'DAT' file?

[sworks]

I had a memory card fail on me (and I wasn't saving to a back up) and lost the photos. I tried a recovery programme and it seems to have restored some as a DAT file. CS3 or lightroom won't open them, is it just a case of downloading a file from the net or is there an easier way?
Thanks

 

[Hawkmoon]

You first need to save it to your computer and then change the file extension to JPG or GIF or PNG or whatever you think it’s supposed to be.
You can change the file extension on a file by first going to My Computer, clicking on Tools and then Folder Options.
Next click on the View tab and then scroll down to the option “Hide extensions for known file types” and UNCHECK it. In this way, we’ll now be able to see the file extension and change it to something else.
Now simply right-click on the .DAT file and change the file extension after the dot to the desired file format.
You should also see the icon representing the file change to the appropriate program use to open that file type.
So what do you do if you’re not sure which program it came from or what the original file extension was supposed to be? You can also try right-clicking on the file and then choosing Open With and try different programs.

 

[F3TT]

great answer.

 

[Steep]

It might also be that the recovery program has saved the files in a proprietary format, if it's a trial of a program that needs to be paid for this is not uncommon.

 

[sworks]

Thanks for the informative replys. I will try it when I get home. It was a trial programme.