Music Monitor database files can sometimes be damaged, due to power outages, hardware failures or operating system updates. If a file is damaged, the user will get a message saying ‘File is damaged and cannot be opened’. Or if files are hosted on FileMaker Server, FileMaker Server will close the damaged file. On the FMS Admin Console, it will look like this: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A damaged file can either be recovered using FileMaker Pro or replaced with the most recent backup. 

The recommended process is as follows: 

  • Log in to FileMaker Server and note which files are damaged.
  • Close all the hosted database files. 
  • Navigate to the FileMaker Server backup location. The default location is: 

Windows: [drive]:\Program Files\FileMaker\FileMaker Server\Data\Backups 

macOS: /Library/FileMaker Server/Data/Backups 

Check that the most recent backup includes the damaged files. FileMaker Server does not back up damaged files, so they may be missing depending on the sequence of events. 

If all files are present in the backup and the backup is recent enough that the administration team will not lose significant work, the damaged files may be replaced with the backup. Otherwise, it is best to attempt to recover the damaged files.

Replace with Backup 

To do this, copy the backups of the damaged files and paste them into an empty folder. Then, remove the damaged files inside the FileMaker Server Admin Console. 

 

 

 

 

 

Then, open FileMaker Pro and upload the backups to FileMaker Server (detailed instructions at end of document). 

Recover Damaged Files 

To do this, first remove the damaged files from within the FileMaker Server Admin Console. 

The removed database files are saved in a ‘Removed by FMS’ folder in the default Databases folder: 

Windows: [drive]:\Program Files\FileMaker\FileMaker Server\Data\Databases\Removed_by_FMS 

macOS: /Library/FileMaker Server/Data/Databases/Removed_by_FMS 

Navigate to this location and copy the damaged files to an empty folder. 

Open FileMaker Pro and select ‘Recover’ from the File Menu. Navigate to the damaged files and select one. Repeat this process for each damaged file. For each file, FileMaker will report whether the file has been successfully recovered. 

Any files that cannot be successfully recovered must be replaced by the most recent backup. 

The recovered files will be saved with new names. For files successfully recovered, delete the damaged original and rename the recovered file to have the original name. 

Then, open FileMaker Pro and upload the backups to FileMaker Server (detailed instructions at end of document). 

Uploading File to FileMaker Server 

Open FileMaker Pro and go to File > Sharing > Upload to FileMaker Server. Select the host and enter the FileMaker Server login details.

Browse to the files to be uploaded and select them. Finally, select Open. The files will be uploaded and opened on FileMaker Server.

Return to the FileMaker Server Admin Console and open all databases. Make sure that the damaged files open successfully.