output error while displaying read file!

[prads]

Hello, the foll pgm displays some wierd looking characters at the output when cout<<buffer<< is done. Pls tell me why it happens and also correct the error.
Thanks,
Prads

int main () 
{
  int length;
  char * buffer;
  size_t samples_read;
 
  ifstream is; //is is the fid
  is.open ("C:\\t1.txt", ios::binary );
 
  // get length of file:
  is.seekg (0, ios::end);
  length = is.tellg();
  //cout<<"length is"<<length-1<<endl;
  is.seekg (0, ios::beg);
 
  // allocate memory:
  buffer = new char [length];
  //count=is.gcount();
  //cout<<"count is"<<count<<endl;
  // read data as a block:
is.read (buffer,length); //rawsignal is the buffer, length is blksize
//rawsignal=buffer;
//blksize=length;
cout<<"samples read is"<<length-2<<endl;
 
  is.close();
cout<<"file contents"<<buffer<<endl;
  //cout.write (buffer,length);
 
  delete[] buffer;
 
 
 
getchar();
return 0;
}

[Banfa]

Perhaps the original file contains stange data.

Perhaps you should post what you expecting to see and what you did see.