Reading raw data

[COPE2]

I have recently used a program called get data back and I am seeing this raw data, but I am not familiar with this. How do you read raw data? And what exactly is raw data?

 

[drescherjm]

How do you read raw data?

Hmm. That is the easiest data to read. Call the os function that reads data and do not try to decode it. A c++ program that reads a raw file and sends it to the screen can be done in 4 or 5 code lines.

For a non programmer you can look at raw data easily by downloading an program that has a hexdump. However the usefulness of looking at this raw data will be limited unless you know what you are looking for and at least a minimal understanding of file format of what types of files you are looking for.

And what exactly is raw data?

The bit for bit data that exists on the media. Again not very useful unless you know what you are looking for and know what it should look like in its raw form.

 

[sub.mesa]

Don't you just mean a file that has an extension with .raw ?

 

[drescherjm]

Now that makes a lot more sense. I assume the difficulty then is for the user given the .raw to figure out if the raw file is really a word document ... and should be renamed as such so that clicking on the file launches word. I better end here until the OP replies otherwise I could be far off again..

 

[COPE2]

No, I do not mean .raw files. There is something called raw files in a program called get data back, and it is different from regular data. I do not know much about it except that "get data back" differentiates between raw data and regular data.