Encrypted Pictures

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ed McAndrew
  • Start date Start date
E

Ed McAndrew

Ok,

I have just rebuild my machine, I had some information
saved on my 200GB Maxtor secondary drive and it was
encrypted. Well I reinstalled the OS on my primary and
everything works great, but now I can't only any of the
things I had encrypted. I'm using the same User name and
password. I don't know what else to do. Can I do anything
about this??
 
Bottom line is you need your user EFS private key from the previous installation to
decrypt those files. If you have a backup of the private key somewhere, are a member
of a W2K domain, or have a copy of your user profile either still on the hard drive
[if you did not format] or in a backup you may be able to recover the files. If not,
those files are gone forever. If you have the old profile and password a call to MS
support [probably $250] "may" be able to recover the files. --- Steve

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;255742 -- most applies
to XP also.
 
YES YOU CAN - You don't need any keys or whatever from your old xp. Yo
just need your new admin password! You log on as admin, open th
explorer, and go to "Tools"-> "Folder Options"-> change to the ta
"View" --> scroll down to "Use simple file sharing" and you deactivat
the simple file sharing.
Then right click on the folder you cannot access, select properties
and here the tab "security" and here you select advances and in the ne
window you select owner. You will be allowed to change the ownership t
your new admin account. (there might pop up a message that you need t
be owner to change security settings - but you can change ownership i
you are logged on as admin...).

Chris
 
littleindybuddh said:
YES YOU CAN - You don't need any keys or whatever from your old xp.
You just need your new admin password! You log on as admin, open the
explorer, and go to "Tools"-> "Folder Options"-> change to the tab
"View" --> scroll down to "Use simple file sharing" and you deactivate
the simple file sharing.
Then right click on the folder you cannot access, select properties,
and here the tab "security" and here you select advances and in the
new window you select owner. You will be allowed to change the
ownership to your new admin account. (there might pop up a message
that you need to be owner to change security settings - but you can
change ownership if you are logged on as admin...).

Chris
Click to expand...
Taking ownership of the files is only useful if they were *not*
encrypted. If the files were really encrypted and you did not back up
the encryption certificate and associated private key and did not
assign a recovery agent, the data cannot be recovered. It is very good
encryption. Here is a link to information about XP's encryption:

http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/encrypt_overview.mspx

There is a great deal of information at that site about encryption.

Malke
 
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