PRJ2000: Cannot Use Shortcut Created with Add to Favorites Command for Database Project (245887)

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Project, when you use a shortcut to open a project that was saved in a database, you may receive the following error message:

Microsoft Project cannot recognize this file format.

Do you want to open this file as text only?

If you click No, you receive a second error message:

Microsoft Project cannot open the file.

Try one of the following:

- Check that the file's name and path are correct.

- Check that the file is in a format recognized by Microsoft Project. Microsoft Project files (.mpp) from a version earlier than Microsoft Project 98 cannot be opened.

If you click Yes in response to the first message, you do not receive the second message, but the project is not opened.

CAUSE

This behavior occurs when you do the following in Microsoft Project:

In the Open From Database dialog box, you create a shortcut to open a project from the database, by clicking Add To Favorites on the Tools list.
In the Open dialog box, you open the Favorites folder and then open the project by using the shortcut that you created.

NOTE: The shortcut works correctly when you do not use the Microsoft Project Open dialog box to open it.

WORKAROUND

To work around this behavior, use either of the following methods.

Method 1

To open the project by using the Open dialog box in Microsoft Project, open the project from the database without using the shortcut to the project.

Method 2

To open the project by using the shortcut, open the Favorites folder in a separate window outside of Microsoft Project, and then double-click the shortcut. Alternatively, you can copy or move the shortcut from the Favorites folder to your Windows desktop to make it easier to find.