recover encrypted files

I was hoping someone can help. I encrypted my "My
Documents" folder and my PC crashed and could not boot
anymore. Well to make a long story short I bought a new
PC (it was time for one) and now obviously can not access
my documents folder on the old hard drive. It is there
and I can see it, but that is it.

Please tell me that there is a way to open those files
and copy them to my new documents folder.

I thought maybe if I rename my current PC to the old one
it would allow me to do so. Any suggestions? I am
desperate. Thanks.
Karin

BTW- if you can help can you e-mail me please?

If you actually encrypted the files, there's no way to access them unless
you saved the encryption certificates. If this is simply a file access
issue,
this sounds like a file ownership issue related to NTFS. Note, file
ownership and permissions supersede administrator rights. How you resolve
it depends upon which version of XP you are running.



XP-Home



Unfortunately, XP Home using NTFS is essentially hard wired for "Simple File
Sharing" at system level.

However, you can set XP Home permissions in Safe Mode. Reboot, and start
hitting F8, a menu should eventually appear and one of the
options is Safe Mode. Select it. Note, it will ask for the administrator's
password. This is not your administrator account, rather it is the
machine's administrator account for which users are asked to create a
password during setup.

If you created no such password, when requested, leave blank and press
enter.

Open Explorer, go to Tools and Folder Options, on the view tab, scroll to
the bottom of the list, if it shows "Enable Simple File Sharing" deselect it
and click apply and ok. If it shows nothing or won't let you make a change,
move on to the next step.

Navigate to the files, right click, select properties, go to the Security
tab, click advanced, go to the Owner tab and select the user that was logged
on when you were refused permission to access the files. Click apply and
ok. Close the properties box, reopen it, click add and type in the name of
the user you just enabled. If you wish to set ownership for everything in
the folder, at the bottom of the Owner tab is the following selection:
"Replace owner on subcontainers and objects," select it as well.

Once complete, you should be able to do what you wish with these files when
you log back on as that user.



XP-Pro



If you have XP Pro, temporarily change the limited account to
administrative. First, go to Windows Explorer, go to Tools, select Folder
Options, go to the View tab and be sure "Use Simple File Sharing" is not
selected. If it is, deselect it and click apply and ok.



If you wish everything in a specific folder to be accessible to a user,
right click the folder, select properties, go to the Security tab, click
Advanced, go to the Owner tab,
select the user you wish to have access, at the bottom of the box, you
should see a check box for "Replace owner on subcontainers and objects,"
place a check in the box and click apply and ok.

The user should now be able to perform necessary functions on files in the
folder even as a limited account. If not, make it an admin account again,
right click the folder, select Properties, go to the Security tab and be
sure the user is listed in the user list. If not, click add and type the
user name in the appropriate box, be sure the user has all the necessary
permissions checked in the permission list below the user list, click apply
and ok.

That should do it and allow whatever access you desire for that folder even
in a limited account.






--
Michael Solomon MS-MVP
Windows Shell/User
Backup is a PC User's Best Friend
DTS-L.Org: http://www.dts-l.org/

"Kare" <karinbaron@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:08c101c39b00$5d06fc30$a501280a@phx.gbl...

> I was hoping someone can help. I encrypted my "My
> Documents" folder and my PC crashed and could not boot
> anymore. Well to make a long story short I bought a new
> PC (it was time for one) and now obviously can not access
> my documents folder on the old hard drive. It is there
> and I can see it, but that is it.
>
> Please tell me that there is a way to open those files
> and copy them to my new documents folder.
>
> I thought maybe if I rename my current PC to the old one
> it would allow me to do so. Any suggestions? I am
> desperate. Thanks.
> Karin
>
> BTW- if you can help can you e-mail me please?

I don't remember if I saved the encryption certificate.
I am running Windows XP, and already trasferred the
owenership - whereas I can see the files and folders, but
can not (obviously) access them.
Where would I look for the certificate and what are the
steps then? Are there any other ways?
Thanks tons

Karin

>-----Original Message-----
>If you actually encrypted the files, there's no way to

access them unless

>you saved the encryption certificates. If this is

simply a file access

>issue,
>this sounds like a file ownership issue related to

NTFS. Note, file

>ownership and permissions supersede administrator

rights. How you resolve

>it depends upon which version of XP you are running.
>
>
>
>XP-Home
>
>
>
>Unfortunately, XP Home using NTFS is essentially hard

wired for "Simple File

>Sharing" at system level.
>
>However, you can set XP Home permissions in Safe Mode.

