Cannot access encrypted files

  • Thread starter Thread starter nik
  • Start date Start date
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nik

Motherboard crashed so removed hard disk to use as external extra on new
laptop but from new laptop I cannot access encrypted files on external disk.
All other files are accessible. How can I access those files please.
Thanks in anticipation.
 
nik said:
Motherboard crashed so removed hard disk to use as external extra
on new laptop but from new laptop I cannot access encrypted files
on external disk. All other files are accessible. How can I access
those files please.
Thanks in anticipation.
Click to expand...

In the future - you may want to look into cross-posting as opposed to
multi-posting. While they are similar - one would be more beneficial than
the other.

Please see your other post (multi-post) for the answer already given to you.
;-)

Just for completeness (and in hopes you do not have more multi-posts
floating about on this topic)...

If you cannot access them and some change occurred on your system
(format/install, repair install, forcing a password change, etc) that has
caused the EFS certificate to become corrupted or be lost and you did not
follow the, "Best practices for the Encrypting File System"...

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/223316

.... thus you did not 'export [your] certificates and private keys to
removable media and store the media securely when it is not in use', then
you may have a problem - one not inexpensively (or even at all) resolved.

Encryption is meant to protect your data from digital theft.
It would not be effective if there was an easy back-door.
 
Ok thanks and apologies.

Shenan Stanley said:
nik said:
Motherboard crashed so removed hard disk to use as external extra
on new laptop but from new laptop I cannot access encrypted files
on external disk. All other files are accessible. How can I access
those files please.
Thanks in anticipation.
Click to expand...

In the future - you may want to look into cross-posting as opposed to
multi-posting. While they are similar - one would be more beneficial than
the other.

Please see your other post (multi-post) for the answer already given to you.
;-)

Just for completeness (and in hopes you do not have more multi-posts
floating about on this topic)...

If you cannot access them and some change occurred on your system
(format/install, repair install, forcing a password change, etc) that has
caused the EFS certificate to become corrupted or be lost and you did not
follow the, "Best practices for the Encrypting File System"...

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/223316

.... thus you did not 'export [your] certificates and private keys to
removable media and store the media securely when it is not in use', then
you may have a problem - one not inexpensively (or even at all) resolved.

Encryption is meant to protect your data from digital theft.
It would not be effective if there was an easy back-door.
Click to expand...
 
To recoover the files you would need to first recover the digital certificate
which was stored in your userprofile under the old operating system.

Main thing here is to be careful not to destroy this certificate if you need
to recover the files. Proceed with care, and if the data is valuable it might
be best to seek help from a qualified professional -who should as a first
step make a duplicate of the entire data onto another disk with imaging
software so that if a mistake is made there is still a second chance.

Basically the EFS is a disaster waiting to happen, because it is
deliberately made is easy to turn it on without understanding what you're
getting yourself involved in. Most people (quite reasonably) assume that
provided they haven't forgotten their password they should be able to access
the data on any computer.

-NOT SO!
 
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