encryption gets confused by password change

  • Thread starter Thread starter Edward
  • Start date Start date
E

Edward

I have encrypted some files using Windows XP by right
click->Properties->General tab->Attributes: Advanced button->Check
Encrypt contents to secure data

Then a few weeks later I changed my user password. Now I get an error
when I try to open these encrypted files. I was able to recover the
files by restoring the previous password but something looks wrong to
me here. It seems that every time I change my windows password I will
have to decrypt my files, change the password, and the crypt again.

Is this a known bug?

Thanks.

Edward
 
I have encrypted some files using Windows XP by right
click->Properties->General tab->Attributes: Advanced button->Check
Encrypt contents to secure data

Then a few weeks later I changed my user password. Now I get an
error when I try to open these encrypted files. I was able to
recover the files by restoring the previous password but something
looks wrong to me here. It seems that every time I change my
windows password I will have to decrypt my files, change the
password, and the crypt again.

Is this a known bug?
Click to expand...

Several Possibilities:

"EFS, Credentials, and Private Keys from Certificates Are
Unavailable After a Password Is Reset"
<http://support.microsoft.com/kb/290260/en-us>

"You cannot access EFS files after you change the user password to a
new password on a Windows XP Service Pack 2-based computer"
<http://support.microsoft.com/kb/890951/en-us>

"User cannot gain access to certificate functionality after password
change or when using a roaming profile"
<http://support.microsoft.com/kb/331333/en-us>

In any event, you should read the following article:
"Best practices for the Encrypting File System"
<http://support.microsoft.com/kb/223316/en-us>

HTH,
John
 
I have read your thread and the links, because I have a couple of .jpgs that
were suddenly encrypted a while ago, and I have no access to them, although
my user account. Pelle(Pelle@HEMMA), is shown in the "Users Who Can
Transprently Access This File" under "Details".
Of course, most probably I must have set the status of these files to this
bad state, by checking the "Encrypt contents to secure data", but honestly, I
do not know how that happened, really!?
Now - is there any possibility to recover the encrypted .jpgs?
I do not think I have changed the password, but maybe I did.
Might the "Certificate Thumbprint" help me here, or is it useless?

Greatful for your help!

/Pelle
 
I have read your thread and the links, because I have a couple of .jpgs that
were suddenly encrypted a while ago, and I have no access to them, although
my user account. Pelle(Pelle@HEMMA), is shown in the "Users Who Can
Transprently Access This File" under "Details".
Of course, most probably I must have set the status of these files to this
bad state, by checking the "Encrypt contents to secure data", but honestly, I
do not know how that happened, really!?
Now - is there any possibility to recover the encrypted .jpgs?
I do not think I have changed the password, but maybe I did.
Might the "Certificate Thumbprint" help me here, or is it useless?

Greatful for your help!

/Pelle
 
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