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ptc-43103781-Visitor
1-Visitor
March 30, 2012
Solved

Mathcad 15 won't open xmcd file (looking for XML!!)

  • March 30, 2012
  • 2 replies
  • 14676 views

My Mathcad 15 refuses to open XMCD files: The error message is "Not a valid XML file".

Am running on WIndows XP Pro.

Before this happening, MCAD crashed, with a message indicating that it had to close due to internal error. But it wouldn't close, I had to shut it down manually (Task Mgr). Have restarted MCAD and then Rebooted the PC, it is still giving me the Non XML file error?

Any advice on that much appreciated. I am in the middle of a big HomeWork that is due Monday and this is a terrible set back. Should have stuck with 2001!

Are there any programs that 15 is known not to like to work side by side with?

I usually need to have Word, Excel, Adobe reader and the browser (Firefox) open while doing the Mathcad tasks.

Thanks for any help on that.

Would I need to reload 15? This scares me due to the difficulties I had to get my Student licence going.

Thank you.

Best answer by RichardJ

Rename your .XML files to .XMCD

Open them

big_grin.gif

BTW, which version of 15 are you running?

2 replies

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ptc-43103781-VisitorAuthor
1-Visitor
March 30, 2012

More on the above.....

If I start a new MCAD 15 file and save it, MACD reopens it without problems.

I then tried to open some older files (other than the ones that were open when MCAD crashed) and they open with no problem.

So it looks like the issue is only with the files that were open when MCAD crashed. Maybe there was an automatic save done while crashing and this was done in corrupted XML format?

Is there any known process to rebuild such a file? Is there a header that could be edited maybe?

My back up is a full day behind, and this is about 15 hr of work, not a good thought when you are only 2 days away from due date.....

...........I zipped the file in question to attach it and there seem to be no hope. The Zip file size is one KB. So I checked the size of the file itself.....0KB!

So I went to the back up......0 KB too. I was doing a Save As to my back up location when MCAD crashed. Worst case nightmare scenario.

The next back up confirmed alive is 4 days old. I am cooked on this one! Should have been more systematic in alternating my back up locations.

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RichardJ19-Tanzanite
19-Tanzanite
March 30, 2012

Sorry, but if it's 0kB it's toast.

One feature of Windows that can sometimes save you though is that it sometimes writes temporary copies of files in all sorts of strange places. Search your entire drive, incluing all temp and hidden folders, for the file name. You might get lucky (probably not, but it's possible).

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RichardJ19-Tanzanite
19-Tanzanite
March 30, 2012

You could try Stuart's xmcd recovery worksheet: http://communities.ptc.com/servlet/JiveServlet/download/169412-30612/xmcd%20recovery%20v2(2)%20(1).mcd.zip

And/or post the file here.

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ptc-43103781-VisitorAuthor
1-Visitor
March 30, 2012

I noticed two tmp files in the directory I was attempting to back up to. Viewing with Notepad, it looked like XML code. Changed the extension to XML and they open up in the browser (could be MCAD code?).

Am attaching here, together with the dead worksheet (as you say, at 0 KB, it is dead).

I can recognize variables from the file in the XML files , so chances are they could be related to the lost one. Don't know why there are two of them though. Maybe from a previous crash (15 is crashing a lot on me. I may have experienced a crash with 2001 once, just don't remember it).

When I went for the back up, I had interrupted calculations of a graph. Is it a big no-no to save a file with suspended calcs?

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RichardJ19-Tanzanite
19-Tanzanite
March 30, 2012

Is it a big no-no to save a file with suspended calcs?

It shouldn't make any difference.

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