Corrupted files

[Pamela15A9]

Hello all,

I have searched everywhere and found various sites on using decache to help recover a corrreupted captivate file. Unfortunately in my cache folders there is not a recent one that has all the 5 folders mentioned with items in it. This is even though I have been saving my work everyday. The first time I see all 5 folders with items is like 2 weeks. Is there anything anyone can share to help me from starting over from scratch?

[RodWard]

Are you sure you are looking in the correct cache folder.  Check the Default Folders shown in Edit > Preferences to find the folder shown there as the Project Cache location.  Is this definitely the same folder you have been looking at?

I am assuming also that you did not have Project Backups turned on?

[Pamela15A9]

Yes. Positive. Followed the path that displayed in the preferences. Has a lot of caches at different times throughout the day but never one instance where all 5 folders have all the information I need. In many instances they are all 0 kB

Pamela Thibeaux

[Pamela15A9]

Meant to add.m that I do have backup turned on but there are no new backups in the folder since 2019. I never bothered to check😔

[RodWard]

Having backups turned on should mean that you will find a .BAK file with the same name as your  CPTX project file in the same folder as the project file.  That BAK file is a copy of your project when it was last successfully saved and closed.  You should be able to remove the BAK file ending to turn it back into a CPTX file and open it with Captivate.  Are there BAK file in your project files folder?

[Pamela15A9]

That is what I thought. I have no backup files. Just the one file that I have been saving, although in preferences backups is check and shows a clear path of where these files are supposedly getting saved. There is nothing there! I have tried everything, don't know what else to do and my deadline is on Friday. 

[RodWard]

I have never seen that happen.  Very strange not to have any backup files located at the same folder location.  And (unless you have been Clearing your cache folder recently) even more unusual not to have any cache folders for files recently worked on.

Is your Windows OS set up to Show Hidden Files and Folders?

[Pamela15A9]

I know. It's very weird. I have been reading that it may be due to me working on my network drive for work. Which may explain the hit and miss of saved work. Total nightmare. 

[RodWard]

Ahhh....now it makes sense.  Yes, I am afraid you have been flirting with disaster if you have NOT been working only on CPTX files that are stored on your local hard drive.  One small glitch in network traffic can toast your project file and render it a corrupted mess.

If this is the case, and you have neither backup files or project cache folders, then I am sorry to inform you that there is not really any other way to resurrect your project.

[Pamela15A9]

Yes. I figured after I have tried everything. I was able to recover a previous version that my Pc saved some how from last week. So have a little recovered but not even half of what I had. But at this point I will take what I can. Lessoned learned. Saved it to my desktop already. Thank you for all your help.