Unreadable Files (all zeroes, unrepairable)
Edit: Updates to information.
I've been getting "Cannot read file..." errors on several of my MuseScore files. I'm using a Mac on macOS Mojave (ver. 10.14.5; not the most recent update because of a software issue that prevents me from updating) and have the latest version of MuseScore (3.2.3.22971). This sort of error started to occur about three weeks ago, around the time when the computer also experienced reoccurring kernel panics (basically crashes and resets from a software issue; it may be related/causing this issue too). Attached below are two of the problematic files. I located hidden backup files for both of them and they are openable but I kept them hidden for now because I'm literally too scared to open them again. Previous similar issues that dated back a long way often have shown that these files are either empty or have all zeroes (confirmed in comments). There is also an iCloud and hard drive backup with these files that I can provide access to if needed. If you need more information, I will do my best to help. Thank you for any support!
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| Draft#5.mscz | 26.92 KB |
| v4ssun.mscz | 71.89 KB |
Comments
Indeed these 2 scores are nothing but zeroes. See #271185: Scores corrupted beyond repair, containing nothing but zeros, we still have no idea how to reproduce this
In reply to Indeed these 2 scores are… by Jojo-Schmitz
I don't remember seeing someone with two files like this before. Perhaps there is something on this system that will help us finally track down the issue.
Please be very vigilant about remembering what you've done to these files in the save process. If this happens again there is a chance this long standing detrimental bug could be found and fixed.
In the mean time, see https://musescore.org/en/node/52116 for info on recovering your scores.
In reply to I don't remember seeing… by mike320
We've seen very many of those, sometimes with a valid ZIP header before all those zeroes
In reply to We've seen very many of… by Jojo-Schmitz
I don't remember seeing one person with more that one file full of zeros. I've seen a lot of these one to a person.
In reply to I don't remember seeing… by mike320
I do have backups of both scores (they were in their original folders rather than in the Application Support folder). I haven't touched them aside from checking to see if they open. They seem to be very recent saves (within the week). I can make copies for testing if needed, but I think this issue can occur with any score.
In reply to I do have backups of both… by Quinn Ouyang
The backup would be the same as the last time you successfully save the score before the current session and is created in the same folder as the original. These backups are created when you open a score then save it. A new backup is not created until you close the score, open it and save it again. Older backups are deleted.
Since we don't know the cause of the problem. I'm not sure if crashes happen every time this is reported. Perhaps some of them are due to crashes and others are due to people forcing a stop of MuseScore in the middle of a save? I'm not sure.
Since you have experienced this multiple times, if it happens again, you are a good candidate to help us find the cause so it can be fixed. We just don't know what you did to cause it.
In reply to The backup would be the same… by mike320
Understood. I think I have a habit of saving scores at intervals, so at least that came in handy. I was just in the middle of creating a test file when the computer crashed again; I wasn't able to save the file at all. I'm getting the computer to turn on now so I'll check later to see if I got any autosave.
In reply to Understood. I think I have a… by Quinn Ouyang
It's probably a good idea to find what's causing your crash also. At least that needs to be fixed.
These issues only occurred about three weeks ago, around the time when my Mac gets reoccurring kernel panics (basically the computer crashes and restarts, it's a software issue/disk issue that I haven't figured out yet). Now it's possible that one of these files were open when the computer crashes (comments in other posts suggested a saving error, this could be the case if MuseScore cannot autosave for some particular reason). Another scenario, is with an iCloud backup of the files (which I did because of the kernel panics in the case I had to reset the computer). I could make copies of the backup for you guys, but I think this can happen with any score.
Update: the computer is now in a rather unusable state, so I won't be able to test out the issue. If there is anything I should run while MuseScore is open which can help track useful data, I'll try to do that when it's possible. I'll keep note of anything and perhaps try to reproduce the issue on a Windows desktop by force quitting the app.
Update (again): While the good news is that I have fixed my computer (hardware issue caused kernel panics) and I have recovered my necessary scores, the bad news is that I can't recreate the corruption. If I remember correctly, scores would be corrupted even if they were not opened during a crash, some separate files (PDFs) were also rendered unreadable, and a crash while the program is not open would also corrupt a score (however, these do suggest that the crash messes with the program rather than a program issue). Oddly enough, this only happened to certain scores. This issue does not persist as of now (on the same but fixed computer).