Impossible to open an illustrator file

Clément,

It may be impossible, but you could try either of the following approaches.

Here are some websites where you can see whether it can rescue the actual file, and if it can, you may pay for a subscription to have it done,

http://www.recoverytoolbox.com/buy_illustrator.html

http://markzware.com/adobe-software/fix-illustrator-file-unknown-error-occurred-pdf2dtp-file-recovery/

http://www.illustrator.fixtoolbox.com/

http://www.erepairillustrator.com/

As far as I remember, the first one is for Win and the second one is for Mac, while the third and fourth one should be for both.

Here are a few pages about struggling with it yourself:

http://daxxter.wordpress.com/2009/04/16/how-to-recover-a-corrupted-illustrator-ai-file/

http://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/kb/troubleshoot-damaged-illustrator-files.html

http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/500/cpsid_50032.html

http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/500/cpsid_50031.html

http://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/kb/enable-content-recovery-mode-illustrator.html

Thanks a lot for your answers.

I tried to open it in acrobat as you said Jeff, but it doesn't work. The file can be opened in acrobat but the PDF can't be opened in illustrator with the same error message.

So I tried your solution Monika. It's better, but my illustration is divided in several layout (in fact, I must import 9 juxataposed files), and I 've lost all my patterns.

any ideas ?

Just a shot in the dark here.

Try opening it through Acrobat. Save it as a PDF and then try opening it in Illustrator and Save as an AI.

Hope it helps!

When you still see the preview, the PDF part of the file might still be intact.

So you can try and create a new Illustrator file and place the corrupt file in it.

Also: where did you save the file? On a network?

Try and first copy the file from the network to your harddisk, then open.