Expert: Amy - 6/1/2006

Question
I've received and Illustrator 8 file (.ai) from a client which I'm opening in CS2. Both Macs. Once open, the cursor takes on the appearance of a pencil wih a line through it and I can't select anything on the page.  Is this file locked somehow?  And if so, can I unlock it?
Thanks!

Answer
Hi Gary,

Yes, that is the locked symbol... but you can't lock an AI 8 file thru any feature of AI8 that I know of...

A few things to consider...

Did you copy it to your machine or are you opening it off a CD. You should copy it to your own machine.

The file itself could be read only. Do a Get Info on the file and make sure "Locked" is not checked.

It's possible that the file is damaged, too.

I use version 9 and I'd be happy to see if I can open and re-save it for you. Just mail to AmyLynPace@yahoo.com if you'd like. I'll be here all day tomorrow.

Another thought/workaround.  Try placing the file into a new blank AI document (not linked... embed it!) and see if you can edit it then.

I think what Adobe suggests when this same problem occurs in InDesign is opening a Copy of the file. Does Illustrator CS2 have this "Open Copy" feature as well? (I don't use CS2.) Apparently you go to File > Open, locate the file, select it and click "Open Copy."

Let me know if anything comes of these suggestions and if you want me to see if I can open/re-save for you.

Good luck with that,
Amy Pace