How to get iMovie '11 to recognize events and projects on external hard-drive?

Question

Hello, my old iMac recently crashed and i bought a new one.  I have restored all of my iMovie files from an online backup service to an external hard-drive.  Now, I would like to add all of these events and projects into my iMovie library on my new computer. 
So far, I have tried File->Import->Import Movies and then browsed to the Movies folder on my external hard-drive where all of my iMovie events and projects and videos are stored.  However, iMovie will not recognize that this folder contains any iMovie files.  Only if I browse down to each individual event folder will it then recognize and begin importing the file.  Is there anyway to get iMovie to recognize all the folder, files and events as it was on my old computer and not have to re-import everything event by event?  Thanks for any help you can provide!

Answer 1

Hi
You must do this the right way.
• EXTERNAL Hard disk - MUST - be Mac OS Extended formatted
Nothing else will do - for VIDEO !
• The Moving of Event's and Project's - Must be done within the iMovie Application
Folders named iMovie Event's and iMovie Project's - can not be moved via Desktop/Finder - as links back to iMovie will break and can not be mended.
My general note on this:
Moving Event's and Project's
Connection - Either connect one Mac in Target mode to the other via FireWire. Or use an external hard disk !
(Target-Mode - Start one Mac e.g. laptop - BUT keep T-key down during full up-start - Now a FW-symbol is jumping around the screen and it will work as an external hard disk when connected to the other Mac)
A. The External Hard Disk - MUST BE - Mac OS Extended (hfs) formatted to work for Video. UNIX/DOS/FAT32/Mac OS Exchange works for most other things but not for Video whatever program is used (iMovie or FinalCut)
B. Should be a FireWire one as USB/USB2 performs badly to me and especially when filling up
C. Do never Move or Alter any folder named
• iMovie Event's - or -
• iMovie Project's
on DeskTop/Finder - as this will result in iMovie losing connections to them and repair can be anything from hard to impossibly.
D. Moving and Copying must be done within iMovie application and Events to Events - and - Project's to Project's.
E. Moving Project's to Event's - Do not work for me - I have to export project as a QuickTime movie then Import this into Events.
Event's window can show two faces
Like this
or like this
from one hard disk Event - You can move it to the other hard disk
You can not (at least not me) move Event to Project or other way around only
Event to Event and Project to Project
Yours Bengt W