Lost projects. Can you recover them in Time Machine?

Hi there,

I just did a fresh install on my macbook pro. I backed up everything with time machine, but I did not export my resolve database. I am looking through the database folders and I do not see my latest projects. Is is possible to recover my projects?

Thank you for your input!

Resolve 12.5
El Capitan 10.11.6

[Dwaine Maggart]

If you are using a Disk database, and you've found that on the Time Machine backup, and you see some of your projects in your users Projects folder, but not more recent ones, that would imply the Time Machine backup didn't backup those newer projects.

As you perhaps already know, you can copy the project folders out of the TM backup into your current user's Projects folder, and they should become available.

Thanks for getting back to me Dave, I appreciate it.

Unfortunately I think you may be right and TM overlooked the database file. Just to make sure I am searching for files with "diskdb" in them? Any other tips on how to find database files? And what kind of file extensions does the other database files create?

Thank you for your help.

[Dwaine Maggart]

It sounds like you are not looking for the proper things.

The default path for a Resolve Mac Disk Database is here:

/Library/Application Support/Blackmagic Design/Davinci Resolve/Resolve Disk Database/Resolve Projects/Users

In that path, you'll see any users that were on the system. You should see a guest and admin folder. If any other users were added, they will each have a folder.

In each users folder, such as guest, will be a Projects folder. Inside that folder will be a folder for each of that users projects. Those project folders can be moved/copied to any other users Projects folder and be available under that user.

If you are using Resolve in Single User mode (i.e. when you launch Resolve it comes up in the Project Manager window) the projects will be in the guest user Projects folder.

So what you need to do is: find the /Library/Application Support/Blackmagic Design/Davinci Resolve/Resolve Disk Database/Resolve Projects/Users folder in your TM backup, and look for your projects there, then copy them into that path, into the desired user, on the current system.

I created a few projects on my own and then I created a new database when I was taking a tutorial series. The first projects I created are in the database located at /Library/Application Support/Blackmagic Design/Davinci Resolve/Resolve Disk Database/Resolve Projects/Users . This database doesn't contain the projects I've been working on for the last month.

The new database I created is on the external hard drive, but it hasn't updated in a couple on months. I thought I was positive my latest projects are in that ^ database. Maybe they were saved to a different database? Maybe this database wasn't updated for some reason? Any other ideas?

Thanks for sticking with me!

[Dwaine Maggart]

You can create a Disk database in any location that Resolve can write to.

If you've ever loaded any of the projects in question after you initially created them, then they were written to a database somewhere.

Sounds like you may have had the desired database in a different location than you've looked in so far.

Do a search for a Resolve Projects folder. Any Resolve Disk database on the system will have that Folder in it.

Found it! God Bless you Dave. Have a great weekend! THANK YOU.

[Dwaine Maggart]

You're welcome Fred.

Hi Dwaine

I'd like you to tell me if I've got this right or not. I'm on pc wind 10 and I want to install 12.5.1 and back up my database first. Here's what I did:

1 - Opened resolve, clicked 'database' on log-in window, didn't log in.

2 - Hit 'backup' and selected a location to save in, and saved.

3 - Name of saved file is 'localdatabase.resolve.diskdb'.

So, I'd like to know this - if I go ahead and update to 12.5.1, will my projects still be there, and if not, how do I use the saved database file to put the projects back into 12.5.1.

Thanks Dwaine, I'd appreciate your help.

Gary

[Dwaine Maggart]

Yes, all your projects will be there.

If you are using a Disk database, when you open a project, and SAVE it with 12.5.1, it will no longer be usable with earlier versions of Resolve.

If you are using a PostgreSQL database, the database must be Upgraded before it can be accessed with 12.5.1. Once you Upgrade the database, it will no longer be usable with an earlier version of Resolve.

If you need to use a backup up database, you use the Restore menu in the Resolve Database Manager window. You always have to Restore to a NEW name. You can't Restore to the original database name.

Hello Dwayne,
Had an occurrence (after a computer sleep, my bad) of a Resolve crash after switching to os sierra and resolve 12.5.1. Database was gone, i have looked for all the file folders in library/application support/blackmagic and generally i can find no disk database files/folder etc. Even looked for hidden files no luck.

I did backup my database and have tried restoring or connecting to the backup with no avail.
my backup database is a .backup file of 45 meg (not sure which version of resolve 12.5? its from Feb 2016) and i am supposing this is a PostgreSQL database. the error message i get when trying to restore is
failed to restore database:Failed to create database: database name already exists, although it doesnt exist

when i tried to connect the backup database i get
Failed to connect to the database. please check log file for mow details

Is their a procedure to do this i am not grasping?
thanks,
Bill

[Dwaine Maggart]

The issue is that PostgreSQL does not work in Sierra. You would need to go back to El Capitan or earlier, and then restore your database.

If you have another machine not running Sierra, you could restore the database on that, then import desired projects in a Disk database, and Backup that, and Restore it on the Sierra machine.

