Export not being allowed!

Question

Hello to all!
Had recently upgraded to 10.2. I then edited a song video which contained a few clips that I had imported from my disk image camera archives of footage taken in 2011. [The FCPX version at that time could not read data from my Sony handycam's internal drive and I had to make a disk image of the video footage.] I clicked open the disk image containing the video footage I wanted to use for this project and the disk image appeared as a 'Drive icon' labelled NO NAME upon the desktop. I then proceeded to import clips into the event: the import window had read this NO NAME as a camera. I allowed the default setting 'copy files to event' unchanged, checked for optimised media and began selecting portions of the clips I needed. At one stage however, perhaps without selecting any clip portion, I clicked the ENTER key. This resulted in the entire contents of the 'disk image camera' being imported into the event: 29 GB of data! I tried hitting the stop import button but it appeared not to respond. When I looked into the event browser, all the 400+ clips were there. I kept back nearly 8 clips that I needed and selected and 'command-deleted the' rest of the clips from the event. I then proceeded to build and finish my project using sections of video even from the 8 clips from NO NAME camera. When I then tried to share the project, this was the pop up that turned up: 'This item cannot be shared while it is still referencing media on the camera'.
I tried to consolidate the clips in the event but was informed that the clips were already in that location. I then ejected NO NAME and repeated the attempt to consolidate. Again the same information was delivered: the files are already in the location. Upon this, I tried to empty the trash; let me repeat: I TRIED TO EMPTY THE TRASH. Upon clicking the trash icon, the up menu turned up with the options: open/ empty trashed. I clicked upon the option 'empty trash' but there seemed to be no response. While trashing, I had in the past faced situations like this: the operation cannot be completed since the ???iplist is in use etc. In such situations, I would be able to empty the trash bin by resorting to this: restarting the computer. I thought that restarting the computer would allow me to trash the bin and proceeded to do it. After the restart, I was confronted with this more frightening situation: the Finder was not responding! My desktop was empty, none of my connected drives or other files being visible.
I was however able to open FCPX and when I looked into my project, I found the red warning of missing clips on all the clips I had imported from NO NAME. The 'source clips' in the event browser indicated that they were 'sterile'! I was also unable to access this disk image archive because the finder window was not active!
It is apparent that FCPX had not copied the files from the NO NAME camera into event. I am wondering whether this is a 'bug'. Or is it because of a flaw in my workflow that has resulted in this state of affairs.
As of now, after a night's rest, I was able to shut down the computer and upon starting it again, I have been blessed to have a functional finder window and a healthily icon-populated desktop!
I have not yet opened FCPX but know that the red missing clip alerts will be displayed unchanged. I will now proceed to click upon the NO NAME disk image and find out whether there will be any change in the 'missing clips' fate. Otherwise, I would need to experiment and find out whether this is indeed an 'import related bug' on account of which 10.2 does not copy files from disk image camera footage.
Guidance in this matter will be deeply appreciated.
Regards and take care,
Dr. Somanna

Answer 1

Hello Luis Sequeira! Thanks for giving your thoughts in this matter. I think that the application was put into a lot of confusion: I had unwittingly set in motion the import of all the clips in the camera [30GB] and even before it was done with its given task of optimising the clips, I had selected over 400 clips from the event browser and deleted them away. It was at that time, had I been knowledgeable, I should have realised by observing the camera icon that the media were being references to!
I have tried to consolidate and also relink the files, but this would not do the job I had in mind. Until I read your post, I have been ignorant of this method you referred to: Isn't it possible to just mount the archive and do File->Import->Reimport from Canera or Archive to recover the missing clips?
What is puzzling to me is this: when I went in for a fresh import, after the first two, the other clips would not be imported as whole clips...I had to select portions of clips and was able to get clips into the event and the project away into the world!
Regards and take care.
Dr. Somanna