Police Invetigation Help

[BFD Deadeye]

Hi folks,

I was asked to help with a police investigation. My job is to recover deleted photos, and other files, which I have already done. However, I need to know if there is any way a deleted JPG, BMP, or GIF has any thing embedded in them that tells when it was originallly created? I know I'm probably reaching, but I thought it may be worth a shot.

Along those same lines, what file extentions would a guy look for possibly saved and deleted chats, IM's, etc.? I already looked for TXT, and DOC, but are there other common extensions as well?

Finally, I've never used 'online live chat'. I have Instant Messaged, and used forums, but not live chat. Is it possible to track a live chat? Are live chats deleted on the server side as soon as the conversation ends? Are there cookies that may point me to where the chats took place? Any info you could give me would be most appreciated, as I know NOTHING about live chat.

Thanks, folks.

[mairving]

I have used this one before to recover lost images. Depending upon the age and the hard drive activity, you may have good success.