Pset4 recover invalid or unsupported

Question

I have been pulling my hair for recover 2 weeks by now. I finally got it to print 50 files at last. However, they are all invalid . Can anyone help me out?

while (fread(&buffer, sizeof(buffer), 1, infile) == 1) // if fread return anything smaller than 1 then it's EOF
    {
        //fread(&buffer, sizeof(buffer), 1, infile); (this line is causing files not reach 49 files, for some reasons)
        //check if block is beginning of jpeg
        if (buffer[0] == 0xff &&
            buffer[1] == 0xd8 &&
            buffer[2] == 0xff &&
            (buffer[3] & 0xf0) == 0xe0)
            {
                //Create new file to store jpg 
                sprintf(filename, "%03i.jpg", count);
                // Here we open the img file
                FILE *img = fopen(filename, "w");
                // if there is a JPEG file already opened
                // close it.
                // then open the next file
                if (img != NULL)
                {
                    fclose(img);
                    img = fopen(filename,"w");
                }
                //write to the new file 512 bytes/block a time while byte is not JPEG beginning
                while  (buffer[0] != 0xff &&
                        buffer[1] != 0xd8 &&
                        buffer[2] != 0xff &&
                        (buffer[3] & 0xf0) != 0xe0)
                {
                    fwrite(&buffer, sizeof(buffer), 1, img);
                }
                count++;
                fclose(img);
            }
    }
    fclose(infile);
}

Thank you in advance.

**** UPDATE I hope it is less a mess now. It recovers all images, not invalid anymore but images return chessboard patterns. Any leads why?

while (fread(&buffer, 512, 1, infile) != 0)
    {
        FILE *img = NULL;
        if (buffer[0] == 0xff &&
            buffer[1] == 0xd8 &&
            buffer[2] == 0xff &&
            (buffer[3] & 0xf0) == 0xe0)
            {
                if (img == NULL)
                {
                    sprintf(filename, "%03i.jpg", count);
                    img = fopen(filename,"w");
                    fwrite(&buffer, 512, 1, img);
                    count++;
                }
                else if (img != NULL)
                {
                    fclose(img);
                    sprintf(filename, "%03i.jpg", count);
                    img = fopen(filename, "w");
                    fwrite(&buffer, 512, 1, img);
                    count++;
                }
            }
        else
        {
            if (img != NULL)
            {
                fwrite(&buffer,512,1,img);
            }
            else if (img == NULL)
            {
                continue;
            }
        }
    }
    fclose(infile);
}

Answer 1

At first read PSET4 RECOVER Can't Open JPEGS, I Have Tried Everything Please HELP! about sizeof(buffer)

Then, do something with the whole logic of your code. Write it in your language (english or whatever it is) and then try to implement step by step with C. For now, I am sorry, but it is a mess. Just look what you are doing:

1. You read a block from card.raw. You check if 4 first bytes look like .jpg. Well, it seems correct. (but quite uncommon way to implement. Hope you understand why (buffer[3] & 0xf0) == 0xe0 gives you correct check for 4th byte.).

2. If true:

   1. You determine filename (correct)

   2. Then, you open a file, create a pointer to it (correct)

   3. Then you close this file.

   4. Then you immediately open it again. (no harm but why??)

   5. Then you loop checking if 4 bytes do not look like .jpg. Of course its immediately false, see step 2. So you write nothing.

   6. Then you count++, close file and back to step 1.

It should look something like that (for all files except of the first, which is a bit tricky)

1. Read a block from card.raw untill EOF. Check if the first four bites of a block looks like .jpg
2. If true
   1. Close current file
   2. Determine filename for the next one
   3. Open new file
   4. Update count
   5. Write the block to the file and go to step 1.
3. If false
   1. Write the block to the file and go to step 1.

Try to think over your logic before coding instead of coding something and change it back and forth. And then code step by step. Like "am I able to find 50 sequences of 4 bytes?" - Yes. "am I able to write one valid file?" - Yes. And so on.