unable to open image files saved to disk

[wulfstan]

All of a sudden my computer (imac, 10.4.11) won't let me open images downloaded from digital cameras (I've tried several - so it's not the cameras). I get the following error - "Couldn't open the file. It may be corrupt or a file format that Preview doesn't recognize." Also the same basic error when using Photoshop and Fireworks.

I can open files still on the camera, or saved to a CD - just not anything dragged to the desktop.

I can still open pictures which had been previously saved - but nothing new.

I ran the Repair Disk utility, which found and apparently fixed an Illegal Name error on the hard drive, but the problem still persists.

 

[killerrobot]

Where you using the same flash drive in all the cameras or separate flash drives in each one?

 

[wulfstan]

Different flash drives.

 

[killerrobot]

What is the file extension of the new downloads?

Can you run disk utility on one of the flash drives?

 

[wulfstan]

What is the file extension of the new downloads?

.JPG

Can you run disk utility on one of the flash drives?

Possibly, I don't know, I haven't tried. I'm not sure how this would help though....? Unless I'm missing something. I don't think the cameras are the issue. Perhaps I should have mentioned this, but I also had a basic text file go corrupt at the same time I started having problems with the image files (though the text file error hasn't yet happened again - have been able to save them again without problems). Something seems screwed up with the computer's ability to read image files all of a sudden.

on edit:
Spoke too soon. Now I can't open TextEdit files I've just saved, either. Or screenshots.

 

[killerrobot]

I was thinking that the flash drive got corrupted or that copying from the flash drive was corrupting the file.

Try creating a new user, copy the files from the flash drive, and see if you can read them then.