end of question

[Tom in HD]

delete

[terryj]

FCP, in Apple's wisdom, binds to the computer's Mac Address
at first launch. Any changes made to the system will result in
FCP giving this error. (Quark Xpress is another Mac app i know
that does this now as well)

You have two choices: Try running FCP Rescue first and see if
it will restore the FCP 4.5 to default. If it still doesn't launch,
you will need to trash FCP 4.5 entirely, and do a re-install from
OS Discs, so it will cleanly bind everything after a new registration.

We found this out the hard way when we had bought some third party
ram that was bad, and had to replace it. The replaced ram caused FCP
to give this error, and after calling Apple, we found out this little hidden
"gotcha".

Also, it will happen if the rendered files from the previous system
got corrupted in your backing up/ copying them over from the
previous HD, but from what your describing this sounds more like
our problem, which was RIGHT AFTER double clicking the icon to
launch the program correct?

If you are getting the message after it does its scan in the splash
screen, and right before it tries to open and set palettes, its your
render files, trash them and run FCP Rescue.