This error may also occur with “Project Copy Error”, “Cannot update the current project with the existing temporary project (Id 10465)”, or “Cannot create temporary project file (Id 10452).”
It may occur because the file you are opening is not a project, the filename does not match when you restore the project from a backup, or there is a problem with the project database file.
A project in The Observer consists of a folder named for the project, containing multiple files and folders including the project file with a .vop extension. (Depending on your Windows settings, the extension may not be shown.) If you open a project from within The Observer, you will be directed to select a .vop file.
If you open a file from outside The Observer, by double-clicking that file and telling Windows to use The Observer to open that file, it is possible to select a file other than a .vop file, but you will receive this error. This is because you are telling Windows that The Observer can open the file, and Windows believes you regardless of whether or not you are correct.
If the file you wish to open is a Project Backup saved in The Observer, which will have a .vpb extension, it must be restored in The Observer before it can be opened. Open The Observer and go on the menu to File > Restore Backup, then select your file. The project folder and all of its contents will be created, and the project will be opened.
Normally, the .vop project file should be in a folder with the same name, e.g., you might have a project “Behavior Study” which will have a folder “Behavior Study” containing a project file “Behavior Study.vop”. If you rename the .vop file, and then make a backup, and then restore that backup, The Observer will not find the .vop under the name it expects and you may receive this error. In this case the project folder should still be created and the file names can be corrected there.
Backups are normally restored to the default project folder: C:\Users\Public\Documents\Noldus\The Observer XT\Projects\
If you have designated a different folder as the default location for your projects, that is where the backup will be restored to as well.
If neither of the above issues apply, the project database may be damaged. The Observer maintains a backup copy of the project database in a file named “restore.btn”. You can rename the files to use that backup copy:
Note that if Windows is hiding extensions (e.g. the “.vop” part of the project file name), it may prevent you from changing the extensions. In Windows 7 and 8, click the Alt key to show the menu, then go on the menu to Tools/Folder Options, pick the View tab, and uncheck the option “hide extensions for known file types”. In Windows 10, click View on the ribbon and check the option to show file extensions.
Restoring the project from the restore.btn file may lose work from your last session with The Observer, but should recover the rest.
The restore.btn file will not be present in projects from very old versions of The Observer. In that case, it may be necessary to restore the project from a project backup.
Regardless of the version, we recommend making regular backups of your data. You can make a backup of your project from within The Observer by going on the menu to File > Make Backup. Keep a copy of these backups on a separate hard drive, e.g. on a network drive or external drive, so they will be available if the original drive fails.