Lotus Notes is a popular emails client, especially when it comes to the business users. Every Lotus Notes user must be familiar with different types of error messages they encounter while operating the client. For this discussion, we have chosen “File Does Not Exist” error in Lotus Notes, which is a recurring error in this email client. This error is known to most of the Lotus Notes users. Interestingly, the appearance of this error message is not confined to a single situation. Users may encounter them in different situations. That is why a broad discussion on this error is necessary for the benefit of the IBM Notes users. The causes and remedies of the error also differ depending on the situations. We will learn different causes of this error along with their solutions from this post.
What Causes “File Does Not Exist” Error and What are Its Remedies
As it has been mentioned earlier, multiple situations can trigger this error to appear in Lotus Notes. Here are some of the situations when Lotus Notes “File Does Not Exist” error message can occur.
- During opening an email
- During email archiving
- During IBM Notes launching post upgrade
- Opening Mail in local replica
Now that we know when this error occurs, let’s categorize the error according to the time when they appear. This categorization will be helpful for an organized discussion of the reasons and solutions of this error.
a) While Opening an Email in Notes Client:
“File Does Not Exist” error often occurs when Lotus users click on an email to open it.
Reasons: The reasons for this error are:
- If the network connection got lost while working.
- While trying to access a file that no longer exists or located in a removable storage that is not connected to the system.
- While importing a file or attachment that is not stored in the directory.
Solutions: Try these methods to solve this error.
- Check for any inconsistency in your Internet connection and adapters. Try to open the emails again.
- Remove the external storage device and reconnect it to your system properly. Now try opening the email.
- Check if the directory location you have chosen is correct.
- Make sure that the key files like names.nsf, desktop.ndk, bookmark.nsf, and cache.ndk are present in Notes\Data directory. If they are absent then equivalent files of .NTF are there in Notes\Data directory.
b) While Archiving Notes Emails
Archiving is a popular option to remove unnecessary and old emails from mailbox. IBM Notes users can bump into this “File Does Not Exist” error even during archiving emails.
Reasons: If archive NSF files of IBM Notes is removed from the directory or renamed, this error will appear.
Solutions: Open IBM Lotus Notes and click on File>> Database>> Properties>> Archive Settings. Look for the deleted or renamed archive NSF file. If yes, then create an NSF file in the exact location or rename it.
c) While Opening Lotus Email after Doing an Update
Updating Email Client to its latest version is a common incident. However, Lotus Notes “File Does Not Exist” error can happen even during Notes launch after updating.
Reasons: If a new version is installed using a different user account than the one used for the installation of earlier version, this error can occur.
Solutions: Install the new version of Notes with that very user account you have used to install the previous version.
d) During Mail Access in Local Copy
Sometimes, users want to access Notes email in local replica. Then, they see this error message:
‘Notes Error: File does not exist (CalendarProfile).’
Reasons: The main cause of this error is the use of local replica instead of server copy. If Notes temporary files (.DTF) get accidentally deleted, Lotus Notes “File Does Not Exist” error can appear. Sometimes, deletion of temp files is caused by anti-virus software of the system.
Solutions: As there are several causes of this error, users can perform these methods to fix this error:
- Open Lotus Mail in server copy and check whether it fixes the issue or not.
- Relaunching IBM Lotus Notes may work as remedy of this IBM Notes error.
- Try updating the anti-virus software of your system to its latest version and check if the problem still persists.
- Re-configuring anti-virus software by excluding .DTF files from it can also become helpful.
Had Enough of Lotus Notes?
This write-up shared ways to resolve “File Does Not Exist” error in Lotus Notes. This is not the only error that Lotus Notes users encounter. There are a number of errors often affect Lotus Notes functionality. The problem is that the complexity of IBM Notes makes it difficult for the users to solve the issues. Many Lotus Notes users migrate to other clients because of this reason. If you are a Lotus Notes user and considering moving to Microsoft Outlook, you can try using SysTools NSF to PST Converter. This application can easily migrate all data from IBM Notes to MS Outlook including emails, calendar, contacts, journals, notes, etc. It can even export all types of attachments that come with the emails. Choose this program to make your IBM Notes to Outlook migration stress-free.
Author Bio: Alicia Thorpe is a content writer and tech-enthusiast. Her main areas of interest are IBM Notes, Domino, MS Outlook, Office 365, etc. SysTools NSF to PST Converter is a ground-breaking invention in its own field. It makes Lotus Notes to Outlook migration easy for all users.