"E:\filename.ai" is in an unknown format and cannot be opened"

[katie...@adobeforums.com]

My computer crashed. I just re-installed Adobe Illustrator 10.03. Now some of my ".ai" files show funny looking icons and won't open and instead a pop-up that says "E:\filename.ai" is an unknown format and cannot be opened". Some of my documents are just fine. But there are several Illustrator docs in various spots on my hard drive that are giving me this error.

Any suggetions on how to get these files to open up?

[Myle...@adobeforums.com]

Umm, "funny icons"? did you actually check your folder view to find out what program they are associated with and what Windows thinks they are? Perhaps they are simply missing the proper extension?

Mylenium

[katie...@adobeforums.com]

Mylenium;

Most of my Illustrator .ai files show thumbnails of the document and Windows knows they are .ai files.

The documents that won't open are Illustrator .ai files just like all the others, except in thumbnail view, its just the Illustrator logo image. The file extension ".ai" is on there though...

[Harron_K....@adobeforums.com]

My computer crashed.

What happened? Exactly, please.

I just re-installed Adobe Illustrator 10.03.

Did you do anything between the crash and the reinstall -- e.g., replace your hard drive, memory module, etc. -- or did you simply reinstall Illustrator?

[katie...@adobeforums.com]

My boss took out my D: drive which had all my files saved on it. And then he re-installed the D: drive when he was putting the computer back together.

I"m not sure what he did exactly. But I think it involved actually taking apart the CPU and putting it back together. Supposedly though, he'd taken out the D: drive so none of those docs would be effected by the work he did on the CPU.

And like I said, I can still open most of the files on this drive just like nothing ever happened. Its just a random sampling of files that won't open and are giving me the error.

[Harron_K....@adobeforums.com]

But the D: drive was connected and running when the "crash" occurred, is that right?

It is the "crash" that made it necessary for your boss to "take apart the CPU and put it back together," is that right?

Your main drive (where Windows is installed) is the C: drive, is that right?

If so, your applications (programs) are installed to your C: drive, is that right?

If so, when you reinstalled Illustrator, you did so to your C: drive, is that right?

Do you know whether your boss replaced your C: drive as part of the repair?

[katie...@adobeforums.com]

Yes the D: drive was connected when it crashed.

Yes C: drive is the main drive.

Yes apps are installed on C

Yes we re-installed Illustrator to the C drive

Answer to last question: No, but he did format the c drive and reinstalled windows 2000. Formatting the c drive erases everything on it.

[Harron_K....@adobeforums.com]

OK. Now we're getting somewhere.

Without knowing more about the precise nature and cause of the "crash," we can only make guesses, and here's mine:

Basically, Katie, you're screwed.

My guess is that either the "crash" and/or your boss's subsequent handling of the D: drive (which might have been entirely proper) has caused data corruption on that drive.

If you have no backup for the files on the drive, and if those files are of critical importance, I would disconnect the drive immediately and get it to a data recovery specialist. The longer you have it connected, the more you reduce the chance of recovering data.

If the data are somewhat less than critical, you can try some basic recovery steps yourself. Start by making an image backup of the drive, then run chkdsk on it with the /r option. Rename any recovered files (with the .ai extension), and try opening them.

Finally, you might send the .ai files that won't open to a specialist who knows the Illustrator file format. He/she might be able to make some partial fixes that will, at least, enable you to open the files.

If you want, post up a few of the files on a server and post the link here. Some of the experts here might have a crack at it. (Put the files in a .zip archive first to protect them against further corruption during transfer.)

[Harron_K....@adobeforums.com]

Oh... one other thing.

When you reinstalled AI 10, you re-applied the 10.0.3 update, yes?

[katie...@adobeforums.com]

yes.

[Harron_K....@adobeforums.com]

Good... but also too bad. Were it that simple...

[gaff...@gmail.com]

hi Dears,


the file is an unknown format and cannot be opened (.ai file) how to solve