A boardview that will not open is one of the most common frustrations in board repair, and it is almost never because the file is useless. Usually the viewer does not support that format or variant, the archive did not extract properly, or the file is not a boardview at all. A short routine finds the cause in a few minutes.
The quick routine
Work through these steps in order; most problems are solved by the first three.
- Check the extraction. Re-open the archive and extract it again. Look for errors, and check the file size is plausible — boardviews are typically from a few hundred kilobytes to a few megabytes.
- Check the extension against your viewer. Not every viewer opens every format. A
.TVWfile, for example, usually needs FlexBV or the TVW viewer, not OpenBoardView. - Try a second viewer. Format support differs. A file that fails in one often opens in another.
- Peek inside with a text editor. It tells you whether the file is text, binary, compressed, or something unrelated renamed to a boardview extension.
- Look for another format of the same board. Many boards have two or three boardview formats in the catalog.
- Download from another source if the file appears damaged.
Error by error
| What you see | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| "Unsupported format" or nothing happens | Viewer does not support the format or variant | Try FlexBV or the format's own viewer |
| Viewer crashes on open | Unusual variant, damaged file, or viewer bug | Try another viewer; update yours; re-download |
| File opens but the board is empty | View far from the board, or a multi-file format with parts missing | Reset the view; keep all companion files together |
| Garbled part names or random shapes | Wrong parser for this variant, or partial file | Try another viewer or format |
.FZ fails in OpenBoardView, opens in FlexBV | Encoded FZ variant without a decoding key | Use FlexBV, or configure the key |
.BRD huge and unrecognised | Cadence Allegro design file, not a boardview | Find a boardview export, or use design tools |
| Archive asks for a password | Protected archive from the uploader | Look for the password in the original post, or another source |
Archive contains .exe instead of a boardview | Not a boardview, possibly malware | Delete it; do not run it |
Format-specific problems
FZ
Asus .FZ files are often encoded. OpenBoardView can open them only when a decoding key is set in its configuration; FlexBV handles most of them directly. Details in How to Open .FZ Boardview Files.
TVW
Most .TVW files do not open in OpenBoardView at all. Use FlexBV or the TVW viewer — see How to Open .TVW Boardview Files.
BRD
Several unrelated formats share .BRD. If a file is unusually large and no boardview viewer accepts it, it may be a full PCB design file from Cadence Allegro, which boardview viewers do not read.
CAD and PCB
Both extensions are generic and used by many programs. Text-based CAD boardviews open in FlexBV and sometimes in OpenBoardView; .PCB files may be boardview exports or native design files. Identify them first — How to Open .PCB and .CAD Boardview Files explains how.
ASC
.ASC boardviews are often a set of several text files. Opening one of them alone gives an empty board. Keep the whole set in one folder and open the main file.
Archive problems
Repair files almost always arrive in archives, and archives cause a surprising share of failures:
- Split archives (
.part1.rar,.part2.raror.001,.002) need every part in the same folder before extraction. - Nested archives — a
.zipinside a.rar— need two extractions. - Old or unusual compression may fail in basic tools; a current archiver such as 7-Zip handles nearly everything.
- Truncated downloads produce archives that extract partially or report CRC errors. Download again.
- Wrong extension on the archive — a
.rarthat is really a.zip— opens fine in a good archiver that detects the type by content.
Viewer problems
Sometimes the file is fine and the viewer is the issue:
- Outdated version. Newer releases add formats and fix crashes. Update from the official source.
- Graphics problems. OpenGL-based viewers may show a blank window on very old or broken graphics drivers.
- Long or unusual file paths. Very long paths or unusual characters occasionally cause problems in older tools. Move the file to a short path such as
C:\bv\. - Missing permissions on network drives or synced folders. Copy the file locally.
Identifying a file with a text editor
Open the file in a text editor that handles large files:
- Readable headers, part names and net names — a text format (many BRD variants, CAD, ASC). Look at the first lines for a format or tool name.
- Unreadable binary from the first byte — a binary or compressed format (BDV, FZ, TVW and others). Try viewers that support those.
- "PK" at the very start — the file is actually a ZIP archive. Rename it to
.zipand extract. - "Rar!" at the start — it is a RAR archive. Rename and extract.
- HTML tags — you downloaded a web page instead of the file. Download again from the actual link.
When nothing works
If a file cannot be opened by any viewer and is not damaged:
- Check the board page for other boardview formats.
- Use the schematic and the board's silkscreen to locate parts; it is slower but reliable.
- For text formats, search the file directly in a text editor for designators and net names.
- If you find a working version elsewhere, share the link through the contact page so the catalog can be updated.
A general overview of formats is in Boardview File Formats Compared: BRD, BDV, FZ, CAD, TVW, ASC.
Keep a known-good sample of each format
One simple habit makes troubleshooting much faster: keep a small folder with one boardview of each format that you know opens correctly — a .BDV, a .BRD, an .FZ, a .CAD, a .TVW. When a new file fails, open the matching sample first:
- if the sample also fails, the problem is the viewer — an update, a setting, a graphics driver or a missing decoding key;
- if the sample opens and the new file does not, the problem is the new file — a different variant, damage or a wrong format.
That one test splits every "won't open" problem in half before you spend time on either side. Refresh the samples whenever you update a viewer, and note the viewer version that opened each one.
Staying safe with downloaded archives
Boardview archives come from many sources. Scan them before opening, do not run executables found inside them, and download viewer software only from its official site. A boardview is a data file; it never needs an installer or a "patch" to open.
FAQ
Why does the same file open on my colleague's computer but not mine?
Different viewer versions or settings. Compare versions, and for FZ files check whether a decoding key is configured on their machine.
Can a boardview file be corrupted in a way that still opens?
Yes. A partially damaged file may open with missing parts or nets. If something looks wrong — parts outside the board, nets that make no sense — download it again or try another format.
Is there a universal converter for boardview formats?
No single tool converts everything reliably. Using a viewer that reads the original format is nearly always better.
Why do some archives contain both a boardview and an .exe?
Some uploaders bundle viewers with files. Treat any executable from an archive with suspicion and get viewers from official sources instead.
Bottom line
Re-extract, match the format to the viewer, try a second viewer and look inside the file with a text editor. Those four checks solve almost every boardview that "won't open", and the rest usually have another format available for the same board.