[coldrick]

We have been using screen builder for a while now and it suddenly started reporting the following message when we "test" a screen.

A data corruption problem has been detected
Screen Driver file may be damaged. Attempt loading it into Capital Workshop's screen editor. Unrecognised type.

We tried the "automatic repairs" option although we didn't expect it to work for this - and it didn't.

Any ideas what we should do?

[COBS Tech Support]

I'd recommend you restore your back-up of the damaged file. It will have the extension .SCW. I.e.,

Stock: STAUX000.SCW
Customers: CUAUX000.SCW
Suppliers: SUAUX000.SCW
Service Manager: SMAUX000.SCW
Hire Manager: HIAUX000.SCW
Sales Force Manager/CRM: CRMAU000.SCW

[coldrick]

We have backups turned off as we are still testing the program and don't have and critical info in it, but we do have a backup from February (when we were testing the backup feature). I imagine that restoring the February backup would wipe out everything that we have done since then?

We do have another "backup" of the complete company folder that we did a few days ago simply by storing a copy of the folder. Would it be better to just restore that folder as the working folder?

[COBS Tech Support]

That depends on what information you may loose. CAPITAL back-ups are held in industry standard ZIP format, so it should be easy to extract just the file that has become damaged.

[coldrick]

Thanks. We will do a restore of the files one by one until we work out where the problem was.

[coldrick]

Restored those files from a backup but still kept getting the error so we bit the bullet and restored the entire backup - that worked.

[COBS Tech Support]

Might you have changed the structure of the database external to the screen builder too perhaps?

[coldrick]

We are getting the problem again and we are having a really difficult time isolating it.

The database structure for stock.dbf and staux000.dbf haven't been modified externally. The fields were added using screen builder and the stock and auxilliary imported items have all been done using the Install Workshop import function.

[COBS Tech Support]

This is very difficult for us to say because you have not given us any information other than reporting the warning message. You must have made some change just before the message was reported? This code was written around 1990 and has not really changed since and we have never had any reported problems with it until now. But you're welcome to email us the files that are reporting the error and we can tell you quickly exactly what is wrong with them. There may be some error in the screen lay-out you have created or something somewhat unusual about your lay-out that the screen builder is not anticipating perhaps.

[coldrick]

We're on a fresh start again now.

If it happens again I'll take up the offer.

We will be doing a backup after each import operation this time and try to isolate the problem.