Error “Incorrect MD5 Hash” occurs when loading project

Symptoms:

When loading a  project an error similar to “Incorrect MD5 Hash” occurs. The project fails to load.

Cause:

The file has become corrupted somehow. This file will no longer work. It may have happened if Windows shut down unexpectedly while a project was saving, or if a USB drive was removed prematurely while copying a file.

Solution:

There is no solution to this problem. The file is likely unrecoverable. Make sure you have sufficient backups available in case this error occurs. Switch to a backed up version of the project file and delete this one. If this problem continues to occur be aware that it may be a sign that your hard drive is failing. It may be time to replace it.