EFS data recovery

[__PPS__]

Hello everybody, I stored some my important data in an encrypted text
file. Two months ago I gave my PC to my mother and just got a new pc
for me. Before I gave my pc I copied all my data to another HD. What
happened is that my encrypted folder also remained encrypted on the
other HD and now I can't read the files. So... the only way is to get
that certificate from my pc that was used for encryption. But I'm not
sure if I reinstalled windows on my pc before I gave it to my mother.
If I didn't then it'll be easy to recover that certificates. But in
case if I reformatted my hd the only possibility is that I can somehow
extract that certificates from the local copy of the data that I have.
Basically, I have copied that user folder located in C:\Document and
Settings\my_user_name". How can I recover the certificate files from
that what I have, are they located in user folder?
thanks

 

[__PPS__]

Also... it would be easy to visit my mother and check if I can get
correct certificates from my pc, but she lives on the other part of
the globe, she is computer illiterate and she doesn't have internet
access so, it's kind of difficult to get access to my old pc now.
Only when I go visit her on summer vacations...

 

[GreenieLeBrun]

Hello everybody, I stored some my important data in an encrypted text
file. Two months ago I gave my PC to my mother and just got a new pc
for me. Before I gave my pc I copied all my data to another HD. What
happened is that my encrypted folder also remained encrypted on the
other HD and now I can't read the files. So... the only way is to get
that certificate from my pc that was used for encryption. But I'm not
sure if I reinstalled windows on my pc before I gave it to my mother.
If I didn't then it'll be easy to recover that certificates. But in
case if I reformatted my hd the only possibility is that I can somehow
extract that certificates from the local copy of the data that I have.
Basically, I have copied that user folder located in C:\Document and
Settings\my_user_name". How can I recover the certificate files from
that what I have, are they located in user folder?
thanks

Basically no key/certificate=no recovery

The Encrypting File System
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/topics/cryptographyetc/efs.mspx

Best practices for the Encrypting File System
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/223316/en-us

How to back up the recovery agent Encrypting File System (EFS) private key
in Windows Server 2003, in Windows 2000, and in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/241201

How To Encrypt a Folder in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=308989

How To Remove File Encryption in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=308993

How To Encrypt a File in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=307877