Ugh, I’ve been through this with corrupted MP4s. Power outages during download are the worst! First off, don’t panic. There are a few tricks you can try.
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VLC Media Player: This is my go-to. VLC has a built-in feature that sometimes repairs corrupted MP4 files. Open VLC, go to ‘Media’ > ‘Convert/Save’. Add your corrupted file, then hit ‘Convert/Save’ again. Choose a format and a destination file name, and let VLC do its thing.
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FFmpeg: If you’re comfortable with command line tools, FFmpeg can be a lifesaver. Here’s a basic command:
ffmpeg -i corrupted.mp4 -c copy repaired.mp4This command tries to copy the content of your corrupted file into a new file, fixing some issues along the way.
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Clever Online Video Repair: I’ve seen folks rave about this one in forums. It’s an online tool that specifically addresses corrupted video files. The process is simple: upload your corrupted file, and let the tool work its magic. It’s especially useful if you’re in a pinch and need a quick fix.
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Hex Editors: You mentioned trying several software tools, but did you give any hex editors a shot? Sometimes the issue lies in the very first or last few bytes of the file. Use a hex editor to copy and replace these parts from a working MP4 of similar type, and you might just get lucky.
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Professional Services: If none of the above works, there are specialized services out there. They can be costly, but they often recover what home methods can’t.
Take a look at this guide; it helped me out: best free video repair tools.
Good luck with your project—hope one of these methods fixes your file!