Tech: How to open .res files. Help please

Subject: Tech: How to open .res files. Help please
From: wilbyhillbilly
Date: 06 Mar 14 - 06:39 AM

I recently had a crash and lost all my files (I know, I should have backed them up, I have learnt the hard way) I managed to reinstall my OS WinXP and found a recovery program which has now put two large files of my lost music files (I think) in my docs file for me to open.

The problem is, when I tried to look at them it will not recognise the format and tells me Windows needs to go and find a prog to open .res files.

When I got to the page online I was bombarded with several progs all promising to open .res files FREE!, this was the mistake I made last time I went the "free" route, ending up with the virus that wiped my pc out.

Can someone please advise me in laymans terms A. if it is possible to open these files to check what they are, B. can I get a safe prog to open them with.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

John

Subject: RE: Tech: How to open .res files. Help please
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 06 Mar 14 - 07:23 AM

fileext.com identifies multiple types of programs that use .res files, but none that look to me like anything that would have been recovered from music files.

There are several games that use that file extension for "resource" or "reserve" storage, and compiled C or C++ programs may use it. It's possible, if your drive was "compressed" that the .res filetype is legitimate, but more likely that .res is an extension used by your recovery program to put the recovered info into a format that can be "read" only by the other program that recovery program wants you to buy. (??)

It's possible that with your info about what was on your drive, you may see a .res type that "looks reasonable" but nothing useful appears to me.

(The site, fileext.com has been a reliable info source for identifying file usages, but appears to have added lots of ad-bloat since I looked at it last. I'd recommend ignoring all the "clean up your machine free" trash if you go back in at the front page - for reasons you've already noted.)

John

Subject: RE: Tech: How to open .res files. Help please
From: wilbyhillbilly
Date: 06 Mar 14 - 07:39 AM

Thanks John, I think you are correct that it is an extension used to induce me to buy or as they put it "register" to get the key to open the trial prog. Most of the files I want to recover are copies of reel to reel tapes I was converting to digital for my sister-in-law, I had done 40 tapes before I lost the lot, so it looks like I have to start again.

I now back up every night:-)

John

Subject: RE: Tech: How to open .res files. Help please
From: Mr Red
Date: 06 Mar 14 - 07:46 AM

just a minor thought - I have several external HDD and I back up to more than one. A nightmare if you are interrupted and only one gets backed-up. Then wipe the cameras.

I have nye on 200Gb of video/stills/MP3 that are awaiting processing and it is growing.

Subject: RE: Tech: How to open .res files. Help please
From: GUEST,Grishka
Date: 06 Mar 14 - 01:34 PM

It looks as if these files contain the results of the attempted file recovery, patched together from bits found on the disk, probably scrambled and thus unusable.

Before you delete the files, you can try a file monitor or "hex editor". If you post us the first 20 bytes/characters, John may guess the format.

Chances are slim, also because by the very act of reinstalling the OS and installing the recovery software you may have destroyed what you meant to recover. Whoever wants to save files from a crashed disk should not write anything to it, but find someone who can mount it as a secondary read-only drive to another computer with recovery software (- no big deal).