# Lost the FLA
**URL:** https://forum.kirupa.com/t/lost-the-fla/61878
**Category:** Uncategorized
**Created:** [August 23, 2004, 1:44am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/lost-the-fla/61878 "2004-08-23T01:44:52Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@newbie\_geek](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/newbie_geek)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2004, 1:44am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/lost-the-fla/61878/1 "2004-08-23T01:44:52Z")
well I am an idiot.
A few weeks ago i learned a VALUABLE lesson about backing up ones files… my HD just _blink_ dissappeared on me… Ⓜ
As a result i have lost the original FLA’s for a rather big and complex site. The idea of rebuilding all of this is rather daunting :crying: so i would love to know if there is a way to extract the FLA out of the SWF.
I have tried a simple “import” in flash, but that just gives me a pretty useless string of frames placed in the timeline, and opening it seems to be the same as just playing it in flash-player.
I presume there is something that can be done here, since when I was exporting the original FLA’s i made sure to “protect from import” and entered a password.
Well?
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### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2004, 6:16am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/lost-the-fla/61878/2 "2004-08-23T06:16:28Z")
There are programs that can extract an fla from an swf, with varying degrees of success. They all cost money, but I got a copy of one myself, so if you like you could send me the files and I could convert them back to fla. Usually you have to do some tweaking- they cant extract symbol names.
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### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2004, 12:57pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/lost-the-fla/61878/3 "2004-08-23T12:57:01Z")
Are you sure? cause I can just get the program, i should propably have a copy of it myself, cause these things happen. Any recommendations for what to get?
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### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2004, 6:15pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/lost-the-fla/61878/4 "2004-08-23T18:15:03Z")
I use Sothink SWF Decompiler MX 2005. ASV 4.0 can do the same thing but outputs a jsfl file. They both require MX 2004, to read the outputted fla or jsfl.
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### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2004, 6:57pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/lost-the-fla/61878/5 "2004-08-23T18:57:11Z")
i dont have 2004… is there anything i can do?
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### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2004, 9:55pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/lost-the-fla/61878/6 "2004-08-24T21:55:22Z")
there are some free bits of software available, but they have limitations
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### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2004, 11:09pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/lost-the-fla/61878/7 "2004-08-24T23:09:21Z")
idon’t know if it works but there is a program called flash it that removes the protection.
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### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2004, 11:45pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/lost-the-fla/61878/8 "2004-08-24T23:45:16Z")
do a search on “swf decompilers”.
try looking at [www.swftools.com](http://www.swftools.com)
Prophet.
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### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2004, 12:32am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/lost-the-fla/61878/9 "2004-08-25T00:32:33Z")
AVE Imperator. You can d/l the demo and recompile your swf but it wont export the actionscript unless you buy it. [http://www.ave-imperator.com/](http://www.ave-imperator.com/) I see they’ve dropped their price considerably.
Ive got an older version of swf decompiler that works with Flash Mx if you want but it wont rebuild your fla, it will just export all the components and actionscript. If you dont mind re-adding your script though the two work well together.