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Can't open image files

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by midho

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I have couple of dozens of images (JPEG format) that can only be opened with MS Paint and Windows Picture and Fax Viewer. If I try to open any of them using Adobe PhotoShop, MGI Photo Suite or IrfanView, I get error message that file is damaged or is in unsupported format. I checked to make sure that they are not Read-Only or compressed, but still the same. It only happens with this group of pictures ? they were taken with digital camera, put on CD and then copied to PC. The other pictures on my computer can be opened with any application.
Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.

2 replies

by thechas

What happens if you do a save as after opening the file in MS Paint?
Can you open the new file with Adobe or Photo Suite?

The fact that IrfanView will not open the images bothers me.

I suggest that you start by checking the specifications of the digital camera that took the images.

Many use "non-standard" formats, or different levels of jpeg encoding.

Someone may have thought they converted the images to jpeg by simply changing the file extension.
However, if the camera uses a propritary format, you need to change the file extension back to the correct format, open the images with the camera's application software, and then save them as a "standard" jpeg.

Chas

by midho

I tried saving them as JPEG, but still the same. Also tried to open the pictures that I didn't rename thinking that renaming caused all this trouble, but nothing. I don't think that camera uses proprietary format because I was able to edit pictures taken with it before (on the same Cd I have couple of edited pictures). This happens only with this group of pictures. When I try to open it with IrfanView, this is the message that shows:"C:Docum....JPG: Can't read file header! Unknown file format". I reinstalled Windows recently, if that means anything.
Thanks for the response

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