The title of my blog today denotes some of the forums where I came across many related topics. Users are looking for the solution at one place, but didn't find it anywhere else. Today in this post I will share some tips and tricks to resolve the Error “File is Damaged or Cannot be Repaired”.

Symptoms:

This problem mostly arises when the Portable Document Format (.pdf) file is opened, before it was fully downloaded, older versions of Adobe Reader or Internet Explorer.

Possible Solutions:

There are two possible solutions that I know to solve the issue.


First: Delete Internet Explorer Temporary File

The problem can occur because of overflowing temporary internet files. I noticed small files can be viewed easily, but it is the big files that give a hard time to the users.


A short term solution to this is to delete all Temporary Files and restart the machine. A permanent solution is to empty the Temporary Files folder after each exit. Not doing so may even result in increasing the size of the temporary internet files folder.


To delete temporary files from Internet Explorer open IE, go to Tools in Menu Bar >> Internet Options >> Advanced Tab >> Security Section >> Check the box next to “Empty Temporary internet Files Folder when Browser is Closed” >> Click Apply and then OK to close the popup.


To increase the size of space on your hard drive for Internet Explorer temporary files, go to Tools in Menu bar >> Internet Options >> General Tab >> Browsing History section >> Click the “Settings” button >> Edit the number next to “Disk Space to Use” >> Click two times on OK button


Second: Older version of Adobe Reader

The second possible solution is to update Adobe Acrobat/Reader. However, check that you have the latest version and if you have it, then uninstall and reinstall it.


To update Adobe Reader, go to Help in Menu bar >> Check for Updates… >> If there will be any update then you see a message to update else you will see “No updates available” message.


In most of the users' cases, they have the older version of Adobe Acrobat. I am suggesting everyone to check for any update for Adobe Reader (the current Version of Adobe Reader is XI, as on 22, Sep 2014).


Third: Older Version of Internet Explorer

Some users have also said, using a particular version of Internet Explorer can also be a cause of this problem. Now one agrees which version of Internet Explorer can solve the problem, because this issue is coming from version 6.


To update Internet Explorer, go to Help in Menu bar >> About Internet Explorer >> there you will see the Internet Explorer version.


The current version is 11.0 for Windows 7, as on 22, Sep 2014. You can download the latest version from here: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/internet-explorer/ie-11-worldwide-languages. IE is available in 32 bit and 64 bit, and in many languages also like: English, Arabic, Dutch, and French.


Fourth: Corrupted or Damaged PDF File

Corrupt or Damage PDF files can also be the reason of the error. In one of my articles I have shared about “How to Repair/Recover Corrupted Files and Images from PDF Document”.


To repair Corrupt or Damage PDF files you can use online tools, or PDFWARE PDF Recovery Software. Online tools are not much of a help or capable to repair damaged PDF documents. But the PDFWARE PDF Recovery software is capable of recovering all data from corrupted PDF file with 100% data accuracy.


Conclusion: The above 4 solutions can help you solve the error – “File is Damaged or Cannot be Repaired”. All possible causes are described above. If you are still getting any error, feel free to share it in comment.