unable to open dta file showing error

[hien huynh]

Hi
I am new to Stata since Aug 2104. I use stata IC 13.1 . I have been sending a few dta files to a colleague and she was able to open and use them at home. However last 2 stata dta files I sent she was not able to open them on her home computer.

Error message

use "/Users/ctk29/Downloads/testrun.dta"
file /Users/ctk29/Downloads/testrun.dta not Stata format
r(610);

I bought the stata software package in July 2104 and it was good for three computers.
1 for work,
1 for my home
1 for my colleague 's home.


I wonder if the error has anything to do with user access.
Thanks

[Clyde Schechter]

Well, it doesn't sound like you've exceeded the scope of your license in any case. (And I doubt that that would lead to this particular kind of error if you had.) Any number of things could be going wrong. You and your colleague should both verify that your Stata installations are correct. There is an installation qualification tool on Stata.com for that. Assuming both installations are correct, there is the possibility that the files got corrupted during transmission. You might have her send her copy of the files back to you and you can see if you can open them, and also compare them using any standard file compare utility for your operating system.

There could be other compatibility issues: if your installation is IC but she installed a lower "flavor", then your file may exceed some of the limits for her installation.

If none of those things diagnose the problem, perhaps somebody else on the list will come up with another idea, or you can contact technical support.

[ben earnhart]

Also -- you probably would have mentioned this, but are the more recent, un-readable files zipped or compressed? You mention she was able to open some but not others. Zipping them can cause problems if you are not conscious on both ends whether they come in zipfiles. Do you use Macs or PCs on both ends? File formats should ultimately be the same, but the handling of zipfiles may differ.

[Richard Williams]

You are sure that your colleague is running 13.1 at home? Similar errors often result when one person is running an older version of Stata.

You may want to have her send the files back to you and see if you can read them. Or, just send them to her again.

You can cut down on the back and forth (and possible corruption of files) by using shared folders with a program like Dropbox or Google Drive.