** Encryption problem **

[Jethic]

Greetings all,

On my PC I have 2 partition, one for my documents and one for my O/S and
programs. I had to reinstall WinXP last week and I forgot that some of my
files on my other partition were encrypted. Now I cannot open them anymore
because the security key was for my older administrative password. It says I
do not have the right to access them. I cannot take out the encryption
either, neither move them in a FAT32 partition(where I though it might take
out all NTFS permission), cannot burn them, cannot convert this partition to
FAT32 since there's some encrypted file in it. But I REALLY NEED THESE
FILES!!

Is there a way I can recover them? Or a way to take out the encryption out
of them?

thx

 

[Warren Young]

Greetings all,

On my PC I have 2 partition, one for my documents and one for my O/S and
programs. I had to reinstall WinXP last week and I forgot that some of my
files on my other partition were encrypted. Now I cannot open them anymore
because the security key was for my older administrative password. It says I
do not have the right to access them. I cannot take out the encryption
either, neither move them in a FAT32 partition(where I though it might take
out all NTFS permission), cannot burn them, cannot convert this partition to
FAT32 since there's some encrypted file in it. But I REALLY NEED THESE
FILES!!

Is there a way I can recover them? Or a way to take out the encryption out
of them?

thx

Assuming this PC is not part of an Active Directory domain, you will
need to import your signing key. If the key was never exported from
the prior system and the PC is not a member of an Active Directory
domain, you have, unfortunately, lost your ability to decrypt the data
permanently.

Warren.

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

There is a myth that states EFS is no good once the data is moved to
FAT32.
The truth is if that were true, EFS would not be secure.

Your data, however important, is most likely forever gone.

See this link for ways to prevent this in the future
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/encrypt.htm

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

If the your encryption certificates and keys were not backed up
before the user deletion/creation, and the workstation isn't part of a
domain, those files are gone, for all practical purposes. Encryption
works well and there is no "back door" or hack to access the files.
(Wouldn't be much point to EFS if it were vulnerable.)


Bruce Chambers
--
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