Knowledge Base

Problem

After a technician deletes trials in EthoVision, users are concerned that their recorded video files and tracking data may be permanently lost and want to know if the experiment can be recovered.

Details

When trials are deleted in EthoVision, there is an option presented during deletion that also deletes the corresponding video file. If this option was not selected, the video files may still exist on disk even though the trials no longer appear in the experiment. Video files are stored in a dedicated 'Media Files' subfolder within the experiment folder.

Solution

1. Navigate to the experiment folder on your PC or network drive.
2. Open the 'Media Files' subfolder within the experiment folder.
3. Check whether the video files for the deleted trials are still present. If they are, the recordings were not deleted along with the trials.
4. If the video files are intact, you can create a new experiment and re-import or re-track the videos:
- Create a new experiment with the same arena and detection settings.
- Add new trials and point them to the existing video files in the Media Files folder.
- Re-track the trials to regenerate tracking data.
5. Note: If the 'delete corresponding video file' option was confirmed during trial deletion, the video files are permanently removed and cannot be recovered from within EthoVision. Check your system backup or network backup for copies.
6. To prevent future accidental loss, establish a backup routine for experiment folders, and communicate to all users that the deletion confirmation includes an option to also delete video files.