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I copied several Illustrator (.AI) files from a thumb-drive to my computer's (iMac 2017 High Sierra) hard drive. I have tried to open them from 1) the Finder and 2) Bridge.
Illustrator becomes active, but, instead of the file opening I see the image offering 'Text Import Options'.
Illustrator handles the files as if it's text or code.
Does anybody know the reason or the solution?
Thanks
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Usually this happens when the file is corrupt, which wouldn't be a surprise with files on thumb drives actually. Thumb drives are not meant as a backup option. They are for transporting files.
Try and use a different computer to copy the files from the thumb drive (maybe just the interface is toast).
If that still doesn't work, mayb @Anshul_Saini can help with your files. There's not a lot of hope though.
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Hi @freehandvet,
Thanks for reaching out. As Monika said, This generally happens when the file has gotten corrupted. Would you mind checking if the files aren't just an alias or a shortcut file? If not, then please recheck if it is copied properly.
However, if the size of the file is < 1 MB, then it is corrupted and can't be recovered. If that is not the case, please share the file with me here or via DM, and I will try to recover it.
I will be looking forward to your response.
Thanks & Regards,
Anshul Saini
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The files were not an Alias.
Thank you for your reply.
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Thanks for confirming that, @freehandvet. Would you mind checking if copying to the local drive helps and confirming the file size? Most likely, I think the thumb drive was pulled before the file could be copied. Hence, the text import options dialog when opening it in Ai.
Also, would you mind checking with the person if he has a backup of the file and if it is opening at his end?
Regards,
Anshul Saini
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Is your thumb drive formattted as mac or win?
Does the file open directly from thumb drive?
Does the file open where it originally came from?
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Thank you for your reply. The thumb drive was provided to me from someone not using any Mac hardware.
It had never been a problem previously though.
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Thumb drives are generally not a secure way of storing data. Use them to transport a copy of a file to somewhere else (and hope that it works). But never keep the only version of a file on a thumb drive.
Yes, I learnt it the hard way.