Files keep getting damaged

[UELS]

3 files have gotten damaged in the past couple of weeks and cannot be opened. I have been using Illustrator for 3 years and this is the first time it has started happening like this. It's completely random and I know this is going to screw me over when I study graphic design in college.. How do I restore the files and how do I stop this from happening? And yes I've already seen this page a billion times How to fix damaged Illustrator files

[Monika Gause]

Which version?

Which system?

Where do you save your files? Network? Synchronized folder?

Which is the exact error message?

What's in the file?

Do you use font management?

Which is the exact file format?

Exactly how do you open that file?

Do all the corrupt files have something in common?

Is a printer connected and turned on?

[UELS]

22.1

Windows

In the documents of my computer

"This file is damaged and could not be repaired"

Just drawings using the pen tool

No

.ai

Selecting open from the pull down file menu on the top

They all involve a picture, usually one taken from my phone.

I don't have a printer

[Monika Gause]

Please try and set up a PDF printer.

[UELS]

I don't have one. How will that help?

[Monika Gause]

Illustrator writes information about the printer into the file. If it doesn't find a printer when opening the file, things might go wrong. This might be the reason for your issues. But there's no guarantee that it helps.