Illustrator "Can't open the illustration" error

[E_D1]

Hi guys,

I've been using my current version (CC 2015) of Adobe Illustrator on my work computer with Windows 10 for over a year without a single problem/error. This morning I opened a few files I had worked on a couple of weeks ago to update them & after saving as new file name, I can't open these new files in Illustrator again. I can still open the files from a few weeks ago, edit those & save as again, but then once I've done what I need to do to the files, I can't get back into the files again. I've tried saving as .PDF, .AI, .EPS & .AIT, none of them will open in Illustrator. The .PDF files I saved open perfectly in Acrobat, just not in Illustrator.

From reading around, it sounds like this is usually a corruption in the Illustrator Preferences file, however after deleting this file & re-doing everything, I'm left with the same problem. Everything saves fine, but won't re-open in Illustrator. The strange part is, when I saved some files about halfway through my edit & then saved as new file name, the files I saved at halfway through what I had to do all open just fine! Seems there was something in that second save-as that corrupted.

Any clues as to what this might be? I have about 30 files that need this same update done to them, so it's pretty important that the files are editable in Illustrator again in case further changes are required down the line...

Cheers,

Ethan

[E_D1]

OK, interesting update.... I've managed to figure out what was causing the issues by doing a new 'save as' every time I made a change to the file & figuring out where the files seemed to be getting corrupted. It seems that when I created a new text box was when my file messed up. I've since managed to do what I need to do by copying & pasting existing text boxes I had in the document & just changing their font parameters & text to update the document as was necessary. The files I've done this on are still opening up properly in Illustrator in all file types (.AI, .PDF & .AIT are the ones I've tried). It's a clunky work-around, but its working, so it'll do for now.

Anyone know why creating a new text box would corrupt a file...? Particularly since duplicating existing text boxes didn't cause the same problems...?

[Monika Gause]

Which font do you use in the text box?

Is that font 100% OK and not corrupted?

Do you use font management? Which one?

[E_D1]

Hi Monika,

thanks for your reply... I used Times New Roman in that text box. The files which worked also used Times New Roman, only I duplicated existing text boxes to get the text rather than creating a new text box... I assume this means that the Times New Roman font file is fine...?

I don't use font management, to my knowledge...

[Monika Gause]

Please check the font file to be sure.

You have already rebuilt the complete preferences? THis is how you do it: How to set preferences in Illustrator  (use the method to rename the folder. That way you can return to the renamed folder in case it doesn't work)

Maybe your font caches are toast and need a rebuild. Please see: How to clean font cache?

I suppose you restart the computer redularly?

[E_D1]

Hi Monika,

Yes, I tried that method of rebuilding the preferences already & found it didn't seem to really help anything.

I tried to follow the method in the link you provided to clean out font cache but the file location they describe does not exist on my PC... I tried going into different Adobe 'type support' folders in my PC, but there were none of the adobefnt*.lst files they mention, only adobefnt.db... which I'm not meant to delete.... Are there other locations these files might be located? I have Illustrator CC 2015, if that helps. I've not had any issues with files I've made in InDesign or Photoshop, just the illustrator ones....

I very rarely restart the computer - basically only when I install updates, so maybe every 2-3 weeks? Our IT guy told me that things are more likely to go wrong when you restart your computer lots, so I stopped turning the computer off overnight several months ago...

[Monika Gause]

E.D1  schrieb

Our IT guy told me that things are more likely to go wrong when you restart your computer lots, so I stopped turning the computer off overnight several months ago...

That might be true for their servers, but surely not for your desktop machine.

So maybe you want to do a restart first and then do it a lot more often than jut every few weeks.

[E_D1]

Thanks Monika,

Yeah not sure what he said that about - our computers do run off a cloud-based network, though, so maybe that was it. There were a few incidents I had where my computer didn't boot up correctly & after that I was told just to not turn the computer off every night...

I restarted the desktop & the same files still wont open in Illustrator. The open fine in Acrobat (same as before). I also realised that the other Illustrator files I've worked on since then have saved & re-opened just fine. Very strange.

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated - since these files are for product packaging, I will eventually need to create new files based on the same template files for these items....

Cheers

Ethan

[Monika Gause]

The files might have got corrupted. This just might happen.

Do you have backup copies?

You could try if a higher version can open them, but that might be it. Acrobat opens an embedded PDF in the file, but not the actual AI file. Please see this about Illustrator files:How Illustrator saves files - YouTube

[E_D1]

Thanks Monika, but I'm not too sure how all 35 files could have been corrupted, given that they were all made from the one .AIT file, which is still working perfectly...? Is there a way to check if a file is corrupted besides just assuming?

I don't have a higher version of Illustrator, so won't be able to check that... Given that the files were all made from scratch using the same Illustrator software, there should be no difference opening it in my CC2015 software vs a newer version...?

[Monika Gause]

Files can get corrupted when saving them directly to a server.

I don't know what you did to your files, so it's difficult to tell what might have happened.

You might want to try and contact Customer Care.

Contact Customer Care

They might take a look at your system to check if there's something wrong there.

Illustrator support for networks and removable media

[E_D1]

OK thanks Monika, I'll look into it...

Cheers