HELP - Can't open my Revit File!

[jshebert]

I cannot open a project file that I worked on just yesterday. If I cannot recover this, I will lose 4.5 hours of work, which really cannot happen right now, if ever. The error says:

An unknown error occurred while accessing <pathname\file.rvt>

It lets me click OK, and that's it. I have the journal, and I have a working backup file that is 24 hours out of date (4.5 hours of worktime). Someone please help, since my "Create Support Request" is disabled, and my network administrator is not available.

If anyone has any suggestions, or by some stroke of pure luck, Autodesk Support sees this, please post here or send e-mail to jshebert@rlba.com. Thanks!

Information:

Revit 8.1 build 20060124_2200
File worked great yesterday, saved it at the end of my day, returned to it today, doesn't load.

Over two years of using Revit, and I haven't seen this one before!

[sbrown]

Well I recommend you bite the bullet and work of yesterdays. If a file won't open usually something happended during the save, like you shut down your computer,power went out or something just didn't let it finish saving. If its a worksets project, you can use the roll back feature and find out if you can get closer that 4.5 hours, if not, you'll be able to redo 4 hours worth of work in 2, since its allways faster the 2nd time.

[Jit]

what about the backup files?

[tc3dcad60731]

Yeah, what about the .002, etc files? Why cant you try those because they have saved my bacon twice!

[jshebert]

Hey Scott, long time no see since my last trip to the central florida revit users group.

The backup files are fine. Point is, I had detailed a bunch of wall sections so that I could issue a package to another firm, and really wanted those to go with the package. Bite the bullet it is, but since this has never happened before, I thought maybe someone had a clue or a fix. Let's not make this a habit, tho, I can't afford to lose a job file any more than the next guy. Once my IT guys call me back and enable support requests, then maybe we can find the cause of the problem. Maybe they will even install version 9 and I cant ry to load it there (doubt that works). Until then....

[gbrowne]

I have been getting weird messeges like that, then revit crashes out as well.

I then go back to the window with the files in it, click again (slowly) and it usually opens up.

Revit then comes up with a report to factory thing, which I dutifully fill in, and everything is ok. Scared the bejeesus out of me the first time, now its no biggie.

For the record, not a peep from the factory..

[tc3dcad60731]

I have been getting weird messeges like that, then revit crashes out as well.

R9? or Older?

[gbrowne]

R 8.1. Come to think of it, still to happen in 9. Thats been a week.

[MattB-1442]

I have autosave set to 15 minuite intervals. Saved me many times, although Revit is much better about not crashing than Autocad.

[tc3dcad60731]

Ha, finally had time to go through some of these emails that I have gotten the past week and looks like there is one for a patch to Revit! Clicked on it and the only thing that I can find is a patch for 8.1 :?:

Not too many moving to R9 cause of problems ;)

[Wesley]

If you have not yet dealt with the issue (or bitten the bullet) I can probably fix the file for you. How big is it? Do you have an FTP site or other facility we could use to transfer it?
Regards,
Wesley

[jshebert]

No version 9 yet, but i saw the fix was released. This happened on what I previously believed to be stable v8.1 (except when site tools are involved). Also, submitted to the factory, and now awaiting word. They did provide a nice disclaimer that there was no guarantee they could restore the file, and hence, I'd be seriously out of luck, as though I didn't know that!

I save every 30min, because its a PITA. It would be truly nice to have that just happen automatically, in the background, rather than prompting me, and the save about 16 backup files, so I could have the whole days' work in there. Live and learn. But of course, that day i had accidentally rolled the save feature to 2 hours, and obviously skipped it once...

I will post the factory's results when they become available. Thank you all for the help and suggestions, and "c'mon factory! FIX that FILE!" :)

[narlee]

What's the 100 Club?

[Elmo]

Basically people who have reached 100 posts. They change again when they reach 200 to I can stop if I wanted.

[lafe]

That happened to me when we were about to send out a project to print for contract documents. I contacted my reseller, and they had a phone number at the factory that I called, and the guy there helped me get through it. I don't remember what he helped me do, though. . . . I think it was going back in the journal.

I also had that happen right before I downloaded the upgrade to 8.0. I opened the bad file in 8.0 and it worked. Maybe 9.0 will do that for you.

[narlee]

Elmo. I didn't mean to copy your avatar quote. I don't know how it happened. I was checking out your avatar because I thought it was funny and now, somehow, I have your quote with my name. Do you know how I can change it?

Sorry,
Geof Narlee

[Elmo]

LOL, you can't change that. It's part of the new Augi rating system. When you have reached a new level it will change again. No worries if anything I'd want mine to say Forum Muppet !

[christo4robin]

I just had the "unknown error" message pop up - sent off a request to support and they were unable to fix it. The three backups had the same issue. Ugh - have to completely recreate a project. Ugh!

[dhurtubise]

What version are you using Christopher ?

[christo4robin]

9.1 - build 20060810_2300.

[dhurtubise]

Workset version or not ? Did you tried backup ?

[irwin]

I just had the "unknown error" message pop up - sent off a request to support and they were unable to fix it. The three backups had the same issue. Ugh - have to completely recreate a project. Ugh!
Ouch. Before giving up, are you sure you tried opening ALL of the backups? For non-workset projects when Revit is purging backups it always keeps the one you opened to start the current session. That one is guaranteed to open because it already did open. I don't see how it can happen that Revit can't open any of the backups unless someone manually deleted a backup. (Another possibility is that the files were copied and the copy utility corrupted them; but it seems unlikely that it would have corrupted ALL of them.)