name\AppData\Roaming\Blackmagic Design\DaVinci Resolve\Support\Resolve Project Library\Resolve Projects\Users\guest\Projects

will be a folder for each of your projects. Make a copy of that Projects folder.

Note that user_name in the path above is YOUR Windows user name.

Also note that this is a hidden path and to see it in File Explorer, you'll need to go into File Explorer Options - View tab, and select "Show hidden files, folders and drives"

When you install Resolve on the new drive, launch it and do the Quick Setup stuff, and make a new project and save it. After doing that, you'll have a path similar to above. Copy all the project folders from your backed up Projects folder into the new Projects folder.

Thanks a lot for your help.
It looks like I set my library to my external hard drive, that's where those project folders are.
If that's the case, are there any other files I might need from my PC?

Thanks again.

Just to be safe, I would recommend you backup the:

C:\Users\user_name\AppData\Roaming\Blackmagic Design\DaVinci Resolve\Support

and:

C:\Users\user_name\AppData\Roaming\Blackmagic Design\DaVinci Resolve\Preferences

folders, if you can.

manumanu20 wrote:If that's the case, are there any other files I might need from my PC?

Yeah. I would do that too. I backup whole Blackmagic folder with all the profile settings...

C:\Users\user_name\AppData\Roaming\Blackmagic Design\

...and I usually back up reactor and other stuff from program data section so I don't have to install it. If you have that kind of stuff. But its not as critical, you can always download it again. its the profile stuff that is worth keeping.

After you have reinstalled resolve and opened it once, copy paste the backup where it was originally, if you have installed resolve in the same location and all should be up and running with possible issues if you have projects saved with third party plug ins which will have to be installed again, separately. Otherwise you might get errors about missing openFX plug ins. If you used audio plug ins in projects, same thing. Best to install them as well. Once you have all up and running again.

You can't go wrong following Dwaine's advice, but I'll throw a spanner in: there's another way, which will also preserve any unique settings in the earlier library.

If you can find the library folder on the external drive (the topmost folder, not the internal folders), copy it, rename the copy to something useful, then move it to the root of the new system disk, so it's easily found in future. Then "connect" to it in the library manager.

This will leave you with two libraries: the default from the new installation, which will be empty, and the old one you just moved.

That was very helpful, much aporeciated.
Managed to restore my project thanks to your assistance.
I had everything backed up, but didn't realize I had to copy it back to its original location!