Can I recover corrupted .mp4/.mov files using a hex editor?

[sakajo]

This is the story. I had many files on an NTFS external drive that I deleted back in 2016. I made sure not to write anything to the disk just in case I wanted the files back. Come 2018, I wanted them back.

I tried normal data carving software, it found files but most of the ones I wanted were fragmented so they would play for one minute and then cut out. I tried 2 softwares that claim to recover fragmented files but they did not work for me.

Now I have the files, and they are still in their original file size. I read somewhere about hex editors, I opened the files on the hex editor and I can tell (with limited knowledge) that there is information there. So my question is, can I use the hex code to somehow cut up and rearrange/re-fragment the video even if I might loose a few minutes here and there?

Note: I messaged the makers ofo the software I used to originally create the files (Screenflow) they said the file structure is m4_mdat_moov (they think) and also keep in mind the files were created by software not by a camera.


Side question: One of the softwares I used to find the files would name the files based on the first sector it was found in. So I can pinpoint the exact location of a particular file I want which is great. So Is it safe to assume that the missing fragment is in a sector near the assigned sector number of the video? Or can it be save in a sector far away from it?

[Iurii]

Hello,
What do your files look like in hexadecimal format? Can you show the first sectors of a pair of files. Because if you have files with headers and index
tables, it will be difficult to merge them. But if you have an MP4 video stream, this is easy to do.

[Joep]

But ..

Did you also try 'normal' file recovery rather than a carver? Because in general on NTFS fragmentation is not that big of a deal if indeed you only deleted those files.

[ddrecovery]

I can strongly recommend this software. It is not cheap, but works really well. It will be best if you use it on the original drive (if you still have it). It scans the drive, shows you the fragments it finds and allows you to put them back together. Like I say its expensive, but I have had some very good experiences with it.

https://aeroquartet.com/movierepair/repair.en.html

[lcoughey]

I can strongly recommend this software. It is not cheap, but works really well. It will be best if you use it on the original drive (if you still have it). It scans the drive, shows you the fragments it finds and allows you to put them back together. Like I say its expensive, but I have had some very good experiences with it.

https://aeroquartet.com/movierepair/repair.en.html

Cool. Thanks for sharing.

[Joep]

Yeah, it's a service really, based in Spain. Has been around for a while and really dedicated to video repair.

[sakajo]

Hello,
What do your files look like in hexadecimal format? Can you show the first sectors of a pair of files. Because if you have files with headers and index
tables, it will be difficult to merge them. But if you have an MP4 video stream, this is easy to do.

Hey lurii, thanks for your reply. I take some screenshots when im home to give you a better idea!

[sakajo]

But ..

Did you also try 'normal' file recovery rather than a carver? Because in general on NTFS fragmentation is not that big of a deal if indeed you only deleted those files.

Thats actually what I tried. Sorry I thought they meant the same thing. Can you briefly explain the difference?

Also I tried CNW recovery but Im having trouble with it. DO you have experience with it? I set it to scan 1% of the drive and it was reconstructing files totalling 465gb and counting! Thats more than the entire drive space. So I had to stop it because I ran out of space.

[sakajo]

I can strongly recommend this software. It is not cheap, but works really well. It will be best if you use it on the original drive (if you still have it). It scans the drive, shows you the fragments it finds and allows you to put them back together. Like I say its expensive, but I have had some very good experiences with it.

https://aeroquartet.com/movierepair/repair.en.html

Unfortunately I dont care THAT much about these files lol. Looking for a home solution.

So I was able to use Grau Video Repair tool to repair some of the filesm which worked. But some of the files only rendered about a minute or so. DO you have experience with that software?

[Iurii]

Hello,
Sorry, you make too much action. Please provide remote access to your computer with Team Viewer or Anydesk. And Expert will tell you how to handle. Because as for me, need to try recovery data using NTFS metadata. And if not success search for specific video recovery tools.
But better do not do it yourself if not sure;)