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Identify file type from contents

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BiggerBrother

Technical User
Sep 9, 2003
702
GB
Any idea on how you can tell what a file used to be before someone editted the header?

I have been given a file that a client want sot be able to convert into spreadsheet. I think, from looking at it in notepad, it may be database, but the header has been replaced with edit notes, and it has then been saved as a custom extension. It has similar format to access files, but not close enough.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

BB
 
Hi.

Can you post the first couple of lines? It is not feasible in my experience to just know what type it is without seeing the first couple of lines. What is the extension that they changed it to? There is a webpage out there that gives a list of file types - - you could check that - it might simply be that you dont have the software installed on your system that does read it.

Hope this helps


Dont be small. be BIG
 
the extension is .ift, which i can't find on the net.

The first section of the file is :

PA ñ3U. ê °   ®    %  • ,  f 4  Þ ;   ?  § H , P P  i! Z ÷" _
=' f $ j' n % u( t M* x Š* |
V- ˆ ( ¢- ?  G. ”  / ˜  E0 Ÿ  Œ2 °  ÷3 ³  Ý4 ¹  5 ½  05 Ë  V5 Ô ' }5 Þ  ë6 ë  !D ò + MD ú  ]E þ  ŒE
 * M   ?P   ¡R   nS % ) –S 2 - ½S 9  ãS @  .V K UV Q ! …V ] &quot; æX a & 6Z j # <CONVENTIONALS> <SCROLLERS> ABSTRACT ADLITE AMPTOWN APOLLO B+K CAMELEON CHAUVET CLAY PAKY COEF COEMAR ELATION ELITE FAL FLY FUTURELIGHT GENI GENIUS GLP GRIVEN HIGH END SYSTEMS JB LAMPO LED LIGHTING TECH LITEBEAM LYTEQUEST MAD LIGHTING MARTIN MOVITEC NJD PAN COMMAND ROBE SAGITTER SGM SHOW PRO SPACE CANNON STRAND STRONG STUDIO DUE SUMMA SYNCHROLITE TAS TECLUMEN VARILITE  Pº *•ò  úa  Œb   c    ¦c    9d '   Æd .   Ze <   èe D   Ellipsoidal Flood Fresnel Generic Lamp Parcan Pebble Convex Profile Softlight  Pò Ê Ót  xf 
g    ²g   oh 0   Ai @   =j P   'k b   'l t   1 Chan Scroller 2 Chan Scroller 3 Chan Scroller 4 Chan Scroller 6 Chan Scroller Lamp+1Ch Scroller Lamp+2Ch Scroller Lamp+3Ch Scroller  Pb Ý(…Á <m  ”o    jq &quot;   t 3   žv E   7y X   Iz k   1} y   Z ˆ   ù‚ –  Ã… ¤ ‰† ³
Colourchanger CED Futurescan 1 CE Futurescan II CE Futurescan III CE Futurescan III CED Galactic Moon IICE Gladiator CED Gladiator Revn VR8 (CE MODE) VR8 (VR MODE) VR8R (CE MODE) VR8R (VR MODE)  Pm Ùg?  y‡  ^ˆ   j‰    ÊŠ '   Intellite 1 Intellite 2 Intellite Prof Litebounce II  PÅ ŸÙë  Å‹  ¥Œ    ¿?    `“ 0   á• :  — H  Z˜ W  ACC Posi Spot ControlLitePML ControlLitePML(12) Washlight WL-HP (8 Bit) WL-HP (16 Bit) WL-HP Squarcle  Pl ®2(¯  é™  Øž    ¢    M¥    .¬   Climax Megatron Neutron Paradox Vortex  P6 Lé$ü  ¯  ௠   Varytec Varytec 575 Pro  P{ Ãæ?”  à³  í´    v¶ &quot;   ê· 3   Telescan mark I Telescan mark III Telescan mark IV Telescan mark V  P? ™:à ,  G¹ ã¹
