Member Avatar for aloha96813

I can open most of the FileMaker files on our network. But all of a sudden I've been getting errors when I attempt to open a couple of the files that were working fine all these years.

When I try to open these problematic FileMaker Pro 5.5v1 files, I get the following error:

"This file is damaged. Click Continue to continue using this file, or click Exit to exit FileMaker. Consult the FileMaker manual for information on Recovery".

So I click "Continue" continuously and yet the above message doesn't go away. So then I click "Exit" and try to Recover the file by selecting the "Recover" option under the "File" tab and I get the following error:

["filename" was not created by FileMaker or is severely damaged and cannot be opened]

I would REALLY appreciate any tips that would help me recover these files successfully. Thanks in advance for your willingness to help.

  • 2 Contributors
  • 1 Reply
  • 207 Views
  • 3 Weeks Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by dwikstrom

Dani AI

Generated

This thread points to a classic but recoverable situation with older FileMaker files. — the goal now is to maximize the chance of getting readable data out without making the problem worse. ’s advice about working off a copy and trying newer recovery tools is on the right track; below are concrete, practical steps to follow next.

First, preserve the original exactly — do not try repairs on it. Make at least two independent copies (separate drives) and, if possible, create a disk image of the server volume before touching anything. A simple example (Linux/macOS) for a bit-for-bit copy:

dd if=/path/to/problem.fp5 of=/path/to/backup1.fp5 bs=1M conv=noerror,sync
dd if=/path/to/problem.fp5 of=/path/to/backup2.fp5 bs=1M conv=noerror,sync

Replace paths carefully. Work only on the copies and disconnect from the network while testing to avoid accidental overwrites or name collisions.

Try non-destructive recovery approaches next. Use a newer FileMaker build’s Recover/Convert tools if available, then try creating a new blank FileMaker file and use File > Import Records > File to import tables from the damaged copy — importing sometimes succeeds where Recover fails. If you know the table/field names, recreate the structure in the new file first and import table-by-table; partial imports are still valuable.

If those fail, escalate to an official recovery service or a specialist. When you do, package a copy of the damaged file plus exact FileMaker version(s) involved, OS/server details, timestamps, and the precise error text you saw. Finally, treat this as a reminder to add immutable backups and periodic snapshots to the workflow so older-format files remain recoverable in future.

Member Avatar for dwikstrom

This may not be very easy. I guess you don't have recent backups?

While trying to recover files, you should copy the files to a local drive and ideally work without a network connection. FileMaker 5.5 had the nasty habit of "jumping around" on a network and may open another file with the same name as your FileMaker file. I once had a similar case where the problem turned out to be that FileMaker even ignores the file extension, and thus tried to open a file "filename.pdf" on the desktop rather than "filename.fp5" on the server... IIRC that gave the exact error message you are having. In other words, you should locate and rename any files that have the same name as your FileMaker file.

You could also try to open the files with FileMaker 9, which has a more powerful recovery function (you can even use the free 30-days trial to do this).

If this doesn't work either, contact FileMaker, Inc. - they provide a recovery service for cases like this.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.