I just updated to 1.2.1.0 on Windows 7 and now when I double-click my “project.scrivx” file, I get:
When I click “OK” then try opening it via “Open Existing Project…”, it opens fine.
This problem exists whether I am trying to open a previously existing project or a project created in the 1.2.1.0 update.
Is this a bug?
I get this too. I use desktop shortcuts to point to different Scriv projects, and they all now trigger this error. But I can open Scriv using the desktop shortcut that the program installed, and then open a project.
Getting the same problem as well since downloading the update. Rather annoying since I do everything by shortcut. Like everyone else I can access my project the long winded way.
Is everyone else on Windows 7? I’m testing on XP right now (7 is at home), and I can double-click a project.scrivx file to open it.
Update: Okay, I’ve managed to reproduce on XP as well. I tried with a pre-existing project. My earlier test had been with a copy of a project that I had created more recently. With the pre-existing project, double-clicking on project.scrivx fails with the noted error; but loading it manually through an open copy works.
I tried changing the name of the file to MMD_Tests.scrivx and then double-clicked—and it worked. Changing it back to project.scrivx causes it to fail. So try changing the name of your .scrivx file to the folder name (sans the .scriv part of course) and see if that works. Looks like some piece of logic is broken here. I’m not sure why the duplicated copy of a project worked fine though—that makes no sense.
The odd thing is that other pre-existing projects do work with ‘project.scrivx’. So there must be some other variable somewhere that is causing this issue.
I changed my file associations so that project.scrivx files always opened with Windows Scrivener with WINE. I haven’t gotten it yet, although I seem to be plagued with most major Scrivener bugs this way. Does it take a few opens to get it to bug?
Just to add a little to this: Beta7 crashes when no instance is open.
When you double-click on a project.scriv while Beta7 is running, the project opens normally.
From what I’ve seen so far, the bug manifests only initially, and once you get it to open in any fashion, it no longer fails to open. So if anything the bug won’t appear unless it already appeared the first time. Consequently it makes testing for it difficult since once you fix a project it works, making it possible to run out of test cases. 
I’m on XP.
I changed the project.scrivx filename to Origins.scrivx (it’s in a folder called Origins.scriv) - is this what you mean? It still doesn’t load.
I’ve opened my file the long-winded way, made changes and saved. The shortcuts still won’t work.
I just got another report outside of this thread that it appears the missing variable is whether or not Scrivener is open when you double-click. This might be why, when I changed the name and tried again, it worked—because at that point the program was already running (I use the New Projects option so it doesn’t close when I shut down the last project). So try opening Scrivener with the Start Menu, and then using the shortcut, and see if that works.
Update: Okay, I got my other computer updated, tested this theory, and it seems to be the source of the problem. Open Scrivener first, then try, and see if it works. I get a failure whenever the software is closed, and success every time it is open. I tested with shortcuts as well as directly double-clicking on the .scrivx file.
If I open Scriv from the start menu, then it opens the most recently opened project file. After that I can open other projects from shortcuts.
Okay, thanks, that’s what I’m seeing as well. I think this bug has been narrowed down to its root cause and should be easy to fix as a result. Thanks all.