2004

Recover a Damaged File | 97
When an error occurs, AutoCAD tries to record diagnostic information in the
acad.err file, which you can use to report a problem. AutoCAD marks a
drawing as damaged if it detects corrupted data, or if you request that the
drawing be saved after a system failure. If the damage is minor, you some-
times can repair the drawing simply by opening it.
You can use
RECOVER to perform an audit on, and attempt to open, any file
you select. Use
AUDIT to find and correct errors in an open file.
Example: Auditing Files
Auditing a file generates a description of problems and recommendations for
correcting them. As you start the audit, you specify whether you want
AutoCAD to try to fix the problems it encounters. The report is similar to the
following example:
Auditing Header
DXF NAME Current Value Validation Default
PDMODE 990 - 2040
UCSFOLLOW 811 or 0
Error found in auditing header variables
4 Blocks audited
Pass 1 4 objects audited
Pass 2 4 objects audited
Total errors found 2 fixed 2
If you chose not to correct the errors, the last statement changes to
Total errors found 2 fixed 0.
The output from a recovery audit is written to an ADT log file if the
AUDITCTL
system variable is set to 1 (on).
Recovery does not necessarily preserve the high-level consistency of the
drawing file. AutoCAD tries to extract as much material as it can from the
damaged file.
Backup Files
In the Options dialog box, you can set AutoCAD to regularly save a backup
file. When you save a named drawing for the second time, AutoCAD creates
a backup copy of the drawing using the .bak file extension. Each time you use
SAVE or use SAVEAS with the current drawing name, AutoCAD updates the
backup file.