Error message "A I/0-error has occured in the file" (free translated from Swedish). What to do?

Question

Hello!
I keep getting the error message "A I/O-error has occured in the file" (free translated from Swedish) when I try to save changes to a .ai-file in Illustrator. I have never experienced that before. Does anyone have any idea what the problem is? Greatful for a quick answer, since I can't get any work done =/ Thank you in advance!

Answer 1

alu,
If it is a specific file, one thing often tried first is to create a new document and File>Place the corrupted one to see how much may be rescued that way (remember to tick Paste remembers Layers in the Layer palette flyout/dropdown first, and to untick it afterwards).
Here is a website where you can see whether it can rescue the file, and if it can, you may pay for a subscription to have it done,
http://www.recoverytoolbox.com/buy_illustrator.html
and another similar website,
http://markzware.com/adobe-software/fix-illustrator-file-unknown-error-occurred-pdf2dtp-fi le-recovery/
As far as I remember, the former is for Win and the latter for Mac.
Here are a few pages about struggling with it yourself:
http://daxxter.wordpress.com/2009/04/16/how-to-recover-a-corrupted-illustrator-ai-file/
http://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/kb/troubleshoot-damaged-illustrator-files.html
http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/500/cpsid_50032.html
http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/500/cpsid_50031.html
http://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/kb/enable-content-recovery-mode-illustrator.html
If it is not just a certain file, you may have a look at the list.
The following is a general list of things you may try when the issue is not in a specific file (you may have tried/done some of them already); 1) and 2) are the easy ones for temporary strangenesses, and 3) and 4) are specifically aimed at possibly corrupt preferences); 5) is a list in itself, and 6) is the last resort.
1) Close down Illy and open again;
2) Restart the computer (you may do that up to 3 times);
3) Close down Illy and press Ctrl+Alt+Shift/Cmd+Option+Shift during startup (easy but irreversible);
4) Move the folder (follow the link with that name) with Illy closed (more tedious but also more thorough and reversible);
5) Look through and try out the relevant among the Other options (follow the link with that name, Item 7) is a list of usual suspects among other applications that may disturb and confuse Illy, Item 15) applies to CC, CS6, and maybe CS5);
Even more seriously, you may:
6) Uninstall, run the Cleaner Tool (if you have CS3/CS4/CS5/CS6/CC), and reinstall.
http://www.adobe.com/support/contact/cscleanertool.html