Unable to Decrypt Encrypted files

[Guest]

unfortunately i have done a format and install clean operating system
again(xp)! And i am unable to decrypt my originally encrypted files for my
seccond HDD. Is there any possible way to decrypt ??? If it does help I did
a full format on my C:

C: = Windows XP Pro
D: = BAck up drive

i have all updates for windows

 

[Mike Fields]

unfortunately i have done a format and install clean operating system
again(xp)! And i am unable to decrypt my originally encrypted files
for my
seccond HDD. Is there any possible way to decrypt ??? If it does help
I did
a full format on my C:

C: = Windows XP Pro
D: = BAck up drive

i have all updates for windows

If you really mean they were encrypted (using EFS) and
you did not export a key and/or have a backup of the
previous install, you are basically "up the creek sans paddle"
If you mean they were "protected" as in set to read only
for you, then you can take ownership of the files. Windows
2000 used to force you to have a DRA (Designated Recovery
Agent) that could also decrypt files that were EFS
encrypted, however, XP does not force you to do that
and if you re-install XP Pro (even using the same account
names), the keys will be different and without a copy of the
key, there is not much hope of decrypting the files.

mikey

 

[Guest]

ok is there a program that will decrypt the files

 

[Kerry Brown]

If they were encrypted with efs and you do not have a copy of the keys then
no, there is not a program that will decrypt the files. What would be the
point of encryption if there was?

 

[Doug Knox MS-MVP]

Actually, there are services that will attempt to do this for you, with varying degrees of expense and success. Google for "data recovery services"

 

[Kerry Brown]

If you do not have at least one of the keys these services will not work.
Again if efs was easy to crack what would be the point of it? The only
conceivable methods the OP could use to decrypt his data would be if he had
a full backup with his old user profile which it sounds like he doesn't, or
sending both hard drives to a data recovery specialist who could try to
recover the user profile from the formatted hard drive. The second option
would be expensive and unlikely to succeed as he has already installed
Windows on the drive and continues to use it. Without at least one of the
keys his data is gone. If you Google for efs data recovery most the links
will point you here:

http://www.elcomsoft.com/aefsdr.html

This is an excellent program but if you read the documentation you do need
the original key used to encrypt the files. The program will scan disks
looking for it, will find partial keys and sometimes recover them, recover
keys where the password has been changed, etc., etc.. What it can't do is
decrypt files if the keys are not available in some shape or form.

 

[Guest]

crappy i ran the softwrae and it found all the files but also says cannot
decrypt files
it keeps asking for a account name and password

i enter it in for the old account witch is the same as the new account but
no go

 

[Doug Knox MS-MVP]

Since the original account information in unavailable, there is no way to recover any of your encryption certificates. Basically, your data is inaccessible and unusable.