Network Users Manual

• Save files to a local/hard drive before copying them to a network server or removable media device. This was stated earlier, but it is worth repeating. As robust as many networks are, you still run a risk of file corruption by saving directly to, or opening files from, a network server. Never save directly to a removable disk or even a rewritable CD drive. • Don’t launch an application by double-clicking on a document. Although rare, it is possible to corrupt a document in this manner. Instead, launch your application first, then open your document by using the File > Open command. One last reminder... backups, backups, backups! Po ssible solutions for recovering corrupted files Recovering a corrupted file can be at best difficult, and at worst impossible. However, there are several tricks for recovering all or at least parts of corrupted files so you may not have to recreate the page from scratch. Try the following tips only if you are able to open the document: • Print the document. A “bad record index” or similar error may be caused by one or more items in the document. If you can print all or at least part of the document, look for any elements that are missing and delete them from your file. Deleting these items may correct the file, or at least give you enough time to use Save As to save the file under a different name or copy and paste your text blocks to another layout. Remember, copying and pasting elements from one page to another is not normally recommended. This should be used as one of your last resorts. • Unlink all graphic and image files. Using the Windows > Links palette in InDesign, begin unlinking all files one at a time. Perform a Save As to create a new version of your document each time you unlink a graphic. If this still doesn’t solve the issue, try moving your page file and all links into a new folder on your hard drive. Open your file and re-link all graphic (including any linked text) and image files. • Delete any unused or empty text frames or text boxes on the page. One way to look for empty text frames or boxes in InDesign is to examine pages in Normal View Mode. Unable to open or print the document • If the file was created on a Windows machine, try opening the file in the same program on a Mac. Many people have had success repairing damaged files using this trick. You will need to add the proper extension for the application you are working on for the Mac to recognize the file. Once you open the file, do a Save As under a different name, and then open your new document back on your Windows machine. Your fonts may give you a warning or recompose slightly during this process, but this is probably only a mild inconvenience compared to recreating the entire file. • Try to recover your text using the Place command. Open a new document, then File > Place the corrupted file into your new

document. This won’t place any graphics or pictures, but if successful it will place all your text from the previous file. You can then reformat your text and begin rebuilding the other elements on the page. NETWORK USERS 16