can not decrypt

  • Thread starter Thread starter Brett Jones
  • Start date Start date
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Brett Jones

My XP profession OS crashed, and I could not repair so I
had to reinstall. The problem is my financial data was
encrypted on a secondary hard drive. I can no longer
access this data because my security key went bye bye
with my OS. How can I unencrypt my data now?
 
Greetings --

If the your encryption certificates and keys were not backed up
before the reinstallation, 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.)

If the files weren't actually encrypted and you're getting an
"Access denied" message:

HOW TO Take Ownership of a File or Folder in WinXP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q308421


Bruce Chambers

--
Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. -- RAH
 
Do you
1. have a full, restorable copy of the old SP install
that was made after you started using EFS encryption
2. have the exported EFS keys from the old XP install
3. have a complete and untanpered recent copy of the
Documents and Settings profile for the account that
was used to encrypt the files
???
If you answered yes to any one of the above you have hope.
If you answered no to all of the above and your machine was
not a member in an uplevel domain, then the files are gone.
 
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