 ݺ   ¿» $  Û¼ 0  â½ <  Colortrack 3 Fascination Lazer Scan Legend 150R Mini Legend Trackscan 250R  P
 É,Àb % ¿ # *À  $ ½Á   D #   $à .   )Ä 9 BÅ K ! ™Æ \   ŸÇ i   kÌ v   Ð ‡   Ø –   öØ Ÿ  »Ù ¬  €Ú ¹   ¡Û Æ  iÜ Î
 QÝ Ø &quot; *ß ë   å ö   @æ    vç    þè -   ‡ê @   Ðë R   í e   ¢î w   +ð Š   dñ œ   žò ¯  ?ô Á
 eö Ô   Ø÷ Þ   þ ð   ä    ª    c    Astroscan (9) Astroscan (14) Atlas Bazooka 4C Bazooka 6C Golden Color 1200 Golden Spot 1200 Goldenscan 2 Goldenscan 3 Goldenscan 3 Exp Goldenscan HPE Miniscan Miniscan 150 Miniscan 300 Miniscan HPE Pinscan Polycolor Stage Profile 1200 Stage Scan StageColor 300(8) StageColor 300(16) StageColor 575(8) StageColor 575(16) StageColor1000(8) StageColor1000(16) StageColor1200(8) StageColor1200(16) StageLight 300(8) StageLight 300(16) StageZoom 1200(8) StageZoom 1200(16) Superscan Superscan Zoom 12 Superscan Zoom 16 Tiger MRG Tiger Multicolor Tiger Scan  P‚ Qðn
j      R   * Ü 9 ‡ H
0 W   j  &quot; }  
 Ž    Ÿ   q ±   # Â   Color Disco Color Show 200 MP 700 Wash EB MP 700 Wash MB MP 700 Zoom EB MP 700 Zoom MB MP250 Fresnel(8CH) MP250 Fresnel(9CH) MP250 Zoom (8CH) MP250 Zoom (9CH) Perform 200 Disco Perform 200 Show Perform 1200 Disco  P: 9Ô·×
' Ç(  £)   —+ &quot;  ú, /  Ü. B  Ó0 U  82 c  3 i  ?4 r # Ý5 | $ ¸7 †  ®8 Œ   ñ; Ÿ   ? ²  8@ Å  @B Ó   LD ä   tG ò   ?I   „J    ¹M ( O 4   yS C   ?Y T  ©_ g
 ˜a s  éc „
 Mi “  >p £   ªw ¯  ˆx Á &quot; zy Ò  mz å % | õ  ¥}  & w   ì€    „ %  2… / ! Broadway Cyc 2K CF 1200 Hard Edge CF 1200 Spot CF7 Hard Edge (M1) CF7 Hard Edge (M2) CF7 Wash Zoom Comet Digiscan iSpot 150 iSpot 575 KP 12 Microscan 2 575MSR Microscan 2 1000AL Microscan 3 575MSR Microscan 400 Microscan 400MSR Microscan 575 Microscan 650AL MiniUltraII 200MSD MiniUltraScan250AL MM DX Prism NAT MM 1200 DX NAT MM 1200/2500 NAT MM1200/2500DBL NAT PC 1000 NAT PC 1200/2500 NAT TM 1200 DX NAT TM 1200 HMI NAT TM 2500 Panorama Beam BBI Panorama Cyc 250 Panorama Cyc Power Pro Spot 575 LX Pro Spot LX Pro Wash 575 LX Pro Wash LX Samurai Super Cyc TM DX Prism  P! k4²$  ‘† Colour Spot 250  Pÿ Ò % 
ˆ œ‰   ,‹ % 

This is only a couple of lines, but the whole file is 65,000 pages! Need to find some way to convert this, as it is endless.

Thanks for your advice

BB
 
Thanks for the idea, but as they say, close but no cigar. I know roughly what the file is, and have the print out of the info contained within. It should be a simple db, but I think the company previously employed by my client have changed the db layout to stop users edditing the db, without their app.

Thanks for the idea though.

BB
 
Well, from the contents it looks like data about stage/theatre lighting kit...
 
very good strongm. Figured someone would know what i was upto.

BB
 
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