cannot detect file type ( no one can solve this 1)

[nirbhayn]

Hi
I downloaded this avi file which is unplayble in any player.
vlc, media classic, wmp, powerDVD,winamp etc.
i cant even open that file in Gspot. how can i fix this.

when i open it in virtual dub it says cannot detect file type.

in windows media classic it says cannot render.

in vlc, the progress bar just runs to finnish line without any picture.

wat is going on?

[ROF]

Are you sure it's an avi file? What's the source?

[Baldrick]

could be a "fake" avi...someone just renamed some other file to avi.

[Paul Glagla]

Try to open it in DVdate and even if it displays error, type CTRL+H to show the RIFF header of the file. If you post the result here, we could give you some valuable information about this avi file, probably a corrupt one.

[mats.hogberg]

Delete and forget.
If neither GSpot nor VLC can find out what kind of file it is, well, at least I wouldn't dream of trying to fix it.

/Mats

[ROF]

could be a "fake" avi...someone just renamed some other file to avi.

Yep! That's a classic trick on fileshares. I and others will sometimes do such things on the filesharing sites just to see how many stupid people will download hundreds of megabytes from us thinking they are getting a newer movie. I like watching them waste their time. I just wish I could see their faces when they realize they wasted their time trying to steal from intellectual property owners.

[mats.hogberg]

I and others will sometimes do such things

An new ROF all time low! Tar and feather isn't enough! :P

/Mats

[ROF]

It might be low or even considered cruel but what's even worse is the people stealing from others rather than supporting those who provide them the entertainment. It serves them right for misusing P2P software. If such actions only stop one person from considering downloading more stolen goods the action has served it's purpose. What's even more hilarious is when you watch the file get seeded.

[kschang]

Just for fun I was checking on Shareaza, which reads all Gnutella, Gnutella 2, and eDonkey networks. Doesn't matter what you search for, there's BAZILLION fake files out there. A lot of little files like 200-300 KB's long that's clearly NOT an app, but claims to be, right down to the version numbers. Those are worms masquerading as apps and such. It's easy to tell too... They're way too small, and despite identical filename and such they have distinctive eD2K hashes or SHA1 hashes, thus they can't be the same file. The only way they could be identical in size and name is a worm did self-random-encryption.

So yes, it's a mess out there. Unless you know exactly what you're getting, you could just end up wiping your PC, if not by the worm, then by your own hands later.

[waheed]

Theres always been a problem with pirated and bootleg movies on P2P. Ive heard (a rumour) that either the movie studios or their agents are flooding P2P sites with fake avi files which are around the 700MB mark. Some of these usually play normally for 90 minutes but with a blank screen, and some play with the studio copyright warning all the way through.

However, some P2P sites have gotten smarter, they are allowing users to post comments about the torrents so others can say whether the torrent is real or fake.

[Treebeard]

Fake files are funny, lol.

[Jaguar b. p.]

It might be low or even considered cruel but what's even worse is the people stealing from others rather than supporting those who provide them the entertainment. It serves them right

It's not stealing, the owner isn't deprived of his property.
If you copy a file, the owner still has his intact.

It might be illegal on the grounds of copyright infringement, but it's not theft.

But you and your type like to use bombastic words like "steal" to further your case,
even though you know this accusation is wrong

If such actions only stop one person from considering downloading more stolen goods the action has served it's purpose. What's even more hilarious is when you watch the file get seeded.

And what's most hilarious is that p2p is technologically unstoppable, so your "entertainers" will continue to get screwed until the Day of Judgment