Message: Unable to open the file.

The information in this article applies to:

QUESTION

Whenever I try to open a particular plan file, a message states:

• "#272015536 - Unable to open the file."
  

Is there a way to open this file?

ANSWER

This error message indicates that although the file has a file extension recognized by the software, the contents of the file are such that the file cannot be read. There are a couple of possible reasons for this:

• The file is not actually a plan or layout file but was renamed so that it has a .plan or .layout file extension.
  
  
• The file is missing data and cannot be opened. 

If the file in question has been renamed, it is best that you restore its original file extension. Changing a file's extension does not change its file type or allow different applications to read it. In fact, it may prevent applications that should be able to read the file from doing so.

If the file is missing data, there is most likely nothing that can be done to recover it. You will need to resume work by accessing a recent backup. Please see the "Accessing Your Archive Files" resource in the Related Articles section below.

While there are no guaranteed ways to always prevent file corruption, here are a few tips to help avoid missing data in the future:

• Do not work across a network, cloud service, USB flash drive, or other removable storage device. Instead, copy the file you wish to work on to your local hard drive, work on the locally saved file, then copy the file back to your desired location when you are finished.
  
  
• Do not zip/compress or upload files while they are open. Before zipping/compressing a plan or layout file, or before uploading a file to an e-mail message, website, or cloud service, it is important that it is not open in the program.
  
  
• Save your work often. Consider implementing a personal file backup system unrelated to the program's backup/archival feature.