Or export the projects as drp or dra files and import those on the Sierra machine.

Thanks Dwayne for the quick reply, i did partition my disk after this happened and installed El Capitan. I still had no luck with the database but i will revisit tomorrow perhaps my method was wrong. Yes, i had read somewhere about sierra os not working with PostgreSQL, naturally after i installed it.

Dwayne,
Here's my update went with my non os sierra partition
os el capitan, resolve 12.3.2 (went to a version that was in use around time i made the backups in feb/march).
Still not able to restore the database. Not sure what i am doing wrong but I still get the database already exists warning. any guidance is appreciated, thanks.

resolve_DB.jpg (164.68 KiB) Viewed 18098 times

[Dwaine Maggart]

Hi Bill,

First thing is to ensure PostgreSQL is running. If it's not running or installed, you'll get the database already exists message, unfortunately.

Look in the Mac Applications folder and see if the PostgreSQL 8.4 folder is there. If so, it's installed. If not, it's not installed. Since Resolve 12, the Resolve installer does not automatically install PostgreSQL if it's not installed.

If PostgreSQL is not installed, run the Resolve installer. When you get to the Installation Type step, select the Customize button at the bottom, then tick the PostgreSQL checkbox in the upper area, then finish the install. Now you hopefully have a PostgreSQL 8.4 folder in the Mac Applications folder.

Once you have a PostgreSQL 8.4 folder, inside the folder is a Stop Server, Start Server, and Restart Server icon. Click the Restart Server icon. It will ask for your Admin password. Hopefully that will start the server. If it was running, it will just say it restarted. If it wasn't running, it will ask you if the server was running, and then start the server anyway.

Once the PostgreSQL server is started, you should be able to restore your database.

Dwaine can't thank you enough for walking me thru this. Yes, i did not have postgreSQL installed in El Capitan, once installed all came right back to where it was.
Thanks again,
Bill

Hi Dwaine,

When editing a project on Resolve 14 Beta, I had a "Can't save project message". I had taken the precaution of setting up autosave and was saving every so often. It asked me to save it with a different filename which I did. I was able to close down Resolve without issues. The project .db folder and db.file are still in my Projects folder (working in Sierra) but it won't show on the Admin Startup Page. I can't restart and backup the project.I can't find the alternative backup that I was promted to save either. Can I recover this project, or is it lost...

Thanks for the feedback.

Actually, the project folder I found is the one saved as Copy... but it isn't linked to the user. Any way to link it back?

[Dwaine Maggart]

What happens if you open a Resolve project, go into Project Settings - Auto Save, and select List Backups?

If you had Auto save to backup project selected, it should appear in the Backups list, and you can load it from there.

Hi Dwaine,

We just experienced the same problem (lost 3 years of Resolve projects) when we upgraded from Mavericks to Sierra.

If we were to downgrade back to Mavericks would our Resolve projects be in tact?

Thank you,

Bill
Auckland, New Zealand

Hi.

I'm having a (somewhat) similar problem with version 14 of Resolve. My Mac just crashed due to a failed HD which was not being used by Resolve. However once my computer restarted the project I was working on is no longer visible in the Project manager. I can see the Project.db file located correctly in the Resolve Disc Database folder in finder. I've tried backing up the database and restoring but it still doesn't show in the project manager.

Is there a way to load the 'Project.db' file i need?

Thanks

Nat

I don't know the answer of how to load your database. But one thing I would try doing is making a complete copy the 'Resolve Projects' folder that your project's db resides in. And with the copy, look at the Project.db file using a program like:

http://sqlitebrowser.org/

I had two similar situations, albeit on the PC.

One where DB Browser for SQLite couldn't open the database, and running a Widows system utility to check and repair the disk made the db readable.

The other time DB Browser for SQLite could open the database but the db looked essentially empty (esp. when compared to other db's). That essentially told me that it was toast and time to start over.

Again, I'd do this on a copy as I'm not an expert on SQL, and just used this tool to try to get a handle on what's going on.

[Dwaine Maggart]

@Nat: Put your Project.db file on a file sharing site and post a link here, and we'll have a look to see if it can be recovered.

Thanks Dwaine

Here's a link:

https://my.pcloud.com/publink/show?code ... k3WHJpXTHX

Nat

[Dwaine Maggart]

@Nat: Unfortunately, it's damaged beyond repair.

I am trying to restore from my project.db files, since my OS recently crashed/got wiped, and I don't have any of the original save files, but I have 2 folders filled with these project backup files.

Can anyone help walk me through on how to get these projects back into Davinci Resolve 15?

Greatly appreciated any suggestions or help! <3

[Dwaine Maggart]

Each of those folders was linked to a particular project before your OS crash. All the files in a given folder, are auto save files for that particular project.

There is no good way to recover them in this scenario.

If you can zip the most recent file in each of the 2 folders and send it to us, I'll attempt to make normal project export .drp files out of them, that you can Import.