.jpg becoming Unix executable files - how to restore?

[l.mu]

Hello
I wanted to transfer my pictures on my android phone on a micro sd card, there was an error and after that, my pictures on the phone were lost. On the sd card was the folder "LOST.DIR" and in this folder were alot of "Unix executable" files with the same size (5-10mb) that my original pictures used to have.

Is there anything I can do to get my pictures back? Thanks for your help!

 

[MacInWin]

Welcome to the forum.

Before we try anything, can you right click on one of these files and then Open With... and select Preview? If that works, then we can work on getting them changed to jpg files, but it if doesn't work, then before we mess with it we'll have to figure out what happened.

BTW, before you do anything with the card, copy it completely to someplace safe. You don't want to be messing with the only copy of your pictures.

 

[l.mu]

Hello
It does not work to open it with preview. I already tried to just name them XX.jpg but it didn't work.
I read in another thread that I can define the file type by doing the following steps:

1. Open up Terminal (/Applications/Utilities)
2. Type file, push space and them drag one of those unrecognized folders to the Terminal window. You should now see something that says "file /path/to/folder" (without the quotes of course).
3. Press enter.

It then said: DOS executable (device driver)

I am just working on a copy of the files, don't worry .

 

[MacInWin]

If they won't open as images, they aren't your pictures. Or they aren't the ENTIRE picture. Image files have a bit of header which tells the opening application what the image is in technical terms. If that's mangled, then the picture won't display. In any event, if you've tried renaming and just opening them and they don't, then either they are NOT images or they got mangled beyond usability.

At this point, I don't have any advice for you. You might, if the pictures are really important to you, try one of the hard drive rescue applications--Disk Doctor, Drive Genius, etc. I don't know if they work on cards and they cost a lot, but it's up to you.

 

[pm-r]

Maybe try this oldie post for a solution:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4463760?start=0&tstart=0

And for more hits and suggestions, using part of your subject provides some more google hits with '.jpg becoming Unix executable files':
https://www.google.com/search?clien...oming+Unix+executable+files&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

It seems a bit odd to me that there are so many hits with the same or similar problem.

Even an old thread here at mac-forums:
http://www.mac-forums.com/os-x-operating-system/218296-unix-executable-jpg.html

As already suggested, make a backup of what you still have and then only "muck about" or fiddle with a copy etc.





- Patrick
======

 

[MacInWin]

It's not surprising that the files are marked as "Unix executables" like that. I think when Finder can't classify a file, it defaults to "Unix executable" for file type. The mangled move destroyed the .jpg part of the name, and he's tried just putting it back with no success. If he did the "Open with.." move I suggested and they won't open, then they aren't image files. The links all talked about whether or not they were executable, not whether or not they were images.

But he can certainly try the solutions recommended. Who knows, it might unscramble the files enough to recover them...

 

[KevinJS]

Do you have access to a Windows computer?

It's just possible that they files may still be readable under Windows.