Recovered .txt Files Have Scrambled Code and Meta Data in Contents.  

I accidentally deleted some .txt and .rtf files from two thumb-drives. I have tried both EaseUse and Lazesoft recovery and both programs managed to retrieve the files with the same results. They all have good names written properly in English. Open them and they have encoded contents! Some of them begin with metadata, and things which have no place in the file (such as the directory folder name they were in or file name and extension; How did that get into the file? ). If they were really damaged data, why are all the hundreds of file names in perfect condition?

Their content seems to be written in a different language, complete with paragraphs, some sort of computer gobbltyguk. Some of them are partially normal with real English programmer tags < stuff here in English > , and/or metadata inserted before the content continues... as it should, in normal English.

So... are they really gone? or this an encoding problem? Why do they begin with information that does not belong in them such as their files extensions and real code written in brackets <>.

Is there some way to decode this back into English?

hatemf23 said:

ªŠ?‚{yí‚?‚�¡•UŠ?‚¯ÿýÁ¢zýÕUáªýq ÀÿU†’z|_UUßi

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BTW, the .jpgs are perfect, so... again... is the data really damaged, or is it an encoding problem?

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W/5¿Q5;¿-¿=¿%!5¿7=#15!¿'=95¿/=#¿%!¿5!'5¿%=
¿/-#)£¿Q-/¿%!5¿/=#¿!#5¿;-''-!#¿5;-5¿#!¿'--#1¿!#¿/5¿'#5#5¿=#7¿!5¿�ŸŸ§ŸŸŸ¿5;-5¿95=57¿7=-'
§¿/5¿-)¿3!%¿'#5=;'5¿-5¿-¿%'-'
-#1£¿m#¿3=9§¿!#5¥/-7¿!3¿/5¿%!¥=33-9)57¿5;-5¿=5¿-)
§¿#5¿55=9/¿/=¿55='57£åëåë£3!5#-9%=1£9!%¿Óš‘¿e=9/¿›Ÿ�•åë

If you copy these scrambled bits and paste it in a txt file, you can then open that file in a tool like WinHex or Hex Workshop.

Need help! Recovering scrambled bits! – Forensic Software – Forensic Focus Forums

put these bits in a txt file and open it with WinHEX tool. ... shift one bit to left or to the right .... .... shift 1, 2, until 10 bits to the left or to the right.

Hmmm..... sounds difficult. Does anyone have experience with this? I'm looking at 18,000 files, God knows how many bits to the side got pushed.

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There's got be a program out there that can read binary and detect where the English words are -- right?
I mean, isn't it like 8 bits is a letter?
There's got to be a program that says "these bits make words".

If someone can go make that, I'll wait... I don't mind if it takes 5 years.
I can hold these drives like my own thumbs! In a way, they kind of are.

UPDATE: I'm discovering now, that they have the wrong names. The bits defiantly got pushed. I've got personal stuff in these business tiles.

and... there is business in all these personal things.

@zebal apparently not, the titles are... no longer accurate. I'll try to find something but it'd be a guess.

Okay, here's two with contents that don't match their titles. These are clear enough to read. https://mega.nz/file/o4lEWR6J#PP29jl...EcsqF89tciyxSs
https://mega.nz/file/808GnJYL#zfYHgl...s3tGZBWIOg0-B0
They are not very good examples of the unreadable characters, which I'd be more hesitant to share.

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Here's a copy of a note which I'd recently written into a .txt file.
It now contains only this:

< x s l : f o r - e a c h s e l e c t = " @ a d v a n c e d - o p t i o n s " >

< m e t a k e y = " F 8 " a c t i o n = " a d v o p s " / >

< m e t a k e y = " F 1 0 " a c t i o n = " b o o t o p s " / >

< / x s l : f o r - e a c h >

< x s l : f o r - e a c h s e l e c t = " @ n o k e y b o a r d - r e c o v e r y - o e m " >

< m e t a k e y = " W I N D O W S " a c t i o n = " r e c o v e r o e m " / >

< / x s l : f o r - e a c h >

< x s l : f o r - e a c h s e l e c t = " @ k e y b o a r d - r e c o v e r y - o e m " >

< m e t a k e y = " E S C " a c t i o n = " r e c o v e r o e m " / >

< / x s l : f o r - e a c h >

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zebal said:

Did anyone ask you to pay for recovery?

Nope, just me, and that's free.