Grab with a pair of plyers, and use a file until you can barely see a white spot. Then sink in a glass of water for a day or two. After that, some will plant in a baggie with humid peat moss, some plant straight in the ground.

Adding to DA's comment -- I too found the Arcsoft site which used/uses .phb files that may be album files. Here's a quote from Arcsoft: PHB files are proprietary album files used by some of our programs, namely PhotoBase. Albums do not store your images. They serve as links to files stored on your computer or removable drive. If you delete the original file, the thumbnail in the album basically becomes a dead link. For example, if you have files on a floppy disk and create an album, you'll always need to have that floppy in the drive whenever you want to view the full images. Likewise, if you have a digital camera that is read as a removable drive, you would need to have it connected if you create the album directly from the camera. The best thing to do is copy all of your images into a folder on your computer, *then* create the album referencing those files. Albums are useful because they let you preview and organize files on your system in a convenient fashion. It is also from albums that slide shows are made with some of our programs." They still offer ($) software that may be able to translate your pics to jpeg or they have some free help. Some of their software can be downloaded for trials which might enable copying to jpeg. Here is a link that might be useful: Arcsoft

Did you have any sort of written agreement with this character? You didn't ask about this but...I don't know the exact laws in your state regarding late payment penalties but in Texas, where there is no agreement regarding interest on unpaid bills, the maximum rate that can be charged is 6% per year and that can only begin to be applied 30 days after the debt becomes due. So, even if you did actually owe him the amount he is claiming (which I doubt), absent a written agreement to a higher interest rate, I'd suspect that if he tries to assess a 15% late payment penalty for every day that an alleged bill goes unpaid, he would be in violation of your state's usury laws. Next, each state has very specific laws regarding mechanic's liens and the time limits in which they MUST be filed. You should probably do a little research or talk to a lawyer in your state regarding mechanic's lien laws. Once the time limit for filing a lien (which can be as short as 30 days) has passed, check your county records to see if a lien has been filed against your property. If not, you can rest easy about that. If he has filed a lien, then you'll need the attorney to help you deal with him. Assuming everything you've said is true, my suspicion is that this guy won't really file a lien. He sounds like the kind of shoddy workman who deliberately low-balls bids and then, once he has the job, attempts to hijack more money from his customers. Chances are, if you start checking, you'll find he has a long history of doing the same thing to other customers. The last thing he wants is an actual court battle where you could allege "fraud in the inducement" regarding the contract and start delving into his prior business practices to show that he has made a pattern and practice of doing the same sorts of things to others. Also, you'll want to keep watch on your credit reports so that if he files anything with a credit bureau, you can dispute it so it doesn't negatively affect your credit score. And BTW, once the deadline for him filing a lien against your property has passed, do report him to the BBB. Unless you complain so that other homebuilders have at least some chance of finding out about what he did to you, he'll be free to keep on screwing other people around. Good luck.

Lien Releases and Lien Waivers are not the same. A Lien Waiver is normally obtained prior to the completion of and/or payment for the work and a Lien Release is obtained afterward. Lien Releases document work completed and payment received and that any claim has been satisfied. Lien Waivers document the relinquishment of the right to file a future lien for a specified portion of the work. With a Lien Waiver a payment is not necessarily made in advance and the subcontractor would rely only on the credit of the owner or general contractor (or perhaps the bank) for payment of the debt. The term "partial" is often used with Lien Release and Wavers since they are usually for specific portions of the work. The important issue for the original OP is that the GC cannot speak for the subs so the Lien Waivers/Releases would have to be from them. For a bank to pay a subcontractor directly can create a conflict with the Contractor-Subcontractor relationships unless that issue is addressed by their contracts. Unless the bank is a party to those contracts, it should not interfere with the performance of those obligations and the GC's ability to perform the work of the Owner-Contractor contract. Watch out for banks; they will not protect any interests other than their own and that may in conflict with your interests. They work for themselves and no one else. Make sure any waiver or release required by the bank protects you too.