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thomas f.w40440906
Participant
January 22, 2018
Question

How to retrieve a corrupted file?

  • January 22, 2018
  • 1 reply
  • 240 views

InDesign version: InDesign 12.1.0.56

OS: MacOS 10.13.2

Computer: iMac(Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014)

I am writing an extensive family history book that presently contains 55 chapters and 11 appendices.  My problem is with one appendix which became corrupted more than 2 years ago; all the other chapters and appendices are fine.  Frustrated with trying to troubleshoot this 400-page appendix, I put it aside.  From time to time, I tried opening the file with a new version of InDesign, but the problem remained.  The symptom is that when I open the appendix, it is almost impossible to do anything with it.   I can't edit it, print it, export it, etc.  I get the spinning colored wheel.  Recently, I have looked again to see what can be done to resurrect this file and I have tried a number of the suggestions I have found on line (such as "Troubleshooting damaged InDesign documents) to no avail.  The problem is that once you get the spinning wheel, there is no way to diagnose the problem.  Does anyone have an idea on how to proceed?

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    1 reply

    Barb Binder
    Community Expert
    Barb BinderCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    January 22, 2018

    Hi Thomas:

    I'm so sorry to hear that. We would normally recommend that you work though Troubleshoot damaged InDesign documents​, but if you have already tried everything in there, the free option is to recreate the file or open a back-up copy from before the file was damaged. The paid alternative is https://markzware.com/products/file-recovery-service/ . They offer file recovery services.

    ~Barb

    ~Barb at Rocky Mountain Training
    T
    thomas f.w40440906Author
    Participant
    January 26, 2018

    There is a bit of a history to the corruption of this file that makes me suspicious that I may have run into some limits of InDesign.  Is there some limit to the size (number of pages) of files that InDesign can effectively use?  Is there a limit to the number of references to pages that can be used? Is there a limit to the number of footnotes in a file?  Is there a limit to the number of graphics that can be included?  The reason I am suspicious is because, this file is one of 66 files making up the book but it is the only one that has gotten corrupted and this is not the first time it became corrupted.  Previously when it was corrupted I tried the paid alternative that you suggested, but their results were not useful.  I reconstructed the file again and it became corrupted again.

    Any thoughts on this matter?

    Barb Binder
    Community Expert
    Barb BinderCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    January 28, 2018

    Hi Thomas:

    The only firm number I am aware of is 9,999 pages in a single InDesign .indd file. I've never seen a maximum number for x-refs, footnotes or graphics, nor have I run into it while working. If you suspect that you are maxing out your system resources with the file, have you tried breaking it into smaller sections? And I'm hopeful that this time around you have incremental back-ups to return to?

    ~Barb

    ~Barb at Rocky Mountain Training
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