restore-a-corrupted-media-project

name	restore-a-corrupted-media-project
category	media
description	Restore a corrupted media project while preserving sources, provenance, edit intent, dependencies, and verifiable outputs. Use when project files, storage, proxies, databases, or renders are damaged or inconsistent.

restore-a-corrupted-media-project

Preserve every recoverable source before opening, repairing, relinking, or converting the damaged project.

When to use

• Use when a production project will not open, links are wrong, storage is failing, timelines are missing, or source and edit versions conflict.
• Use ordinary relinking when originals, project state, dependencies, and output intent remain known and healthy.

Preconditions

• Confirm recovery authority, storage safety, project owner, original applications, delivery urgency, and a clean working destination.
• Gather backups, autosaves, project files, source media, proxies, exports, transcripts, logs, plugins, fonts, licenses, and prior checksums.

Procedure

1. Stop writes and create a damage inventory of storage, files, projects, sources, versions, symptoms, and last known-good evidence.
2. Perform source preservation through read-only imaging or verified copies before repair attempts.
3. Hash and classify originals, proxies, projects, autosaves, renders, corrupt items, duplicates, and unknowns.
4. Recover the safest project state from backups, autosaves, exports, XML or exchange files, and documented editorial decisions.
5. Perform dependency reconstruction for media links, fonts, plugins, effects, color, audio, captions, graphics, and application versions.
6. Rebuild missing edits from source-traceable logs, transcripts, review exports, and decision lists.
7. Keep substitutions, uncertainty, unavailable effects, and timing differences explicit.
8. Conduct recovery validation through timeline comparison, source sampling, sync, color, audio, captions, graphics, and full export.
9. Open the recovered package on a clean system and test archive plus future handoff.
10. Preserve the damaged evidence separately until authorized closeout.

Failure plan

• If storage may be failing, stop application access and use qualified recovery tooling on a copy.
• If multiple project histories conflict, preserve each and obtain editorial authority before selecting intent.
• Never overwrite the only surviving autosave, source, project database, or cache.
• If exact reconstruction is impossible, deliver a documented partial recovery rather than silently inventing edits.

Worked example

A documentary project stops opening after a drive error. The team images the drive, hashes surviving originals, and recovers an older project plus review exports. The latest transcript and edit decision list reconstruct two missing interview changes. One licensed noise-reduction plugin is unavailable, so its replacement and audible difference are documented. The recovered timeline matches approved exports at sampled frames, all sources relink, captions and audio pass, and a clean workstation opens the consolidated package.

Done

• A recovery manifest contains damage inventory, source preservation, hashes, versions, substitutions, and dependency reconstruction
• A restored project verification records timeline comparison, sources, sync, effects, color, audio, captions, graphics, and full export
• A preservation and handoff report proves clean-system opening, archive restore, unresolved differences, and custody of damaged evidence