All The files saved on Google Drive are damaged & could not be repaired & opened in Illustrator CS6

[JohnnyAir]

I am thinking of upgrading to the CC suite including Illustrator.  I currently use CS6 and ALL of my .ai files (thousands) will no longer open and the error message is "The file is damaged and could not be repaired" which is a frequent problem that comes up on the forum.  I've been using Illustrator since CS2.  I'm just a one person operation working on a Windows machine.

I've been saving to my Google Drive for many years.  I was told last year that this now widespread error is caused by saving to Google Drive.  Are people still having this problem using Google Drive and Creative Suite for Illustrator?

{Renamed by MOD}

[Monika Gause]

Are you opening the files directly from the synchronized folder? Can you first move them to a different folder and then try again?

Also: is the filesize reasonable (not zero)?

Yes: Illustrator has issues with synchronized folders, networks and stuff. For a lot of people it works, for others it doesn't

[JohnnyAir]

There's probably over a thousand .ai files of all different sizes all of which seem to be compromised.
I just tried to open a 227 kb file and a 1.07 mb.  First I tried the local directory synced with the Drive Stream.  Then I moved them out to my desktop but with the same error.
Does this mean that we can't reliably save .ai files on Google Drive anymore?

[Monika Gause]

Can you share one of those files?

Dropbox, Google Drive, Creative Cloud?

[JohnnyAir]

I can share on Google Drive.

[Anshul_Saini]

Hi there,

We are sorry to hear about this. I would request you to share a few more details like:

• The exact OS and version of Illustrator
• As asked by @Monika Gause, please share your share files with us? We will take a look at them. You can share the download link here or via DM.
• If you directly download them from drive.google.com to your desktop, then are you able to open them?
• Do files open in Adobe Acrobat if you change the extension from ".ai" to ".pdf"?
• When did this start happening? Are there any recent changes made to your system? For example, any antivirus, system updates, or web extensions installed recently.
• Does resetting Illustrator Preferences (https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/setting-preferences.html) help to resolve the issue?
  Disclaimer: Please note that resetting preferences will remove all the custom settings, and Illustrator will launch with default settings. You can also take a backup of the folders in case you want to. Location is mentioned in the article.

We will be looking forward to your response.

Regards,

Anshul Saini

[JohnnyAir]

Thank you.  I'll get onto this over the weekend.

[JohnnyAir]

I posted a reply but I can't see it here.

[Anshul_Saini]

Sorry for the trouble. Could you please try replying again, or can you DM me? 

Regards,

Anshul Saini

[JohnnyAir]

Thank you Anshul.  I sent a DM just now.

[Anshul_Saini]

Thank you, @JohnnyAir. I will check it and get back to you.

Regards,

Anshul Saini

[Test Screen Name]

What about the backups of these files? Do the backups still open ok?

[JohnnyAir]

I stopped backing up to a local external drive maybe 4 or 5 years ago and treated Google Cloud as my backup synced to the local files.  At some time when I was short of space locally I chose to store only in the cloud.  .ai has been the only instance of this being an issue for me.  How do you backup?

[Test Screen Name]

You backup by having two copies. Somewhere, somehow, different thing to fail. Putting them only on the cloud seems to me even riskier than having them only on your hard disk. As you have found.

Personally, I backup to a series of local hard drives, using Retrospect. The disks are changed regularly, with at least one always at a different address. (This needs at least 3 disks, since one may be in transit). What I like about Retrospect is that I can go back to files from any day, any time.

[Rick23687266l9ub]

Has anyone found a solution for this? All my AI files saved on my "Google Drive" are showing corrupt and will no longer open. 

[JohnnyAir]

I solved this.  Can't remember just now but all the files were fine.  Too busy now.  I'll get back to the thread later.

[Simon32668896gfi9]

If you get the chance, can you let us all know if you solved this? Having the same issue w/r/t Google Drive.

[JohnnyAir · Accepted solution]

No I can't.  Sorry.  But one of the things that I would have tried is:

1.  Set all files to Availabale Offline on synced drive.
2. As a backup, once they are all downloaded, copy them to a different folder on current synced drive
3. Reboot
4. Return to current synced drive and unsync all files
5. Reboot
6. Remove Google Drive
7. Reboot
8. Install Google Drive.  If possible choose a different local drive for synced storage
9. Reboot
10.  Sync a couple of files for testing

Good Luck

[Simon32668896gfi9 · Accepted solution]

Thanks! I discovered that mine was a Drive issue and this solved the problem: https://support.google.com/drive/thread/144968809?hl=en&msgid=144973862