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Participant
April 23, 2007
Question

"open project was cancelled or the application was unable to load database for..."

  • April 23, 2007
  • 9 replies
  • 1976 views
I'm doing a project for my Professional Writing course and I have to use RoboHelp to create an online help document. The professor provided templates for us to use but when I go to open the project file I get the following error: "open project was cancelled or the application was unable to load database for....(then the directory)"

I know the project file isn't corrupted because the members of my class are using the same one without issue. I tried re-downloading the file, I also re-installed the program itself, still with no luck. I'm using a Trial Version of RoboHelp 6.0 .

The only other suggestions I have seen are that I don't have edit perms for the system, but it's my personal laptop and I have full admin privs. I thought at first that the folder was read-only, but when I opened it up all it displays is the little green box in the checkbox (which doesn't mean the folder is read-only, it's just some stupid windows default, it's only read-only if the box is actually checked). I tried making the entire directory read-only and then turn it off but still get the same error.

Any suggestions?
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    9 replies

    Peter Grainge
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    April 23, 2007
    There's a topic on my site about Opening Projects that includes the method of deleting the CPD and XPJ files but I didn't cover that as the project is good for everyone else. Anything is worth a try at the moment though.

    Another thing to try is to rename the course folder, then create a new folder with the same name plus all sub folders. Then move the files across. That will ensure the folder properties are good and not read only. Yes I know what you said but again anything is worth a try.

    Also, in the last post you are saying the directory is not read-only. I assume the files are all good?

    Ref my previous post, is it the case that now you are getting an error before the original error would have popped up?

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    excazaAuthor
    Participant
    April 23, 2007
    I can't try it on another PC till I go home, but that is my next step

    I found a help topic somewhere that had you delete the project file and one other file (extension I can't remember) and then try to open the .hhp file and recompile from that, but I get a read only error, and I'm positive that the directory is not read-only.

    I have full admin rights as I said, It's my personal computer (full admin rights) and not hooked up to any network.
    Peter Grainge
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    April 23, 2007
    Running out of ideas here.

    The message, as I said, is classically an installation problem but firstly you advise you have full admin rights and secondly you can create new projects.

    It can also occur if the project is on a network but you state that is not the case.

    Hold on, just looking through the thread, you say at one point "I tried deleting the project file and recompiling, but it gives me an error. It says it's read only," Does that mean you got the project open and then got the message when you tried to compile or that you got a different message when you tried to open the project?

    Do you have access to another PC you could try this on?

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    excazaAuthor
    Participant
    April 23, 2007
    I'm using XP, completely up to date.

    There are no topics in the project file, the professor just supplied we could have all the templates already in place when we went to add topics ourselves. Even if it was over the limits for the trial version, the other members of my class are using the trial version but they aren't having this problem
    Peter Grainge
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    April 23, 2007
    Assuming you have checked it is not read only, that sounds like the course project has more than the limit of 25 topics imposed in the trial version. The bit that puzzles me is the supplied demos don't work.

    Can someone else tell you how many topics there are in the course project?

    What version of Windows are you using?

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    excazaAuthor
    Participant
    April 23, 2007
    it's my personal laptop, there's only one login

    I tried deleting the project file and recompiling, but it gives me an error. It says it's read only, yet if I create a new project it created directories just fine
    Peter Grainge
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    April 23, 2007
    The error is a classic example of where RH was not installed using the same logon as was used for the installation. Did you perhaps intall it with one logon and are now attempting to run RH under another logon?

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    Inspiring
    April 23, 2007
    By the way, I should have included our traditional greeting.

    Welcome to the forum.
    excazaAuthor
    Participant
    April 23, 2007
    It's on my personal laptop, the other members of the class have it on their laptops as well and it works for them.

    Also, I discovered that the sample files don't work either, I get the same error
    Inspiring
    April 23, 2007
    You must have the project, or at least a copy of it, on your own PC.
    This is in addition to having RH installed on your own PC.

    If the master project is on a Network to allow access for all in the class, you need to copy the project folder to your own PC.

    Your instructor will have to work out a procedure for students to upload their work to the network project directory.

    Harvey