Decrypting files when encryption certificate is missing

[Paul]

Hi,

For some reason or another I accidently deleted the
origional encryption certificate to the files I have
encrypted.

Is there any way of decrypting the files without the
original certificate.

I tried the cipher c: /u /n command but kept getting an
access denied error everytime.

The access denied error also occured when trying to
change the files attributes.

For some reason it made the files in question read-only
and no sooner you removed the read only attribute it
comes back.

Thank's for any help you can give me as I have been on
this problem since Monday (Australian).

Regards

Paul

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

Paul;
Are you sure it is not an Ownership issue:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=308421

If the files are encrypted.
If you did not back-up the encryption key or the Recovery Agent and
are not on a domain, the files are as good as gone.
This must be accomplished while you have access to the files.
If you have not already done so, it is now to late.

If you can restore the original profile (not recreate) and know the
password, you may be able to recover the data.
Recreating profiles and passwords is irrelevant.
Contact Microsoft if you can restore the profile.
Or:
http://www.beginningtoseethelight.org/efsrecovery/index.php

EFS is very good at what it does and there is no back door.
Read and understand these links before using EFS to keep from
permanently losing your data:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/techinfo/administration/recovery/default.asp
(58 pages)
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=223316

 

[Roger Abell]

The encryption cert is not needed to decrypt, but what
I believe you meant is that you accidentally deleted the
decryption key.
If this is so, and you have no way to restore your system
from a back up, and you do not have an exported copy of
your EFS cert/key in a pfx file, and you did not previously
define a recovery agent, and where not in a domain, then
you may very well be out of luck.