General description

When creating or modifying a PLAXIS project, the information is stored in a temporary folder within the Windows environment. Only when explicitly saving the PLAXIS project, the data will be stored in (i.e., moved to) the selected save location.

In some cases, a saving failure error may occur and a pop-up window will display the potential causes for the failure, as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Save failure pop-up window.

How to attempt and recover the project

If none of the bullet points in the pop-up window are the root of the problem, clicking on the "Details" button will show which file(s) cause the saving error.

In general, every PLAXIS project contains various files, e.g., data structure files, results and more. However, some files only contain logging information or are not a vital part of the project and calculation. These files can be skipped during the saving of the project without affecting the project data structure and computed results.

For example, if any of the shown files have the "data.convd.XX" format, it is safe to attempt and delete them directly from the temporary folder and the project should be able to be saved – follow steps 1-2 described below to locate the temp folder.
The "data.convd.*" files are the convergence log file of each calculation phase in PLAXIS. Even though the stored information can be important in case of a calculation error (debugging purposes), it is not essential for the PLAXIS project overall.
More information regarding this file can be found in the "Convergence log for PLAXIS calculations" chapter of the PLAXIS 2D/3D Reference Manual.

In the case that removing any of the files mentioned under the "Details" cannot be done or it is unclear if they are important to the PLAXIS project, the following procedure may be adopted to attempt to retrieve the project up to the moment the error appeared.

Note that deleting or skipping project files during this process can potentially corrupt the PLAXIS project, so be extra cautious.

1. Locate the Windows temporary folder in your computer that contains the files of this project. Typically, this can be found by opening a Windows Explorer folder and typing: %temp% (and press Enter). See Figure 2 for an example.
   
   
   Figure 2: Location of temporary folder.
   
   

2. Within this folder, find the folder named Plaxis3DTemp for PLAXIS 3D projects, or PLAXIS2DXTemp for PLAXIS 2D projects. (highlighted in Figure 2).

3. Open this folder and copy all the contents except for the "XX" file(s), shown in the "Details" of the save failure window.
   
   
4. Create a new folder on the desktop with the name: Plaxis3DTemp (or PLAXIS2DXTemp) and paste all the copied files into this folder.
   This will create a backup in case the rest of the process is unsuccessful. 
   
   

5. Start the Windows Task Manager and locate the PLAXIS 3D Input (or PLAXIS 2D Input) executable files and select to End the task (application).
   You can start the Task Manager via the Windows Start menu or use the right-click mouse button on your taskbar and select Task Manager.

6. Open the relevant PLAXIS Input application using the Windows shortcut – do not select to open the specific project or any other project or start a new project.
   Then, an option will be given to recover the crashed project.
   Select this option and attempt to save the project again. If this does not work, proceed to the next step.

7. If (6) did not work: Restart your computer. Open the relevant PLAXIS Input application (not the project or a specific project) and select the option to recover a crashed project.
   Attempt to save the project again. If this still does not work, proceed to the final step.

8. If (7) did not work: Delete the "Plaxis3DTemp" (or PLAXIS2DXTemp) at the %temp% location and replace it with the folder you created on your desktop.
   When applicable, you may need to recalculate the last phase of your project.

By following this procedure, you should be able to save and continue working on your PLAXIS project.

If you still encounter issues check the article on How to receive Technical Support.