decrypting files

  • Thread starter Thread starter Guest
  • Start date Start date
G

Guest

Hi
Could anyone help? I reacently saved some important word files to floppy
disk when i was using windows ME. stupidly i forgot the files were encrypted.
Now as i am using windows xp profesional i cannot read them as they are
encrypted. A friend told me the files are lost . I have tried everything to
retrieve them.
help greatfull
(e-mail address removed)
 
footballer said:
Hi
Could anyone help? I reacently saved some important word files to
floppy disk when i was using windows ME. stupidly i forgot the files
were encrypted. Now as i am using windows xp profesional i cannot
read them as they are encrypted. A friend told me the files are lost
. I have tried everything to retrieve them.
help greatfull
(e-mail address removed)
Click to expand...

I'm sorry, but your friend is correct. When you encrypted the files, the
encryption key was stored in an area used by the operating system. When you
changed operating systems, the key was wiped out.

The encryption method used by Windows is much stronger than the one used by
Word when you tell it to apply a password (and that one isn't very weak).
Without the key, the files are just so much garbage.

If you ever printed the documents when you were able to open them, you could
scan and OCR.
 
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