Chief Architect Help Database - Article Number:  971

Message: File being read is terminated early.

The information in this article applies to:
  • Chief Architect X5
  • Chief Architect X4
  • Chief Architect X3
  • Chief Architect X2
QUESTION

When I try to open one of my files, this message appears:  "File being read is terminated early."  What does that mean?

ANSWER

This error message indicates that the file you are trying to open is corrupted and can no longer be used.

One known way to cause the corruption that results in this error is to exit out of the Chief Architect program while it is in the process of saving the file.  Because the save action is not complete, the program prompts the user to save their work, and when s/he clicks Yes, a crash occurs that results in file corruption.

This series of events is not common: it can only occur in situations where a saving a file takes an unusually long time, such as: 

  •  
    • If the file is particularly large

    • If the computer is particularly slow

    • When saving across a network or onto a removable storage device.

If you have encountered this error message and now cannot open the file that was terminated early, you will need to open a backup copy of the file and resume work on that file.

 

To avoid this problem from occurring in the future, we recommend the following:

 

  1. Never save your files across a network or directly onto a removable storage device such as a flash drive. Copy the file onto your computer's hard drive in Windows Explorer, save your work there, and then close the program and copy it back to the location where you got it.


  2. Use the Close and Exit commands in the File menu to close files or to exit the program, and wait until any progress dialogs are gone before closing.


  3. Save your work before closing a file or exiting the program.

    If you close the program and it prompts you to save your work, always click Cancel.  Then, save your work by selecting File> Save from the menu, clicking the Save  button, or by pressing Ctrl + S on your keyboard.


MORE INFORMATION

You should always back up all important files on your computer on a regular basis.  If, for some reason, you do not have a recent backup of your corrupted file, you can use an Archive file. To learn more, see article 775 in this database: How to manage archive files.

Last updated on: Feb 07, 2013

The Chief Architect support team has compiled a list of articles with common questions and answers.


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