Corrupt File! Need help asap please!

[Mark (theKeeper)]

Hi folks, been a real long time since i've been able to make it back to the boards. The place looks to be a-hoppin', this is good.

I'm afraid i have a real bad issue here and i'm against the ropes for time to boot. When it rains, it poors, as they say. I was just finishing a website using XX5 and saving the file, when my system froze up on me. It's never done that since i got it, and WHY it had to pick now to do this i'd really like to know... but later. Right now, i am in dire NEED of getting this file opened so i can export the finished site. I only have til the 8th at the latest!

Here's what happened...

I was saving the file, it was saved up to 22%, then the system froze. I waited it out like a good little Windoze user, but to no avail. I was forced to soft-boot. When the system came back i went to open the file and all i got was an error message ("A read error occurred [unknown] with the file SAS website design - final.xar"), then the app closed. I've tried my old v4 and WD but no Xara app will open this file now. The file size is only 1.74MB, which seems a tad small for the size of the site/contents. I have another single page Xar file (the splash page) that is 1.9MB and only ONE page. So i'm thinking the file has no "end of file" code or something. SOMEthing got 'lost' when it froze upon saving @ 22%.

I've researched the boards for other posts on errors but nothing i found seems to cover my specific issue. And the ExpandXar app doesn't even run for me. (XP Pro sp3)

I absoLUTEly NEED this file to open. The client is waiting with baited breathe for the site to go live. I only have til the 8th. I'm seriously considering paying someone to get this fixed, if at all possible.

Can anyone here PLEASE look into this for me? Anyone with some knowledge of this kind of thing.

Thanks for taking the time to read this in any case.

PS: And no, i haven't submitted a ticket at Xara Support. Mainly because judging by what i've read, people seem to have trouble getting any immediate help for their problems. That, and i just don't have time here to play email tag.

Have a good one guys.
Mark...

[steve.ledger]

Mark,

Please see Read The FAQs forum thread:

How to use ExpandXar to recover a corrupt file

[Drwyd]

Having the same problems as you mark, ExpandXar wont run

[steve.ledger]

Guys, I'm having no trouble with eXpandxar on this file (as shown in previous post screen shot of the result).
Can you please check you are using the correct syntax?

Meanwhile here's the result I got.
There was one PNG import error. Seeing as the file is smaller than the original, there's obviously same data missing.

Note: Mark if this is to be a website, may I suggest you convert that header graphic to a bitmap for use on the page.
Those highly detailed small vector pictures are going to be exported as PNG anyway.

[Drwyd]

Nope (DoImport failed) no probs though, you did what I was trying to do.

Edit: Actually it did work it created the output file but I assumed the error message meant that it had not.

[Mark (theKeeper)]

Sledger thank you very much. The instructions on that page you gave the link to made it very simple to use ExpandXar.

I applied the program and it extracted SOME data... but only the incubus of the site i'm afraid. This was a completed 8 page site with photos, menus, flyouts and everything. What is left isn't even a skeleton of what i had created. I wish i could more fully understand HOW this things happens. I mean, how does the program just LOSE all that data that was already created?! I can see maybe injecting some crap code or not closing the code properly... but to just LOSE it... just doesn't make sense.

In any case... thanks for your help guys i appreciate it.

PS: i just noticed that the thumbnail preview of this file shows the same one as my original file... it shows the 7th page in the site, which is the one i was viewing when i saved the file. Why is that i wonder, if that page doesn't apparently exist anymore? Does Xara generate a bmp thumbnail for previewing purposes? And the Output.xar file is 2.75MB... when my original was only 1.74MB? Why is that i wonder also...? Anyone have an answer to these questions?

Have a good one.
Mark...

[Soquili]

Hi Mark,

To try and answer some of your questions.

Data being saved is written sequentially to the drive surface. The point at which your computer locked up the data being sent to the drive was stopped. So only the data that was written up to the lockup is all that is recoverable. You may want to download XaReg from the Xara Xone shareware page and enable .bak files http://www.xaraxone.com/html/shareware.html.

Xtreme does create a thumbnail image at the beginning of the save process and sends it as part of the header data.

Records within a .xar file use zlib compression. The ExpandXar.exe works by uncompressing the records and making corrections to some errors when it can and creates an uncompressed version of the original. This is why the output.xar is larger than the input file.

You can try a search of your entire hard drive for a file with the same name as your original .xar but with a different extension. It may be possible that your system renamed the previous save as the new one was being written. Since the save was interrupted by a lockup the temporary (original) saved file may still be listed in the file allocation table.

[Mark (theKeeper)]

OMG Bill! You reminded me of something i wanted to check on but in all the emotional dismay of the moment had forgotten to do........ check my temp folder for a backup copy.... and VOILA! I found one! Woohoo!!!

Thank you very much Bill (and everyone!) for your time and concern. I am in your debt kind sir!

All i'm missing are a couple small edits i made before saving but the rest of the file is intact - 6.75MB. Swwweet!

Thanks again man.
Have a good one!

Mark...

[Mark (theKeeper)]

Dang! I got so excited i double-posted! hahaha

Sorry guys!

[Soquili]

Glad to be of service.