chap_engineer Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 Hi, I've been using AutoCAD 2009 since it came out and have had no problems at all. Today, I tried to open a drawing of a topographical survey I did earlier this year and there was nothing in it. All the layers etc were still there but no linework, spot levels, points, etc. Its as if someone has deleted all the information from it but no one else has access to edit this drawing. Is this possibly an error that can be repaired? Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReMark Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 Any frozen layers in this drawing that you may have overlooked? Any chance you have a BAK file for this drawing? In the future I would recommend making a backup of your drawing files to a flash drive, a CD/DVD or a portable drive unit. Consider it a form of insurance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chap_engineer Posted August 11, 2009 Author Share Posted August 11, 2009 Where would I find the BAK files? Sorry, dont have too much experience with this! Usually just a case of load on the information and its fine. Thanks very much for your help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReMark Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 Normally your BAK files will be stored in the same folder as your drawing files unless you told AutoCAD to relocate them elsewhere. Do you know if you have AutoCAD set up to create BAK files in the first place? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chap_engineer Posted August 11, 2009 Author Share Posted August 11, 2009 I'm not aware of having told AutoCAD to relocate them but the only file that's there is my drawing. I know it saves every 10 minutes or so automatically and I tried recovering an earlier file but no joy. Possibly have to redraw the survey. On light duties in the office right now due to a spinal injury so have plenty of time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReMark Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 Check Tools > Options > File Safety Precautions. That will tell you 1) If AutoCAD creates a backup copy with each save and 2) If automatic save is enabled and the time interval it is set for. You can find BAK files using Explorer. Seach criteria: *.bak although, as I said previously, these files should be located within the folder your drawing is saved in. If you have a BAK file with the same name as the one you are having the problem with check not only the date and time of the file but the file size as well. If the file size of the DWG is smaller than the BAK file then something has been deleted. If the BAK file was from a week ago, for example, then maybe it contains the missing elements you referred to above. It's worth looking at it. To do so requires renaming the file. Example: Current drawing file name: XYZ_Topo.dwg Backup file name: XYZ_Topo.bak Rename the backup file to something like XYZ_Topo_OLD.dwg. Notice that we are not doing anything to the existing XYZ_Topo.dwg. Now open the renamed file and take a look around. Does it have what you are looking for? I'm not sure how you could have deleted all the content but left the layering information short of issuing an Erase...All command then saving the results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukecad Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 As ReMark said before, I would first check layers for being frozen or turned off in your viewports. I would also check if any layer filters have been set and maybe picked by mistake or picked by a lsp or vba. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chap_engineer Posted August 13, 2009 Author Share Posted August 13, 2009 Followed all of your advice but still no luck. Either myself or someone else has deleted the information. I went out today and re-did the survey so just drawing it up now again. Thanks very much for all your help and support though. Much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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