# Repair of corrupt JPG's for Dummies



## DSwede (Jan 12, 2009)

I've researched countless forums and have yet to find anything that remedies my predicament.

I recently downloaded to my computer ~200 files from my camera from my recent vacation. As I have for the last ~8 years, I treat my camera as a drive and simply copy the files as opposed to using some special software.

Prior to downloading, all files displayed on my camera correctly.
Of the 200 files, only about 10 are now without problems.
Half of the remaining files have perfect thumbnails, but the files are corrupted with bands/colors/etc.
The other half have neither thumbnail nor full size images.

I've read here and other forums that some of you gifted and generous souls have repaired one-of's for others, and for that I commend you.
However, since I have such a large number of files and since some of their thumbnails are not visible, I'd hate to waste time on a file just to find out its not worth the effort.

Is there a self-tutorial, cliff notes, or how-to for dummies on this topic?
Or is it too optimistic to think that some of you could take a look at them?

I would not take typically this so seriously, but it was a vacation with my sister and she was relying on my photographs of the entire trip.


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## etaf (Oct 2, 2003)

it may be that this software can recover the files 
http://www.z-a-recovery.com/

its worked a few time for me and posters here to recover files off memory cards - no reason to think it would not work on a harddrive - maybe worth a try ?


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

Have you tried JPEGsnoop?
http://www.impulseadventure.com/photo/fix-corrupt-jpeg-photo.html


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## mrss (Jun 13, 2007)

The files on the PC are toast. Not even a doctorate of JPG could recover them if they are corrupted like that. Did this happen on a new PC? 

You need to investigate whether the files on the camera, be it card or internal memory, can be recovered. If you have not put new photos into the camera, the old one that were erased are usually recoverable.

etaf's recommedation of a recovery program has worked well for me in the pasr.


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## DSwede (Jan 12, 2009)

I tried JPEGsnoop and the ZAR recoveries. I have not put new photos on the camera since this download, so I tried doing from both sources (the harddrive and the camera). I was dashed to find that the attempts made from the camera recovered nearly all of the thumbnails, but the full size files still are unaltered. I hate to think they are a loss, but understand if they are. What do you think is the root cause? Is the memory stick bad? Was it the transfer to the computer? While the photos were still on the camera, I previewed them and could zoom in and look around, they came up with wonderful details and resolution. So I know at one point, they were just fine. And no, this is not a new machine. My laptop has been around a few years and works like a top. My camera however is a new one, Sony W300. I had the W200 (until it was stolen) and am using the same methods of downloads that worked on the old camera just fine.


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## Tomtheman70 (Jun 14, 2005)

You should try undeleting the files from the memory card itself. If you haven't already.

http://www.officerecovery.com/freeundelete/

This is a free (And poorly coded) alternative to all those other pricey undelete tools out there (IF you can find something better by all means try it, it can't help) Scan your memory card while it's plugged into the camera and connected to the computer and keep your fingers crossed. Hopefully you'll be able to get back more than ten.

I was able to get back about 80% of some pictures I had corrupted on my laptop that I took off of my camera's memory card.

Really hope you get your pictures back.


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

Restoration V3.2.13 does a good job of finding files. It is very small and you use the The Portable Freeware Collection - Restoration you can just download and unzip it to run.

Plus there are 23 others there.
http://www.portablefreeware.com/?sc=188


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## DSwede (Jan 12, 2009)

Thanks to all for your suggestions. I've tried JPEGsnoop, ZAR recovery, Restoration, FreeUndelete... Unfortunately, none of them have cured my ailments. JPEGsnoop and ZAR were the only ones successful in finding files on my memory card. However, their recovery still resulted in corrupt files. This leads me to two questions: Firstly, so this does not happen again, do any of you have ideas on the root cause? Secondly, since thumbnails are still visible, is there anyway to extract and/or enlarge them?


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

If you have a card reader then your see that memory card as a drive and your see more and will be able to copy all on it to your hard drive.

http://www.hketech.com/JPEG-recovery/index.php
http://free-backup-software.net/data-recovery.htm
http://www.pcinspector.de/default.htm?Language=1

PC INSPECTOR™ File Recovery is free but the others there cost.


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## mrss (Jun 13, 2007)

How did you transfer/download the files the first time? Did you hook the W300 to the laptop with a USB cable? Did you open the camera folder, select all the photos, and copy to the laptop? Then you deleted the files on the camera folder? I could understand how the files on the PC might be trashed, but deleting a file shouldn't have corrupted it on the memory stick. You would have had to write lots of copies onto the stick to make them look like that.

When you used Zar, et al, was the camera connected the same way? I believe hewee's comment is that the new camera's USB interface might be flaky, so any data transferred thru it, either for the initial copy or a later recovery is corrupt. 

Here's hoping that a memory stick reader will get the files back.

Also, what happens if you take a second memory stick,(don't use the original) put photos on it and transfer?


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## DSwede (Jan 12, 2009)

Thanks again! I tried a few more of the suggestions. I tried the JPEG Recovery trial version also, but no luck. Yes, I did as I have for several years, just opened an explorer window, navigated to the folder on my camera (while connected via USB), and copied the pics to my harddrive. I have never used a card reader, but borrowed last night one and had the same headaches. While trying all of the troubleshooting that you have suggested, I was also searching for a local Sony store (in Ulsan, S Korea). Found one this morning. They have confirmed that it was a defective memory stick. New one works just fine. They have taken the memory stick and will send it in to their technicians to see if anything can be recovered. I'll know in ~7 days.


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

A card reader is always great have. Because your see other info. folder etc on the flash drive. Also if any one you know ever comes over with a camera or another flash card you can read it without installing anything. Plus they are good to take with you on a trip because you can use in on another computer to burn to etc. 

Good luck on the defective memory stick recovery.


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## DSwede (Jan 12, 2009)

Thanks again for all your suggestions!! While the pictures might still be M.I.A., its comforting to know I did all that could. Keeping my fingers crossed that they can retrieve something.


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

One thing with a camera like that is to always have more then one memory card. They are cheaper and faster also then years ago and are also bigger. 
Darn I can get a better camera for less then a 128 MB memory card years ago. 

But back up the images. Make more then one backup too in case something happens. My sister was burning to CD's and later DVD's. Then she got a bigger SLR camera and it took really good pictures but a whole lot bigger.
She got a hard drive to back them up to. But she had not burned to a CD or DVD and the hard drive went bad and it was even some what new but she lost it all. Got some back from trips she made only she burned a CD or put on the hard drive of the computer she was using at my brothers or who ever. So she lucked out some there and got a big percent of the lost images back but that was only because there was more then one copy made. 
For pictures they are memories we want to have and you can never take those pictures again so make good copies and even check them from time to time and if on a CD or DVD your want to reburn them every so many years.
Also keep the CD and DVD in a dark place because light is bad for them.
Hard drives I thing are best because they are so much bigger and you can get a couple of them. Plus you get more images in one place so they are more easy to find a picture on a couple drives then hundreds of CD's.


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## DSwede (Jan 12, 2009)

Update from the service center. My problem is that the files are there. However, they are corrupted. Apparently the defective memory stick had a bad sector which did not allow one or two pixels to write. Therefore the JPG file compression algorithm shifted everything over to fill the void. Resulting in perfect thumbnails, but garbled full size photos.

It turns out the memory card I had was a knock-off and had a manufacture fault. Since it is not truly a Sony card, they will not process it any further. They are just going to mail it back to me. Back to square one.

Guess I'll just have to go back to Belize and take all those photos again... Thanks again for your help!


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