Message: A serious error occurred.


Reference Number: KB-00365
Last Modified: April 13, 2023

The information in this article applies to:

Chief Architect Premier or Chief Architect InteriorsHome Designer Professional or Home Designer Architectural or Home Designer Suite



DESCRIPTION

I was working in the program when this error message displayed: 

"A serious error occurred. Do not save the file in its current state. If you want to try saving your work, use Save As to create a new file. Please restart the program and contact Technical Support."

What does this mean?


CAUSE

As this error message suggests, the program was not able to determine the cause of the error. Please follow the instructions below and report this issue to our Technical Support team.


Note the exact wording of the error

  • First, make a note of the exact wording of the error. If the error message box includes a Details button, click it and make a note of the error number in addition to the wording.

  • You can also create a screenshot of the message box instead of writing down its contents. If a Details button is available, click it so the additional information can be seen.

    See Knowledge Base article: Creating a Screenshot

  • If there is a Send Report button on the error message, select it, then take note of the date and time the button was clicked.


Note what you were doing when the error occurred

As soon as possible after the error occurs, write down exactly what you were doing in the program.

Important information to note includes:

  • What plan or layout file you were working on;
  • What kind of view was active (floor plan view, layout view, camera view, CAD Detail window);
  • How many files and/or view windows were open;
  • What drawing or editing tool was active;
  • What object were you editing;
  • Any unusual program behavior or other error messages you may have noticed.


Contact Chief Architect Technical Support

Once you have recorded the contents of the error message and made a note of the conditions under which it occurred, please create a Support Case using the Technical Support Center to provide our team all of the information you have gathered. In addition to the description, and screenshot(s), please also attach the following files to your support case: