Encryption no problem ... Decryption?

[edgarin8]

Hi guys, i have an odd problem in here, i used the encryption for some files in my computer when my user name in winxp was whatever, now after a while i have installed winxp so many times and with different user names that i dont remember the user name i had when i encrypted the files so now i can't acces the files, i tried taking ownership of the files with no succes, every time i try to decrypt a dialog box appears saying that access is denied when I in fact have full control over the file so I guess there must be something wrong with the encryption decryption of the file... right?, any help?

 

[Qumahlin]

No the file is fine...the problem is encryption works by encrypting the file using the SID of the user that created it...no 2 SID's are EVER alike...so even if you created an acct the exact same way with the same name as the one that encrypted the file you wouldn't be able to access it since the SID's wouldn't match...

In short terms...your kinda outta luck, anytime you encrypt files you should make sure you create whats called a recovery certificate that has the ability to decrypt them should something happen...

I'm sure there might be a way around it, but I don't know for certain sorry man

 

[gonaads]

Go to this link.
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q308993
It explains the how to's of unencrypting files, but in XP Pro.

 

[edgarin8]

well thanks anyways for ur help, the files were not that important, i just wanted to know if there was a way around it...

 

[darksfere]

...

well, but i could need some help.
win xp destroyed my user profile somehow
while it crashed (and yes, these things do happen).
so i still have my profile, but somehow its corrupt--
i cannot log into it. hence i cannot access my
encrypted data!... so i do have the ntuser.dat,
but how can one extract the right values
from there? (if the needed data is stored there
anyway)...

thanks for any help in advance,
regards darksfere

 

[Qumahlin]

If your profile is somehow corrupt the only thing you could do is login as the admin and try and try and fix whatever might of corrupted the profile...try logging in as the admin and going to the certificate screens where you can create a recovery certificate. see if that will allow you to access the folders. I'm not sure if as admin the recovery cert would work on another user profile, but you can always give it a shot.

 

[darksfere]

hi qumahlin & thanks for the reply.
but i don't know how to do that what you suggest me to do.
how to create a recovery certificate?
the only thing i can do is to switch to IE, open options
and there i do find a option "certificates"--
when opening it gives me the opportunity
to e.g. import a certificate.
is that the right menu to create a recovery certificate?

sorry for the maybe foolish question,
thanks again,
regards, darksfere

 

[daveqb]

just type encryption, or certificates in the help and support window and follow the related topics.

heaps of info there, i am reading it now