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Q: Graphic Converter Made My Images Disappear! PLEASE HELP ASAP! ( No Answer,   2 Comments )
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Subject: Graphic Converter Made My Images Disappear! PLEASE HELP ASAP!
Category: Computers
Asked by: inapickle-ga
List Price: $10.00
Posted: 01 Jul 2005 19:36 PDT
Expires: 31 Jul 2005 19:36 PDT
Question ID: 539273
I am in a pickle - I downloaded a free program called Easy Graphic
Converter to change a friend's picture from jpeg to tiff format. I
clicked on "add files" trying to add the one picture,and then clicked
on "settings", chose "TIFF" as the Output Format, "No Resize" under
Resize Option, and under the File Name and Path left it as it was: 
Output Directory was C:\ImageOutput\ .....  File Name Suffix was
_thumb ...... and under "If file exist, " was Auto change file name.  
 Instead of it changing one picture, it changed ALL THE IMAGES on her
disk! All of a sudden the program said "all images have been
converted".  When I tried to open one, the Window Fax and Picture
Viewer states "No Preview Available". Can I get these pics back???I
don't even know what they converted into! What should I do?  Maybe
they turned into tiny thumbnails that can't open up???  Please tell me
how to fix this...if at all possible...... Thanks - need
an answer asap :-)

Request for Question Clarification by sublime1-ga on 01 Jul 2005 20:35 PDT
inapickle...

The comment made by boxerdogittech-ga is a good place to start.
If you need help in using Windows Explorer, let me know, and I
can walk you through the process. Otherwise, see it the files
are located in the directory you named: C:\ImageOutput\ and
if they have an extension of the .tiff format.

If this is the case, it may just be that Picture Viewer is 
not able to view them. The .tiff format is not that common
and it may be that the files are there and unviewable.

You could probably convert them back from tiff to jpeg with
the same Converter.

Let me know where this takes you, and what more you need.

sublime1-ga

Request for Question Clarification by sublime1-ga on 01 Jul 2005 20:39 PDT
I meant to add that we can carry on a dialog by way of the 
Request For Clarification process so that you can confirm
success of the guidance you receive prior to my posting a
formal answer.

A user's guide on this topic is on skermit-ga's site, here: 
http://www.christopherwu.net/google_answers/answer_guide.html#how_clarify 
 
sublime1-ga

Clarification of Question by inapickle-ga on 02 Jul 2005 07:46 PDT
Hi Ya'll - okay, I think that I am using this "clarification" option
correctly - I will let you know what I tried and results:
(1) There is a file folder named Image Output - but to my horror it's
empty! That can't be good.
(2) When I do a windows search for a picture, 
(3)When I right click on one of the picture icons, this is what it
says under "properties" ~ TYPE OF FILE: jpeg image ..... OPENS WITH:
Windows Pictire and Fax Viewer .... LOCATION:D:\  ...... SIZE: 62.0 KB
(63,537 bytes)
.... SIZE ON DISK: 64.0 KB (65,536 bytes) ... CREATED:Wednesday,
December 10, 2003, 8:43:26 PM ..... MODIFIED: Wednesday, December 10,
2003, 8:43:26 PM (thought that was strange since yesterday it had
supposedly been converted) ..... ACCESSED: (Blank - strange too?)
..... ATTRIBUTES: "Read only" checked off
(4) Upon right clicking,under "Open With" none of the following
worked: Windows Fax and Picture Viewer, Internet Explorer came upwith
an "action cancelled" page, Paint came up with an error message
stating "an unknown error occurred while accessing" and in using
Microsoft Office Picture Manager when I try and locate pics and putin
the disk location, it states "the selected locations do not contain
content to preview. PRETTY SCARY!

IF HAVE JUST DISAPPEARED, THEN WHY DOES IT STILL INDICATES THE NUMBER
OF KB ON THE DISK, TYPE OF FILE, ETC.?  HAS EVERYTHING BEEN CORRUPTED?
I EVEN DID A SYMANTEC CORPORATE LEVEL VIRUS SCAN - NOTHING.

