How to read chatsync folder content ?

[ryuishin]

Hi,

I'll would like to know how to read my conversations without using Skype. I've found the folder where the conversations are, in C:/Users/AppData/roaming/Skype/chatsync but there are just many dat files that you couldn't read. Is there any sort of translator or something ? It would be so great to have as with Messenger, html files.

Thanks and sorry for my creepy english !

[ruwim]

The best program for accessing your Skype call history is SkypeLogView. This is a free application and can be downloaded from here:

nirsoft.net/utils/skype_log_view.html

With this application you can read all the call history store don your computer. Note that the call history is now stored in the main.db database file, which you can find in the folder with your Skype account name. With SkypeLogView you can also read any main.db file even if it is saved in a totally different location.

[mmdelcam]

Hello, 

I´ve used skypelog but I can not read a chatsync file type .dat I´ve tried several programs and nothing. Can you help me out pls.

Thanks

[ruwim]

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mmdelcam wrote:

Hello, 

I´ve used skypelog but I can not read a chatsync file type .dat I´ve tried several programs and nothing. Can you help me out pls.

Thanks

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I’m not sure that I understand why you want to read the .dat files in the chatsync folder. Actually, they don’t contain any useful data. All your chat history is saved in the main.db database file, which you will find in the folder with your Skype account name. Only in the case, when you have a Skype version older than 4.0, the history is saved in .dbb files.

SkypeLogView should automatically detect the main.db file associated with your current Skype account and display the contents of this database file. You can then save the selected data to a text or html file. Just one important thing to remember is, that Sype must not be running on your computer when using SkypeLogView. When Skype is running, the main.db file is locked and can’t be opened by SkypeLogView.

However, it’s also possible with SkypeLogView to open any other main.db file, which is stored at some other place on your computer. You can do this using File -> Select Logs Folder and navigate to the folder where the main.db file is stored.

[mmdelcam]

Hello,

Thanks for taking the time to answer.

The reason why I am trying to open a chatsync is because I see there is a conversation but I can not read, and in the main file from the same dates it does not appear.. I really need to understand this chat and I do not have a clue

Any ideas?

Thanks!

[ruwim]

I don’t know about any available methods to read the .dat files. They are encrypted, even though you can see some readable text. Also, you cannot be sure that the timestamp of these files is the same as the time of the chat. Maybe you can find this particular chat by entering the text you can see in the .dat file into the Search (Conversation -> Find) field of Skype chat history. For this to work, you will have to select the conversation partner, which you expect the chat was with.

Another option is, by using SkypeLogView, to export the complete chat history to a text or html file and so perform the search there. In this case, you don’t need to know in advance the ID of the conversation partner.

[rseiler]

ruwin, have you figured out the exact purpose of chatsync?  If main.db is the totality of chat history (something I didn't realize; I thought you needed the entire structure), why is chatsync still used on an ongoing basis even after the database format has long since changed to SQLite?  Wasn't chatsync around in the old days, too?  If so, it's a little weird that both the old and new database format would depend upon (?) the very same dat files contained in chatsync.  Perhaps they're something like transaction logs (*), to take a SQL term?

(*) SQL Server transaction logs
A transaction log is a sequential record of all changes made to the database while the actual data is contained in a separate file. The transaction log contains enough information to undo all changes made to the data file as part of any individual transaction. The log records the start of a transaction, all the changes considered to be a part of it, and then the final commit or rollback of the transaction. Each database has at least one physical transaction log and one data file that is exclusive to the database for which it was created. 

[ruwim]

To be totally honest, I don’t have a clue what is the purpose of the files in the chatsync folder. If you delete this folder, nothing happens with the chat data in main.db. They are still perfectly readable both in Skype and also using SkypeLogView. The only guess (and this is not even “a qualified guess”) I can make is that some how the .dat files are used in connection with potential synchronisation of chat history between different devices.

[umairmian]

Dear all,

If any user has selected the option in his skype profile "Keep History" for never........Then how can we read that log....when ever we want to see that user history from main.db file through skype log viewer.....there is nothing and only blank......while i have seen some encrypted files in chatsync folder....please help me to read that histroy or prevent/restrict that user profile for "keep history for never" or how to read that chatsync folder and how to read that users log....Please help me to read that chat history.

Regards,

Umair Masood

[SkypeHistory]

Hi All

        I

I am getting issue in reading the Skype chat history. Actually, I take backup of Skype folder (C:\Users\abc\AppData\Roaming\Skype) before installation of new window on my system. After installation of new window, I install the Skype on that machine. After login on Skype, I quit the Skype from my user. Then I overwrite the backup Skype folder at mentioned path. Then I login the Skype but I didn’t get the history back from that files. Please let me know that how can I retrieve my history back. Is there any way to get the history back in Skype from chatsync files or main.db file. I have found some files like main.corrupt and main.repair files in this folder. What are the purpose of these files and how can I correct the history which show in Skype. Please let me know in details a.s.a.p.

Thanks.