Forum Discussion
This project is invalid or corrupt and cannot be opened...
I recently created a new course in Storyline 2, and was able to save and publish it for LMS (I have the .zip file as well). However, when I attempt to open the .story file now, I receive the following message: "This project is invalid or corrupt and cannot be opened. It may have been created in an earlier version of Storyline."
The second part cannot be correct, as I created it in Storyline 2 approximately a week ago, and I have no idea why the file would be corrupt. I used the same naming and saving procedures as my other courses (I have successfully created and saved/modified over 30 at this point), so it must be something else. Any suggestions? I would really prefer not to have to start again from scratch, and unfortunately I don't have an earlier version to work with.
I have attached the problematic file to this post in case anyone can take a look.
Thanks so much!
Adam Schechter
33 Replies
Glad it helped you, Lena! Also, keep these other best practices in mind.
I just lost 2 weeks of work because of this same problem. I cannot find any .tmp files. Can you help?
Hi Tess,
I'm sorry your in a bind, and I know how frustrating it is to lose work like that. If you're unable to find anything in the Temp folder using the steps outlined by Alyssa, I'd suggest asking your IT team for help searching your computer for other files.
The same thing has happened to me 2x in 2 weeks now. I spent several days re-creating the work. I saved the story file 2x a day so that I would have a clean backup.
Now it appears that my working file and each of the backups are giving me the same "This project is invalid or corrupt and cannot be opened. It may have been created in an earlier version of Storyline."
I don't really require an expression of sympathy, a heartfelt "Yeah, that's too bad!" as much as a root cause analysis of why this keeps happening and a way to prevent it from happening again.
It may be that I haven't been updating the program every time I get a message that updates are available: I would rather not write tickets to IT every other day.
I followed the tips from Nicole by backing up the files: for those in a similar situation, it only seems to work if I back the project up to Team Slides rather than my local laptop. The problem with that is that I'm not sure if I can work from home if I do that.
Hi Dan,
Thanks for reaching out and letting us know that you are running into an error message as well.
It sounds like you are aware of Nicole's tips shared here on preventing file corruption.
- Were you able to find a temp file as Alyssa shared above?
- Is this happening with one file or multiple project files?
You mentioned that you don't do all of the updates, but do you know what version of Storyline you're using?
You can check by going to:
Help > About Articulate Storyline
We are currently on Build 3.28.18944.0 of Storyline 360. You can read all of the details here.We don't want you to run into problems continually either, so if you'd like to work directly with one of our support engineers, you can certainly do so here.
Thanks for getting back to me.
The tmp renaming worked the second time I tried it, so I only lost a few hours work this time.
I'm still saving to my local c:, my network h: and publishing to team slides several times per day.
This is the 2nd time in 2 weeks, different files.
I had 360 updated by IT, but the file still wouldn't open.
[cid:image001.png@01D5251E.A2861340]
I will continue to be very careful.
It would be nice if this were no longer an issue.
Thank you again.
Dan
I'm unable to see the image that you've shared here, Dan. Perhaps you replied via e-mail, which would be the reason. Be sure to click 'View' vs. 'Reply' and you'll be brought to our conversation here in the forums where you can share any attachments needed.
You originally ran into the issues while working locally or while saving on your H: Drive? Please be sure that your software, any assets (pics, videos, etc), and your files are all saved locally on your C: Drive.
I was just showing the About screen: I actually have the numbered version mentioned.
Everything had been saved on the c:.
Hi all,
In our continued efforts to help prevent and recover from file corruption, we've added a new recovery feature to Storyline 360, build 3.29.19305.0. If a project becomes corrupt, Storyline lets you know if there's a working version in your temp files and makes it easy for you to recover. Details here.
Let us know how this feature is working for you and if you have any other questions on the latest update! You can reach out in E-Learning Heroes or connect with our Support Team.
Thank you.
I'll try this if I have another problem.
I was wondering if corrupt images or the wrong fonts can cause a project to not open?
I can find corrupt images by publishing each slide as a project separately until I find the problem. (I've done this with Captivate.)
Is there a way to determine if it's a font issue?
Dan
Hi Dan,
When you open an existing project, Storyline 360 will let you know if any fonts are missing from your computer. See this article for details.
Having a similar issue with the invalid/corrupt file. I was working on my network in Storyline 360, everything going well. Then I saved my project, restarted my computer and now it won't open. Had our IT department restore a backup from the previous day (to only lose one day of work, rather than an entire month), and now that file won't open either. I have another .story saved in the same place, saved at the same time, and it opens normally. I could use any help available, and the suggestions above do not help me. This is a month's worth of work and I can't lose it. Also, is there any one I can speak with over the phone? I didn't easily find a contact number.
Thanks,
DylanHi Dylan,
Our Support team is available 24/7 via email by submitting a case here.
Working off a network drive is known to cause corruption issues, so if you were working off the network or shared drive that could have contributed to the issues you've run into. Our team is happy to work with you on this as well.