THIS IS JUST HORRIBLE  :-(

Request for Question Clarification by sublime1-ga on 02 Jul 2005 13:11 PDT
inapickle...

Your descriptions are a little vague, but I'll see what I can
do with what you've written. You said, "File Name Suffix was
_thumb", but you don't indicate whether the files you found
using Windows Search had this type of filename. You also state
the location as "LOCATION:D:\", but the "....." afterward make
it unclear whether the location is D: or an extended directory
description.

I'm guessing you have Windows Explorer set to default view, so
I'm going to suggest a change to the view settings which should
make it easier for you to see what's what.

Open Windows Explorer. Select any folder in the left window.
Go to the toolbar at the top of Explorer and click on View,
and select "Details". Now go to the toolbar at the top, and
select Tools -> Folder Options -> the "View" tab, and, where
it says "You can set all your folders to the same view", click
on the button that says "Like current folder", and say Yes to
the subsequent dialog box. After that, in the same dialog box,
in the window under Advanced Settings, uncheck "Hide file 
extensions for know file types". This will show you the
extension of the filename, so Picture1 becomes Picture1.jpg or
Picture1.tif *if* you also set the Explorer Menu, under View
to "Details", rather than Icons or List, which we just did.
That should change your default Explorer view so you can
more easily see the full filename, size, access dates, etc,
in the right-hand window.

Also, when you complete a Windows Search, you can move the 
boundaries of the header bar that says "In Folder" to expand
the location. If you can see that the majority of the picture
names you are trying to recover are in the same location, you
can right-click on one of them and select "Open Containing
Folder". Having done that, you can go to the menubar at the 
top of that window and click on the "Folders" icon, and it will
open a normal-looking Explorer view, with the folder tree on 
the left and the content window on the right.

All of this should help you to see exactly where the files 
ended up, what extension they have, and more.

Let me know where this takes you...

sublime1-ga

Clarification of Question by inapickle-ga on 02 Jul 2005 17:21 PDT
Hi sublime1-ga .....

I am beginning to think that this disk has been damaged/corrupted. I
tried to open up some word documents, and now am having trouble with
that too. If that is the case,is there software that I can download to
fix corrupted jpegs and word documents? I followed your instructions,
and all of the extensions stillcomeup as .jpg and most are in the
pictures folder. No sign of any tiff's.  Below is a breakdown:

(1)Your descriptions are a little vague, but I'll see what I can
do with what you've written. You said, "File Name Suffix was
_thumb", but you don't indicate whether the files you found
using Windows Search had this type of filename. 

I RAN A SEARCH JUST NOW OF _thumb .... STRANGELY NOTHING CAME UP,
WHICH MAKES ME WONDER IF ANYTHING REALLY GOT CONVERTED - MAYBE IT JUST
GOT DAMAGED IN THE PROCESS


You also state
the location as "LOCATION:D:\", but the "....." afterward make
it unclear whether the location is D: or an extended directory
description.

SORRY - I WAS USING THE ..... TO SEPARATE OUT WHAT THE PAGE WAS
SAYING. ALL IT SAID REGARDING LOCATION WAS THAT IT WAS TO GO TO D:\

I'm guessing you have Windows Explorer set to default view, so
I'm going to suggest a change to the view settings which should
make it easier for you to see what's what.

Open Windows Explorer. Select any folder in the left window.
Go to the toolbar at the top of Explorer and click on View,
and select "Details". Now go to the toolbar at the top, and
select Tools -> Folder Options -> the "View" tab, and, where
it says "You can set all your folders to the same view", click
on the button that says "Like current folder", and say Yes to
the subsequent dialog box. After that, in the same dialog box,
in the window under Advanced Settings, uncheck "Hide file 
extensions for know file types". This will show you the
extension of the filename, so Picture1 becomes Picture1.jpg or
Picture1.tif *if* you also set the Explorer Menu, under View
to "Details", rather than Icons or List, which we just did.
That should change your default Explorer view so you can
more easily see the full filename, size, access dates, etc,
in the right-hand window.

