'Presenter was unable to open project file'

It seems like a problem with saving the ppta file?

why would the file become corrupted?

When I try to save it will not save a copy of the ppta.

How can I prevent this from happening in the future. I will be updating 11 files and don't want to come across this each time. I am going to reboot my computer now as the tutorial recommended.

http://www.articulate.com/support/presenter-09/presenter-was-unable-to-open-project-file

I found the tutorial above but would like more assistance. I rebooted but file is still corrupt and I cannot open anything in the Articulate tab.

Why does this happen?

What can I do to prevent this from happening in the future? As I previously wrote I will be updating 11 modules and I need to ensure this doesn't happen again. It's already happened to two files.

What can I do now?

Hi Jessica!

First, please make sure that you're working with projects from and saving to your local hard drive. 

• Work on your local drive (your C: drive). Working on a network drive or a USB drive can cause erratic behavior, including file corruption, loss of audio, and other unexpected behavior. 
• You should also make sure the directory path to your project files and your published output is less than 260 characters (for example C:\Articulate).
• Avoid using special characters, accents or symbols in your file names (this includes spaces and underscores).

Additional information regarding "Naming Files, Paths, and Namespaces" in Windows operating systems can be found in the following Microsoft article.

If you only experience this with this particular project, it might be an issue of corruption. 

Here's how to fix a corrupt PowerPoint file

It may help to run a quick repair on Studio '09:

Articulate Support - How to Repair Articulate Studio '09

If you're still having trouble, please follow the troubleshooting steps outlined in this article:

Unexpected or Erratic Behavior in Articulate Studio '09

This is helpful. Thank you. I am now using the C Drive.

I will eventually be moving the file to the network drive. When I move the file will all of the quizzes, engage files and attachments move when I resave it? Do I need to keep all of these files with the presentation at all times?

Thanks-

Jessica

Hi Jessica! We never recommend working off of a network drive.

I recently upgraded to Studio '13.  I just now tried to open an existing presentation to edit slide content. I am receiving "unable to open project file" message.  I have already rebooted and am working off of my C: drive.  Any other suggestions? A current version of the presentation is at https://das.iowa.gov/sites/default/files/hr/ric/recordings/Partnering/player.html.  Any help is greatly appreciated!

Hi Robbie!

Sorry to hear that you ran into some difficulty. Are you having issues with the software in general or just with one file? Knowing that may allow me to assist better.

We've made it easy to upgrade an Articulate Presenter '09 presentation to Articulate Presenter '13. See this article for details and to learn about the differences you'll notice after upgrading.

If you need me to take a look at the '09 project files, you are welcome to share the Articulate Package here and I can try to upgrade.

Hi Leslie,

The file is attached.  I had already followed the instructions to try to update the presentation to ’13 and still received the error message. I tried opening a different presentation and it does ask if I want to convert so it must just be this presentation.  This presentation includes a screener recording that may be causing issues.

Thank you for troubleshooting this with me! 

Robbie Stoecker

Hi Robbie!

So, it appears that this file was updated. I was able to import the slides into a new presentation to get it to work.

Here is the solution:

1. Open a new, blank presentation in PowerPoint.
2. Go to the Home tab, click the drop-down arrow beside New Slide, and choose Reuse Slides.
3. In the Reuse Slides panel, click the Browse button and choose Browse File.
4. Browse to your original PowerPoint file and click Open.
5. At the bottom of the Reuse Slides panel, mark the box to Keep source formatting.
6. Right-click the first slide in the Reuse Slides panel and select Insert All Slides.
7. Save the new presentation and republish.

Note: Articulate resources, such as audio and video, will need to be inserted again into the new presentation. You may need to export the narration from your original presentation, then import it into the new presentation.

OK. I was able to reuse slides into a new presentation as you instructed. However, I can't seem to figure out how to export audio from the original presentation since Articulate says it can't open the folder when I click on Import Audio. Am I able to make an .mp3 file by converting the .ppta file somehow?

Thanks,

Hi Robbie!

You may have to utilize a different method.

You should be able to use something like 7-Zip to extract the file's contents of the PPTA file. The PPTA contains whatever you added via the Articulate menu in the original project - such as narration, attachments, etc.

Also, please note that replying to the forums via e-mail attaches your signature, but you are welcome to pop in and edit if needed.