If you forgot to make a copy of your Personal Encryption Certificate,
and associated Private Key (and no recovery agent certificates exist)
when your original Windows XP installation was still operational, you
won't be able to open or use your encrypted files.
No back door exists, nor is there any practical way to open those files.
(If there were, it wouldn't be very good encryption.)
HOW TO: Remove File Encryption in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;308993
Without a backup of the original Encryption Certificate Key, encrypted files
are unrecoverable as they will stay encrypted forever. There is no recovery
method since the encryption security algorithm is now completely different
with a reinstall of Windows XP.
See if the following articles help in any way:
HOW TO: Take Ownership of a File or Folder in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;308421
Best Practices for the Encrypting File System
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;223316
Encrypting File System in Windows XP
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/deploy/cryptfs.mspx
EFS Files Appear Corrupted When You Open Them
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;329741
--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows - Shell/User
Microsoft Community Newsgroups
news://msnews.microsoft.com/
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:
| Loaned my extra hard drive to my cousin so he could back up his files before
| wiping his computer. He saved the files to my WD 40G hd that was
| formatted NTFS.
|
| He wiped his computer and turned it back in as it was a rent to own.
|
| However, the files/photos that he saved on the HD are encrypted by windows
| encryption. (XP)
|
| Is there a way to decrypt these files? I've tried command line with
| cipher, I've tried moving them to a FAT 32 partition to delete the
| encryption.. all to no avail.
|
| Any suggestions?