EVERYTHING STILL COMES UP WITH A .JPG EXTENSION - NO TIFFS. WHEN I TRY
AND OPEN IT UNDER PAINT OR MICROSOFT OFFICE PIC MANAGER,I STILL GET
THE ERROR MESSAGE "AN UNKNOWN ERROR OCCURRED WHILE ACCESSING D:\MY
PICTURES\XYZPHOTO.JPG"

Also, when you complete a Windows Search, you can move the 
boundaries of the header bar that says "In Folder" to expand
the location. If you can see that the majority of the picture
names you are trying to recover are in the same location, you
can right-click on one of them and select "Open Containing
Folder". Having done that, you can go to the menubar at the 
top of that window and click on the "Folders" icon, and it will
open a normal-looking Explorer view, with the folder tree on 
the left and the content window on the right.

All of this should help you to see exactly where the files 
ended up, what extension they have, and more.

Let me know where this takes you...

THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR DETAILED HELP - IF THESE ARE INDEED DAMAGED,
I WONDER IF THERE'S ANY HOPE IN RETRIEVING THEM - EVEN PROFESSIONALLY 
:-(

sublime1-ga

Request for Question Clarification by sublime1-ga on 03 Jul 2005 14:42 PDT
I'm still not clear whether, subsequent my directions, you 
were able to go back to the supposed output directory, at
C:\ImageOutput\ and see any files that weren't visible to 
you before. Since you later mention D:\MY PICTURES\ I'm 
not even sure whether the drive you're working from, and
on which Easy Graphic Converter is installed, is C: or D:

I'm still not clear if the images you *are* accessing are
in D:\MY PICTURES\ or D:\ and whether the picture(s) you
are trying to access, such as XYZPHOTO.JPG are recognizable
to you as having the same names as the images you originally
tried to convert.

I need to know:

Which drive are you operating on - C: or D: ?

Which drive is Easy Graphic Converter installed on?

What is the default output directory of EGC - C:\ImageOutput\
or D:\ImageOutput\

Are either, or both of those directories are empty.

Are any of the images you're trying to open recognizable as
the ones you tried to convert? Would you know them if you 
saw them? If you would be able to recognize their names, 
why not try a search on both the C: and D: drives for 
*.jpg and *.tif which would provide a list of all such 
file images so that you can see if you can identify, by 
name, the ones you're looking for, and pinpoint their 
locations using the instructions I gave you earlier for
"Open Containing Folder" from the search results.

Are you having trouble opening image files that are recognizable
as *not* being the ones you tried to convert? If so, then we're
talking about the failure of your image viewers rather than the
failure of the conversion process. If this is so, you might be
benefitted by downloading and installing a reputable image viewer
such as ACDSee. Older versions of the program, which may be free,
are available for download here:
http://www.oldversion.com/program.php?n=acdsee
If nothing else, you can use the older version through their
trial period, which is typically 30 days, and see if you can 
view any of the images on your drive.

What is the location of the directory from which you chose to
"add files" for conversion, using Easy Graphic Converter? That
is to say, what was the "input" directory?

Are the original images still available in the Input directory?

Precision and clarity are absolutely necessary when attempting
to troubleshoot a computer problem at a distance. Up to now,
I know little more than I did when I first read your question.

sublime1-ga
Answer  
There is no answer at this time.

Comments  
Subject: Re: Graphic Converter Made My Images Disappear! PLEASE HELP ASAP!
From: boxerdogittech-ga on 01 Jul 2005 20:01 PDT
 
first, can you see the files in explorer, and if so right click and
choose properties. What is the file name.extention and size.
Subject: Re: Graphic Converter Made My Images Disappear! PLEASE HELP ASAP!
From: fancy777-ga on 04 Jul 2005 04:53 PDT
 
Your previous files deleted by converter. Can't be overwriten, because
have different extensions.
You can undelete it with any of file recovery utility like "Ontrack
Easy Recovery (Pro)" http://www.ontrack.com/ , "Norton utilities" or
any other. If files has not been overwriten by Windows Page File or
other.
* Try to find your files in another places (on another HDD), may be you lucky :)

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