"Save As" locks system

Question

Whenever I attempt a "Save As" the spinning disk comes up and the system locks. I must do a Force Quit.
Anyone know how to solve this?
Bob

Answer 1

Wow, this is very strange, Bob. iMovie should be able to do a Save As with no problem at all. Something is preventing iMovie from duplicating the project, which is basically a file-copy routine.
Since you've ruled out problematic third-party plugins, the two remaining causes are: 1) a disk problem of some kind; and 2) some kind of project corruption, perhaps a corrupt video file inside the project. Something that causes iMovie to get stuck while duplicating.
Use another door. Try using the Finder to duplicate the project. Click on the project icon and choose File > Duplicate. Except for some minor cleanup iMovie does inside the Saved As project, duplicating with the Finder has exactly the same result as iMovie's Save As command.
If that fails too, then there's a problem with the disk. Use Disk Utility to Verify the disk. It will diagnose the problem. If it finds problems you must boot up your Mac with the DVD that came with your Mac to Repair the problems. (Disk Utility can't fix a startup disk.)
You said earlier:
The file comes from a clip I captured using Quick Time. ...
I wanted to cut part of it out and do a Save As to a smaller file, and that's
when I encountered the problem.
If I understand correctly, doing a Save As may not accomplish your goal here. The Save As routine duplicates the project exactly as it is now, with no reduction in size. The new project is the same as the old, its clips inheriting all the features they had in the old. These include the ability to be restored to their original state — iMovie's non-destructive editing feature.
To do that, the source video of clips is never shortened by iMovie, never removed from the project. That's true for both the old project and the new.
So if a reduction in size is the goal, doing a Save As may not work. A better solution may be to export the project back to the camera, then re-import that tape to a new iMovie project. That discards video not included in the timeline. Clips such as titles and transitions will no longer be editable, of course, but that may not matter to you.
Karl
P.S.: I still have this nagging suspicion some niggling problem is causing this. Something like trying to save the Saved As project in a folder it shouldn't go. Or not enough free disk space.