Repair BMP File using HEXEDITOR – Manual Bitmap Image Recovery

This article describes manual methods to repair BMP File using HEXEDITOR that will help users to fix BMP File. It will pave way to the users who are struggling to recover BMP File Corruption and damaged Bitmap Image.Read the article below for detailed description:

What is BMP File ?

BMP file format,also known as the Bitmap Image is one of the image file formats supported by the Microsoft Windows operating System. It is a native bitmap image format provided by the Windows OS that allows user to store virtually any type of bitmap data. The initial versions of the BMP files contained two sections : file header and the bitmap data. There was no provision for the color palette and compression support for bitmap data due to which the format lacked the feature of being device independent.

The later versions of BMP file contains four sections i.e. file header, a bitmap information header, a color palette and the bitmap data. The file header is 14 bytes in length followed by another header referred as bitmap header, a variable sized color palette and the bitmap data.This articles describes the most common Bitmap problem and ways to restore BMP File.

PROS and CONS of BMP File Format

Bitmap files are especially used for storing the real world images; complex images can be rasterized in association with video. The Bitmap Image file can also be used to store scanning and photographic equipment.

• It is very easy to create a bitmap file from the existing pixel data stored in an array of the memory.
• The pixel data stored in a bitmap file can be retrieved by using a set of coordinates that allows the data to be sorted in a grid.
• Pixel values of BMP file can be modified individually or in groups by altering the color palette of the BMP file.
• The output of BMP files on CRTs and printers is of good quality.
• If the image contains a large no of colors, then the size of the bitmap image may become large.The size of the pixel data may be shrinked by compressing the image but before using the bitmap file, the data needs to be expanded which slows down the reading and the rendering process during the compression.
• The efficiency of the compression process depends entirely on the large number of colors and the minute detail which are the important factors for the complexity of the bitmap image.
• The bitmap images does not scale very well. They must be printed in the same resolution in which they are initially stored as shrinking an image by throwing away the pixels or expanding it by the pixel replication. This can change the image in an unexpected manner.

BMP File Format Usage

In the older versions of the Microsoft Windows, the BMP format was used so as to allow the applications to use both the graphics and formatted text on the output devices using the Microsoft Windows Graphics Device Interface(GDI).

The BMP file format being very simple and well documented is used by the developers in their own software using the open specifications of the file format and then implementing them in the software without being affected by the patents or restrictive licenses.

Reasons that lead to need to Repair BMP file

• The BMP file get corrupted due to the intervention of the virus from external media. This reason arises the need to repair BMP file arises in order to open the file using any image opener applications.
• Many a times any corruption that occurs in the filesystem also damages BMP file giving up an immediate need to recover BMP file.
• The storage media where Bitmap Image files were stored got corrupted which in lead made the files inaccessible urging the need to repair BMP file.
• The corruption in the header of Bitmap Image File is also one of the major reasons that arises a need to recover BMP file which is damaged.

Repair BMP File Corruption

Due to the corruption in BMP, they become inaccessible and sometimes cannot be opened by the default image applications of Windows. Thus, it becomes mandatory to implement the repair techniques in order to repair BMP file.

BMP File Usage Errors & Solutions to Repair BMP File

1. The format of the file cannot be recognized. Unable to open the file. : This error generally occurs when trying to open a BMP file in paint or paint.net. The application is unable to open the file format as the header encoding of a bmp file is different from that supported by these applications.

   Solution : If you are unable to open a BMP file in paint , you can make use of any advanced image viewing application such as Irfanview or Photoshop or any other to open the file. Another alternative which will help to repair BMP file is converting it into the JPEG or PNG or any other image file format using any third party image converter which allow user to fix BMP File and open it using the Windows photo viewer, Paint or any application of your desire.

2. Can't find the header information : The header information of an image file is stored in the EXIF format. Since the BMP format is different from the JPEG file format, it does not have any EXIF file associations with it. Thus, the missing header error comes up while opening the file with a simple photo viewer.

   Solution: The HEXEDITOR can be used in order to add the header information to Bitmap Image and repair BMP File to make it accessible through any photo viewer applications. The hexeditor allows you to view a file that is mostly in the machine code. So, this can be used in order to recover BMP file.

Conclusion

The above mentioned reasons are very common reasons for the corruption of BMP files. Apart from these , there may be a number of reasons that may urge the need to repair BMP file . This article describes some of the most commonly faced problems relating to Bitmap Image errors and ways to recover BMP file from corruption with possible manual solution.