ExifTool Forum

ExifTool => Newbies => Topic started by: fantaboy191 on July 03, 2014, 11:12:00 AM

Title: File Format error
Post by: fantaboy191 on July 03, 2014, 11:12:00 AM
Hi everyone,

I have an ARW file (RAW format from sony) which can not display the picture

Here are the result with ExifTool

ExifTool Version Number         : 9.66
File Name                       : DSC06228.ARW
Directory                       : C:/
File Size                       : 16 MB
File Modification Date/Time     : 2014:06:30 23:39:58+02:00
File Access Date/Time           : 2014:07:03 14:21:13+02:00
File Creation Date/Time         : 2014:07:03 14:21:13+02:00
File Permissions                : rw-rw-rw-
Error                           : File format error

Is there any suggestion to deal with file format error problem ?

I'm also upload the picture here : http://www.mediafire.com/download/rd8tdera1gyyfmu/DSC06228.ARW

Thank you in advance
Title: Re: File Format error
Post by: Phil Harvey on July 03, 2014, 12:36:47 PM
This seems to be a common result of a corrupted memory card.  Most of the file is binary zeros, and there is no useful image that can be recovered:

> ./hexdump ~/Desktop/DSC06228.ARW | head
    0000: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 [................]
    0010: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 [................]
    0020: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 [................]
    0030: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 [................]
    0040: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 [................]
    0050: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 [................]
    0060: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 [................]
    0070: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 [................]
    0080: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 [................]
    0090: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 [................]
> ./hexdump ~/Desktop/DSC06228.ARW -64
1007fc0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 [................]
1007fd0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 [................]
1007fe0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 [................]
1007ff0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 [................]
> ./hexdump ~/Desktop/DSC06228.ARW | grep -v '00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00'
  3c0000: 44 53 43 30 36 35 33 32 41 52 57 20 00 00 52 7d [DSC06532ARW ..R}]
  3c0010: dd 44 dd 44 06 00 52 7d dd 44 cb 79 00 00 fd 00 [.D.D..R}.D.y....]
  3c0020: 44 53 43 30 36 35 33 33 41 52 57 20 00 00 57 7d [DSC06533ARW ..W}]
  3c0030: dd 44 dd 44 06 00 57 7d dd 44 c5 7b 00 00 fd 00 [.D.D..W}.D.{....]
  3c0040: 44 53 43 30 36 35 34 31 41 52 57 20 00 00 19 92 [DSC06541ARW ....]
  3c0050: dd 44 dd 44 06 00 19 92 dd 44 9b 8b 00 00 ff 00 [.D.D.....D......]
  3c0060: 44 53 43 30 36 35 34 32 41 52 57 20 00 00 1a 92 [DSC06542ARW ....]
  3c0070: dd 44 dd 44 06 00 1a 92 dd 44 99 8d 00 80 fe 00 [.D.D.....D......]


The last command lists all lines in the hex dump which are not all zeros.  This looks like it could be a section of the file allocation table, instead of data from an ARW file.

The only way to recover this image is to go back to the memory card with some file recovery software.

- Phil
Title: Re: File Format error
Post by: fantaboy191 on July 04, 2014, 03:01:27 AM
thank you very much Phil, i will try with recovery software