Retrieving passworded folders after a re-install

[HumanZ]

Ok, i just had to reinstall Windows after a file corruption issue. Windows
was so corrupt that I could not rewrite the old files in the Windows
directory, so i had to do a fresh install. That's not a problem. The problem
is, in my old Documents folder, I had a folder that I had passworded. Is
there anyway I can recover the files from this password protected directory?

 

[Shenan Stanley]

Ok, i just had to reinstall Windows after a file corruption issue.
Windows was so corrupt that I could not rewrite the old files in
the Windows directory, so i had to do a fresh install. That's not a
problem. The problem is, in my old Documents folder, I had a folder
that I had passworded. Is there anyway I can recover the files from
this password protected directory?

How'd you "password protect" it?

Do you mean you had file and folder permissions set on it so only you could
access it?
- Take Ownership.

Do you mean you zipped the folder up and password protected the zip file?
- Use the password you used to zip it to unzip it.

Do you mean you used Windows XP Professional's Encrypted File System option
to encrypt the data?
- Use your backed up certificate/key to un-encrypt it.

Do you mean you used some third party application to password protect it?
- Install and use that third party application again. Use it to get to the
files.

The most likely scenario:

How to Take Ownership of a File or Folder in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308421

How to disable simplified sharing & set permissions
on a shared folder in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/30787

 

[HumanZ]

That's exactly what I did. Thanks Shenan. I disabled the simple sharing and
took ownership as administrator: all files recovered. Now that i know I can
recover the files in the event of a crash, I'll continue to use sharing and
security to protect my private documents.