Knowledge Base

Problem

An Observer XT project that was stored on or opened directly from cloud storage (e.g., Box or OneDrive) now shows 'unreadable event log files,' the Event Data folder is empty or missing files, and observation data cannot be recovered.

Details

Affects Observer XT 16 and 17. This is a critical data-loss scenario. Observer XT projects consist of a folder containing the .vop file and several subfolders including 'Event Data,' where each observation's scored data is stored as an individual file. When the project is opened directly from cloud storage rather than a local copy, or when the .vop file is moved separately from its subfolders, Observer XT loses its pointers to the event log files. Cloud sync conflicts or incomplete syncs can leave the Event Data folder empty. This is distinct from moving the .vop outside the project folder (covered in the Event Log File Read Failure article) — here the data files themselves may be genuinely absent.

Solution

1. Check the Event Data subfolder within the project folder for any remaining files. Each observation has its own file in this folder.
2. Check cloud storage version history (Box or OneDrive) for earlier versions of the Event Data folder or individual files — restore if available.
3. Check local computer recycle bins and any automatic backup locations (e.g., Windows File History, Time Machine).
4. If the Event Data files are confirmed missing and no backups exist, the observation data cannot be recovered and the observations must be re-coded.
5. To prevent this in future: always work from a locally saved copy of the full project folder (not opened directly from cloud storage). Download the full project folder to a local drive before opening, code locally, and re-upload only after saving and closing Observer XT.
6. Never move the .vop file separately from its project folder and subfolders.