Step by step for loading shapefiles needed

Question

I'm new to this program and need a simple help.

I am trying to display drainage tile lines we have installed for customers. We have three different installation machines and they all map differently. One produces .kml files and I get them to load and display. The second tile plow produces .gpx files and they load and display.

We map the tile installed by the third machine with a farm mapping program that will export shape files. When I try add the shapefiles I get a message failed to add, unknown coordinate system.

Is there a step-by-step method to do this? I find nothing in the help menu addressing this.

Thanks,
Greg

GregLepper · Answer

Are you able to open the attached shapefile?

Yes, I can open that file (one point) in ArgGIS and it displays a point in California.

Sorry I haven't been back to this thread for a long time, I thought I had subscribed to it to monitor replies, but it didn't let me know.

Greg

MarkBockenhauer · Answer

Are you able to open the attached shapefile?

test.zip

GregLepper · Answer

I tried what you said:

I copied the file you attached (wgs_84.prj.txt) into the folder with my shapefiles. I'm not sure, but I think wgs 84 is correct for central Illinois.

One in question is: Smith Mains.shp, Smith Mains.dbf and Smith Mains.shx

So, I renamed your file wgs_84.prj.txt to Smith Mains.prj and put it in the same folder.

When I tried to import that into ArgGIS Viewer I still got the same message that it didn't recognize the coordinate system.

Why doesn't ArcGIS recognize this problem? Why do they let you think you can load .shp files when you can't? Why don't they tell you all these little secrets in their Help menu? Why don't they have a pop up window with multiple choices for which projection system it is using? Where can I find a program that will do this correctly?