Looks like I've completely screwed up a very important project that took me 3 months to collect information and create a video file. At the very last stage, when the project file consisting of several chapters (all separate mpeg files previously created and combined in one project file) was all set and ready for burning on a DVD, THIS happened. The hard drive did not have enough space to render the file (they gave me a 30G drive PC to work on this movie), so I stupidly deleted the original captured footage. It apparently had been still associated with those mpeg files in the final project (or something like that). The result is that it starts renderring and does it for 30 min, and then tries to compile a DVD and failes.

Does anybody have any idea what can be done at this point?

(tried to recover the deleted files but it did not work, after scanning the drive for 4 hours with a special software;
tried to open an mpeg file created from the whole project just before deleting the footage files and burn it on a dvd -- no success.
I made an mpeg file of the whole project it instead of burning a DVD just because for this C drive had enough space {but apparently if just deleted any chance of recovering those files})

What I have now is that mpeg file of the whole project, with DVD menus as pictures in the beginning, which I'd love to somehow burn on a DVD

Sorry, if I don't sound comprehensive anymore... I've missed several nights of sleep

I'm using Pinnacle 9 Studio Plus

Thanks,
Inna

Your video in the timeline merely points to reference points in the original captured footage: delete the captured footage and you're essentially deleting your project. I'm afraid there's nothing much you can do now.

However, you can use the MPEG you created to make a DVD. Just import this into a new project, create a new menu and make sure Pinnacle doesn't transcode the MPEG.

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Thanks Marc,

yes -- you live, you learn, as they say. Unfortunately, I was not able to use the existing mpeg file to burn a dvd from a new project. It rendered for a hour, and then started to compile disc, and suddenly gave me the same annoying message that the source files are not valid.

Anyway, the happy end: I re-captured all the original footage and re-did the whole thing from scratch. Went home at 3 am, happy.
Now our Embassy has the post video, and my pride is saved

inna

p.s. That was my first experience working with Pinnacle studio. I've read a lot of negative reviews about it before I undertook this project. I was a little nervous, but could not choose here - I had to work with what I got from our IT department.

I should say that although not so robust as Adobe Premiere Pro (and not so complicated too), Pinnacle is a good software for amature video production... especially when you know exactly what you are doing!