InDesign - need a "Fix my Corrupted File" Upload Service

[_caseyadobe_]

There are frequently posts on the forum for people who have corrupted INDD files. This means lost work and frustrated InDesign users.

The Indesign team should offer a "Fix my File" upload link to its customers.

For each corrupted file, you will help a customer, and in the process, hopefully improve the overall stability of the product (which has issues) and benefit everyone...

Adobe: If you are afraid that you will be swamped with requests to "Fix my File", then you should probably just get out of the SW business now...

[_Zak_Williamson_]

Matt, send me your e-mail address off list and I'll provide ftp upload information.
- Zak

zak@adobe.com

[_Zak_Williamson_]

One correction. The Save As, Save A Copy, Package bug was fixed in 5.0.2, not 5.0.1.

[_Dominic_Hurley_]

>I'd be very happy to pursue it, but I doubt Adobe would be very receptive to such a pitch from somebody they've never heard of before.

As far as I can see, Adobe has not only been very receptive, but Zak has extended exactly the sort of offer that the OP wanted - he's given a contact email and offered to examine any corrupt file anyone wants to send in.

[_Matt_Strange_]

I have followed up with Zak via email, as per his request.

However, there's a big difference between "examining any corrupt file" and offering a service to actually salvage data from those corrupt files. Adobe doesn't want to get into that business, which is what I would pursue, if given an opportunity, as per the quoted reference to my earlier posting.

I certainly don't want this to be perceived as a rant against Adobe -- I fully understand why they might not want to pursue this. I fully expected my original comments would be quickly forgotten, and life would go on.

[_Tasos_K_]

Hello,

As a new user to Indesign I have a corrupted file, my computer crashed and more than 1 day work has been lost. The file is about 300mb, and I do not know if I can sent the file in order to fix it? is any kind of service (free or not) in order to use it?

thank you

[Harbs.]

If the file is indeed corrupted, you will get a warning to that effect
when opening it.

Zak offered to look at any corrupted files a few messages back.

Harbs

[_Dave_Saunders_]

Have you tried trashing the recovery folder? For CS3, you'll find it in the Caches folder:

~/Library/Caches/Adobe InDesign/Version 5.0/InDesign Recovery

That might allow you to open the original document with perhaps just an hour or two of work lost.

Dave

[Peter Spier]

Your platform is showing,Dave :)

This being the feature request forum there's no guarantee that the poster is on Mac. For Windows the recovery folder is in C:\Documents and Settings\<user name>\Local Settings\Application Data\Adobe\InDesign\Version 5.0\Caches

Peter

[_Tasos_K_]

To Peter, I am using Windows, and the version of indesign is 5.0, The file was created with InDesign CS and and not CS3. After the crashed I copied the file to another hard disk and I am trying to open it from there, I have deleted the files in the folder as you referred and also I have tried to open the file as a "copy" as I saw in other forums. Also I have tried to delete the saved data file and open it. I m posting here for any other idea, because I read the previous messages here and I have done these.

To Harbs, I saw his post that's why I asked, because the file is almost 300mb and I want to know if he can check it in order to upload it to a server, thanx a lot anyway.

[_Tasos_K_]

Sorry I forgot to mention that now that I m trying to open the file with InDesign CS3 I get a message that says: "corrupted file(error code:4)"

[Peter Spier]

>I get a message that says: "corrupted file(error code:4)"

I'm pretty sure Zak will want to see that. You could, I think, send him an email in a day or so and ask what to do to get it to him if he isn't still watching.

Peter

[_Tasos_K_]

thanx Peter, I ll send him a mail. I have exported the file to .pdf format is any way that I can retrieve any information from it or open the pdf file with InDesign and continue my work with this?

[Harbs.]

Tasos_K@adobeforums.com wrote:
> is any way that I can retrieve any information from it or open the pdf file with InDesign and continue my work with this?
>
http://www.recosoft.com/products/pdf2id/index.htm

[Peter Spier]

You can certainly extract the text and images from the PDF if you have the full version of Acrobat, but you'll have to rebuild the layout. You might have some luck saving the PDF as a Word file and importing that, too.

[_Tasos_K_]

Peter I have tried to place each of the missing pages to InDesign but the problem is that the resolution is not as the rest of the document, the fonts are curly and the images that I used is not good enough. Probably I will start over as it seems.

[_Tasos_K_]

To Harbs, thanx a lot I ll try it.

[Peter Spier]

If you search around a bit there is a trial version you can download before you shell out big money.

[_Zak_Williamson_]

Hi Tasos,

I read and responded to your mail to me before seeing your posts here. As I responded directly, I definitely want to see the file, but I don't want you to get your hopes up about the file being recovered. It's rare that I'm able to recover a file. I'll send you ftp credentials in a direct e-mail.

- Zak

[_Virginia_Parry_]

Zak.. or anybody pulllease help.. I took it in stride (well..sort of) when a major section of a catalog crashed InDesign CS3 (5.0.2--monsterMac/Leopard) ! <--not just an error code... could not open again, and stayed up all last night to redesign (using a PDF I had fortunately exported)
Or is it fortunate :::?
I just attempted to open another section I had worked on the other day (and exported) and it is Error code 5, corrupted-- but does not crash the program.
I'll never meet this deadline at this rate... and my freelance job is in jeopardy.
woe is me, saylahv

[_Zak_Williamson_]

Virginia, I'm sorry to hear about the corrupt files. Please send them to me. It's unlikely I can recover them, but I can usually at least give you an idea of the cause. If the files are small enough for e-mail, you can send them to me at zak@adobe.com. (You'll need to remove the .zip file extension to get the attachment through Adobe's e-mail filters.) If the files are too large for e-mail, send me a note via e-mail and I will reply with ftp site credentials.

Error 5 usually indicates a file has been truncated. If you have a hard crash (i.e. power outage, kernel panic, crash on sleep or wake from sleep, etc.) following a Save operation on the Mac, there's a Mac OS bug that can result in a truncated file. We're working with Apple to find and implement a solution either in InDesign or the OS.

We also see truncated files when file transfers or downloads are terminated prematurely.
- Zak

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

I realize this is a feature request, but this could help someone out of a jam...

Here is a link to a website that describes using the Markzware ID2QXP XTension to open a corrupt ID file, and then using the Markzware QXP2ID plug-in to convert it back to InDesign.

[DavidMWE]

Hi, we at Markzware are "looking for" bad InDesign files!

If you have a corrupted InDesign document, please email to me on david AT markzware.nl. (If larger than 10 MB, please email me first for our FTP details.)

This will assist our development team and hopefully ultimately help you as well.

-David Dilling
Markzware

[_Davaa_]

Hi David,

Will you be able to repair a corrupted file for Windows Indesign?

Davaa
g_davaa@mcaa.gov.mn

[DavidMWE]

Hello Davaa,

Yes, we should- or I can better say; we have done so with some of the customer files that have come in thus far. Email it over or if it is too big, email me for the FTP details.

Friendly Regards,
David
Markzware

[_ratputin_]

I hope this is still a viable route for possible recovery. We have just lost 3 days work in a corrupted InDesign 3 file and have no idea what happpened. Best part is that the job was complete and scheduled for press tomorrow.

Zak, if you are still there and willing, I am sending a file your way.

Kevin