Quick Methods to Repair and Recover JPEG Files in their Original Format

JPEG digital pictures can be lost or get corrupt when opened images are closed forcefully while terminating the image viewer or the computer system. Abrupt power fluctuation can also corrupt a JPEG image that was opened for editing.

 

Corrupt memory card or SD card, used as storage device in cameras and image processors, can be a major reason for sluggish view of JPEG pictures. This corruption is caused after formatting of the storage memory.

 

When a user tries to open a corrupt JPEG image file, error messages like “Unknown file format”, “Invalid JPEG marker or “File cannot be opened” are displayed. These messages are shown due to corrupt header of the JPEG image, invalid marker, or bad sectors in the storage device. The causes of these issues are improper shutdown, power failure, physical damages, and virus attack of storage media.

 

Precautions after Loss of JPEG Picture

To minimize JPEG corruption issues, you must keep some precautions while handling images. Don’t do the cut, copy, paste activity more often. Excessive movement of images in the memory or to some other storage can cause the pictures to get lost. If your JPEG files are lost in the mid of transmission, they may not be recovered back. Only highly powerful JPEG Repair software tools may be able to retrieve them. This will be sure not an economical process.

 

Recovery of lost JPEG images is possible by use of certain specialized tools. Meanwhile take care not to save any more images in the memory stick. This can cause overwriting of the area where the lost image is stored. Not only images, refrain from storing any other type of data file like music, video or text. When a picture or any other file is deleted only the pointer to the file is deleted. The content of the file remains at the same place in memory. After deletion of a file the area is marked as free space and is available for new files. Mark that the area is not cleaned. So, don’t save new images or JPEG files till recovery actions are performed.  

 

Choosing a JPEG Recovery Tool

Before buying a JPEG Repair tool from market to recover lost photos, it is good to try the demo version of the tool. Demo versions show the JPEG images that can be recovered back and also show their preview. If the image that was lost is shown in the list of the recoverable JPEG images, you can go ahead to buy the JPEG Repair software.

Common JPEG Image Errors

Photo image files may have a variety of damages. It may be that the header of the JPEG file is corrupt, or sometimes it may be possible that the JPG markers are invalid. Chances of bit errors in JPEG are also there. In this article we will discuss instances of corrupt JPEG and their possible solutions.

 

Color error in a JPEG scan

Scan of JPG formatted images can have single or multiple bit and byte errors. Most of image file data is in order, but even a small damage in some part creates all the other subsequent parts to show wrong data. This is because information in each part is depended on the information in the previous part. The problem can be created due to erroneous storage medium or faulty transmission.

 

JPEG images are stored as Baseline by default. In this type, images are stored line by line from top to bottom. Corruption in the Baseline JPEG can not be neglected and is hard to repair. JPEG scans follow sequential compression. An image region is compressed with the help of information from the previous region of the image. When one region gets damaged all the other following regions deliver wrong information. Faded lines appear in wrong color.

 

Damage in Header

‘Header’ and ‘Scan’ are two parts of a JPEG file. Header takes only .1 percent of the file data. If the header of JPEG file becomes damaged, repair is very hard to perform. A JPG scan can only be decoded by the information stored in the header. Even a little error in JPEG header makes whole header invalid. If the image files are similar to each other you can use the header of some other image in place of the damaged error to open the photos. Headers of image files should be optimized for the image containing it, but it is not a restriction. Most of the image processors and Cameras don’t optimize headers. Optimization of headers is avoided to increase the speed of JPEG compression. Default standard for headers recommended by JPEG is used for non-optimized headers. This makes the possibility to interchange header of images to fix the damage in header.

 

Thumbnail View of the Corrupt Image Exists

Thumbnail of a JPEG image is saved in its header. As the header only takes about 0.05 percent of the whole file, it is mostly safe from corruption. Thumbnail, or the miniature of an image, is saved in the header of the JPEG file. This thumbnail is shown as preview in applications, browsers, camera without loading and decompressing the whole image. If there is some damage in the scan (body) of the image and if the header of the image is in good condition, then the thumbnail is visible but the image is not able to open. Some applications store more than one thumbnail of a JPEG image in the header.

 

Grey Area in the JPEG Image

When an image is moved from camera to computer or some other USB drive, data corruption can take place. It may also be possible that the whole image is lost for ever. If there is no valid ending of the JPG file, the image may not get opened for viewing.

 

If the above solution does not solve your problem, you can try JPEG Recovery Software.

How to Recover Deleted JPEG Images File

JPEG, an acronym for Joint Photographic Experts Group is a compression method used by number of digital image file types. JPEG, Exif, and JFIF are the most common format for storing in memory or transmitting on the WWW. Mostly all the three file types are collectively called as JPEG. Now a days most of the cameras have gone digital and store the shot pictures in memory cards. Sometimes JPEG images files stored on memory card becomes inaccessible and you cannot view your stored images. Possibly they were deleted by you accidentally. It is possible that one of your friend or children deleted a photo. The images become inaccessible making you loose your priceless captured moments. Many times, forensic experts also wish to recover any pictures deleted from the memory.

 

Cause of JPEG Image File Deletion

JPEG files become unreachable due to damaged memory, broken data bus or deletion. Reasons for deleting a JPEG format can be many.

 

Memory is limited. Many times we delete our pictures along with many other files to recover some amount of memory. In the process, it is quite possible that one of the photos that is important and was not to be deleted is also erased. JPEG Photo recovery is the need of time.

 

Some people keep controversial, porn, or highly secret data. In case they find that the data can be leaked or become public they delete it hurriedly. After the enquiry or danger is over, they desire to recover the JPEG photos. JPEG Photo recovery is required.

 

Many times virus can make the JPEG files invisible or delete them. Also, if an antivirus is installed, it can delete an infected JPEG file if needed.

JPEG Photo recovery is of great help to forensic experts. Important hot and JPEG files are recovered by them to find out any clue for the crime.   

Recover Deleted JPEG File

If the problem is in the memory device or the software you have to fix it using the applicable methods. We will discuss some manual method in detail in this article. If you have deleted the JPEG file, you can try any of the underlying methods.

Find the Deleted JPEG Photo in Recycle Bin

Windows has two delete options, ‘Delete’ and ‘Shift-Delete’. To use ‘Delete’, you have to just select the desired item and press delete key. If you want to use ‘Shift-Delete’ option to delete files, select the JPEG file and press Shift and Delete buttons in combination. The difference in the two forms is that, if you press the delete button, the file is moved to Recycle bin and you can recover the JPEG photo from their. If you have used Shift-Delete, the file reference is deleted and you can not recover the file using ordinary methods. You have to find a data recovery tool from the market to recover JPEG photo files.  

 

Recover from Backup Files

Many people take regular backups of their data. This backup helps in event of any data loss. Microsoft Windows provides ‘NTBACKUP.EXE’ tool that helps in creating and restoring backups. Windows NT, Windows Server 2003, XP and Server 2000 support this tool. Backups are stored as BKF files. If you have taken the backup of the deleted JPEG file and stored a BKF file, you can recover it using Windows NTBACKUP tool or any other recommended software purchased from market.

 

If the above solution does not solve your problem, you can try JPEG Recovery Software.