Reboot, and start

>hitting F8, a menu should eventually appear and one of

the

>options is Safe Mode. Select it. Note, it will ask for

the administrator's

>password. This is not your administrator account,

rather it is the

>machine's administrator account for which users are

asked to create a

>password during setup.
>
>If you created no such password, when requested, leave

blank and press

>enter.
>
>Open Explorer, go to Tools and Folder Options, on the

view tab, scroll to

>the bottom of the list, if it shows "Enable Simple File

Sharing" deselect it

>and click apply and ok. If it shows nothing or won't

let you make a change,

>move on to the next step.
>
>Navigate to the files, right click, select properties,

go to the Security

>tab, click advanced, go to the Owner tab and select the

user that was logged

>on when you were refused permission to access the

files. Click apply and

>ok. Close the properties box, reopen it, click add and

type in the name of

>the user you just enabled. If you wish to set ownership

for everything in

>the folder, at the bottom of the Owner tab is the

following selection:

>"Replace owner on subcontainers and objects," select it

as well.

>
>Once complete, you should be able to do what you wish

with these files when

>you log back on as that user.
>
>
>
>XP-Pro
>
>
>
>If you have XP Pro, temporarily change the limited

account to

>administrative. First, go to Windows Explorer, go to

Tools, select Folder

>Options, go to the View tab and be sure "Use Simple File

Sharing" is not

>selected. If it is, deselect it and click apply and ok.
>
>
>
>If you wish everything in a specific folder to be

accessible to a user,

>right click the folder, select properties, go to the

Security tab, click

>Advanced, go to the Owner tab,
>select the user you wish to have access, at the bottom

of the box, you

>should see a check box for "Replace owner on

subcontainers and objects,"

>place a check in the box and click apply and ok.
>
>The user should now be able to perform necessary

functions on files in the

>folder even as a limited account. If not, make it an

admin account again,

>right click the folder, select Properties, go to the

Security tab and be

>sure the user is listed in the user list. If not, click

add and type the

>user name in the appropriate box, be sure the user has

all the necessary

>permissions checked in the permission list below the

user list, click apply

>and ok.
>
>That should do it and allow whatever access you desire

for that folder even

>in a limited account.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>--
>Michael Solomon MS-MVP
>Windows Shell/User
>Backup is a PC User's Best Friend
>DTS-L.Org: http://www.dts-l.org/
>
>"Kare" <karinbaron@earthlink.net> wrote in message
>news:08c101c39b00$5d06fc30$a501280a@phx.gbl...

new

access

one

>
>
>.
>

I don't have any experience with encryption but you might want to have a
look at the following Knowledge Base Article, it might help dealing with
this issue:
http://tinyurl.com/sfoz
--
Michael Solomon MS-MVP
Windows Shell/User
Backup is a PC User's Best Friend
DTS-L.Org: http://www.dts-l.org/

<anonymous@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:085001c39bc8$9b75a9d0$a101280a@phx.gbl...

> I don't remember if I saved the encryption certificate.
> I am running Windows XP, and already trasferred the
> owenership - whereas I can see the files and folders, but
> can not (obviously) access them.
> Where would I look for the certificate and what are the
> steps then? Are there any other ways?
> Thanks tons
>
> Karin
>
>

> access them unless

> simply a file access

> NTFS. Note, file

> rights. How you resolve

> wired for "Simple File

> Reboot, and start

> the

> the administrator's

> rather it is the

> asked to create a

> blank and press

> view tab, scroll to

> Sharing" deselect it

> let you make a change,

> go to the Security

> user that was logged

> files. Click apply and

> type in the name of

> for everything in

> following selection:

> as well.

> with these files when

> account to

> Tools, select Folder

> Sharing" is not

> accessible to a user,

> Security tab, click

> of the box, you

> subcontainers and objects,"

> functions on files in the

> admin account again,

> Security tab and be

> add and type the

> all the necessary

> user list, click apply

> for that folder even

> new

> access

> one