How To Repair And Play Corrupt Or Damaged Video Files.In recent years, nearly all video footage has shifted from analog storage to tape to digital storage on computer hard drives This is good as digital media are easy to back up and don’t degrade over time.
Unfortunately, all the benefits of storing digital video are lost if the file is damaged and cannot be opened. However, there are ways to recover and play corrupted or damaged video files and this article should help you recover your data
One of the weird things about fixing damaged video is that not all video file recovery methods work all the time. Don’t be discouraged if one of the methods described in this article doesn’t work the first time!
Check your drive
Before attempting to recover a video file, it’s worth making sure that the problem is with the file and not your hardware. If you’re using an external hard drive that requires a separate power supply, try replacing the power supply and see if that helps. It’s also worth checking your disk for errors.
If you are using a USB storage device, try connecting it via a powered USB hub. Undervoltage can cause many tough bugs to debug, so you should rule it out. USB drives are prone to damage and can be the root cause of your problems.
Finally, try opening the video files in another program like VLC media player Sometimes system updates can cause problems with the default video software when opening certain types of files. Free video players like VLC tend to play better with a wider range of files.
Restore the video online using Fix.Video
The easiest way to recover broken or damaged video files is to ask someone to do it. Online services like Fix.Video accept downloaded corrupted video files and fix them for a small fee.
There are free video recovery services, but your options for resolution and maximum file size will be limited. They usually add a watermark to your video files as well.
If you are looking for a free solution for corrupted video file, try one of the below software methods.
recover damaged video with VLC Media Player
VLC media player is one of the best free video players. It is also a powerful tool for converting and recovering video files. The VLC file conversion process has a useful side effect of fixing corrupted video. Follow these steps to try to recover your files:
- Open the Media menu.
- Select “Convert / Save”.
- Use the Add dialog to select a file.
- Click “Convert / Save”.
- Select “Video -H.264 + MP3 (MP4)” from the drop-down menu.
- Click Browse to enter a filename for the converted file.
- Click Start.
The conversion may take some time, but if successful, your corrupted video should be viewable. If that didn’t work, you can take one more step using VLC:
- Back up your video file.
- Change the file extension to .avi.
- Open VLC and go to Tools> Preferences.
- In the Input / Codecs section, find the Files section.
- From the Corrupted or Incomplete AVI File drop-down list, select Always Fix.
- Open the .avi video file.
This parameter tells VLC media player to try to repair any corrupted AVI files it finds. Patience is required as this may take a while.
Recover the damaged video with a video repair tool
For a more reliable video recovery tool, you will need professional software like Video Repair Tool from Grau GmbH Few other programs use such thorough data recovery tools. The catch, however, is the price. At € 29 for a five-conversion license and € 99 for an unlimited use license, this is likely to be too expensive for most users.
There is a free version that recovers up to half a file, and as YouTuber R3DLIN3S shows, it’s pretty easy to use:
However, if this software works where others don’t, you should buy a license to support the developers and thank them!
Fix corrupted video on Linux using DivFix ++
If you are on a Linux system, your software options may seem limited. While this can be worked around by running Windows applications using Wine, there are some native options as well.
DivFix ++ is a free option with a long history to fix corrupted AVI video files. Once downloaded and installed, you can use DivFix ++ to recover your data by following these steps:
- Click “Add Files” and select a video file.
- Select Check for Errors to scan the file.
- Select the Keep Source File check box to back up the original file. video.
- Click the Fix button.
Please note that even if the error scan does not detect data issues, it is worth trying to fix it, as sometimes the fixing process can resolve unknown issues with the file.
New life to old files
Whether you store videos on your local hard drive or in the cloud, file corruption is always a threat. Along with the recovery methods suggested above, it is recommended to set up a backup system (also known as Time Machine in macOS) to prevent data loss.
How To Repair And Play Corrupt Or Damaged Video Files
How To Repair And Play Corrupt Or Damaged Video Files
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