That string, "57e27be8194bb2332a49a942e7aeafeb", is your key (as shown in your original post.) You are trying to use the key itself as a hash ref. You can't do that. You need to look up the hash ref stored in your hash at that key. I.e. you are doing something like $key->{old_file} where you need to be doing something like $yourhash{$key}->{old_file} or possibly $yourhashref->{$key}{old_file}. It's impossible to tell which from your post because you don't show us whether you access your top level hash directly or through a reference.

-sauoq
"My two cents aren't worth a dime.";