LabVIEW Project or Library File Is Corrupt

Issue Details

• When I attempt to open up my project file (*.lvproj) , I keep getting the error: Project or Library file is corrupt.  

• When I try to open a class library on a new computer I see the error Memory or data structure corrupt. The file could not be loaded but the library opens fine on a different computer.

How can I resolve this issue?

Solution

Following these steps may aid in fixing a library or project file corruption.  Many corruptions will be unrecoverable without a backup.

1. Right-click the corrupted file, and click on Open With..., select Notepad
2. Copy and paste the code into Microsoft Word
3. If you have the working back-up version, copy and paste the code into Word as a new Microsoft Word document.
4. Now compare the two versions in Word using Track Changes/Compare functionality.  *The track changes/compare functionality is found in the Review tab of Microsoft Word 2007.  

Fixing a LabVIEW Project File Corruption
A corrupted library file can also corrupt a project file if the corrupted library file was included in the LabVIEW project.  This issue can be resolved by either removing the reference to this corrupted library file by editing the XML code for the project file, or by fixing the library file corruption.  

Open the LabVIEW Project File With LabVIEW 64-bit
If the code was written in a 32-bit version of LabVIEW, opening it in 64-bit LabVIEW will increas the application memory and potentially resolve corruption based off of large block diagrams.

Fixing a LabVIEW Project File or Library File Corruption
Project files and library files can both be corrupted if some of the closing XML tags were not written completely during a save process.  

For example, a corrupted project file may be missing the following lines at the end of the file:

</Item>
</Item>
</Item>
</Project> 

These lines are closing the project and item references.  The item references are project-specific, so do not concern yourself if your project has more or fewer of these lines.  If these references are not closed off, LabVIEW will not be able to close the project file, and subsequently inform the user that the project has been corrupted. 

If you do not have a backup copy of the project, create a new project and access the source code as described above.  Look for any obvious differences between the empty project and the corrupted project.  

Often times these differences will involve missing XML tags, and the user should pay close attention to these references across the working back-up copy of the project/library and the corrupted project/library file. 

If any of the previous steps solve the issue, try removing and reinstalling the required NI software on the PC. 

Additional Information

A project file can be corrupted due to many reasons.  For example, during the automated save process, a LabVIEW internal error may have occurred, registry keys may be corrupt, or power may have shut off and corrupted the file. 

Often times, these corruptions result in a missing entry within the project or library file.  Library and project files are written in XML format and can be opened up with any text-based editor.  However, the easiest method of working with these files will be to open them with Microsoft Notepad or Microsoft Wordpad initially and then copying and pasting the contents to a Microsoft Word document.

A working back-up copy of the project can be useful in diagnosing and fixing the corruption.  The backup copy does not have to be exactly the same as the corrupted copy.  However, the back-up copy can provide a framework or a template for what to expect in a working project or library file.