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| Acmlm's Board - I3 Archive - Hardware / Software - So I guess I did the computer equivalent of locking my keys in my car |
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BlackNemesis13 Micro-Goomba                  Since: 02-28-06 From: In my own little world Last post: 6324 days Last view: 6299 days |
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After looking around for a while, it looks like I'm probably screwed here but figured I'd ask here anyway as a last resort. I encrypted some files on my hard drive with the windows EFS a while ago and didn't really think much about it. But now I have a problem. I recently completely formatted my hard drive (not just a new windows installation) so now windows no longer recognizes me as the author of the files and wont let me access them. I know its my own fault, I should have turned off the encryption before I formatted, but I knew pretty much nothing about EFS and it never occurred to me that formatting my drive would lock me out of my files. But at least nothing too important was lost and I know now not to do it again in the future. Ive looked around for a solution but everywhere either says "I've screwed myself" or "give us $90+ and MAYBE we can help (not happening  )" Anyone here know some way I can still access my encrypted files? I do have one or two that would be a major pain to start over again from scratch, but even they aren't the end of the world if I have to. At least I didn't encrypt my entire Cdrive like I was going to at one point! |
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spiroth10 Paratroopa   Since: 01-28-06 From: USA Last post: 6300 days Last view: 6299 days |
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| uhh... you can format an HDD without removing the OS?!?!?!?
I dunno, last time I checked, a format erased the contents of your hard drive completely. Sounds to me like you didn't actually format it. If you did, windows would not be installed on the HD (nothing would). dunno about the encryption, but if a format works, completely reformat the HD, and install windows on it when the thing is totally blank. if that doesnt work, go buy a new HD at Best Buy... |
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Ailure Mr. Shine I just want peace...   Since: 11-17-05 From: Sweden Last post: 6300 days Last view: 6299 days |
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Above user have no idea how filesystems work. Formatting is just another word for preparing a filesystem on a storage. Usually the process destroys the previous filesystem, which is why some people uses that to start over.  Getting a new HD wouldn't help his problem at all...
Google reveals that there's something called "EFS recovery agent" for doing what you want, but I don't find any insturctions on how to use it... and I suspect it's something that isn't in Windows XP home edition so I can't really check. (edited by RainbowKitty on 12-20-06 11:31 PM) |
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BlackNemesis13 Micro-Goomba Since: 02-28-06 From: In my own little world Last post: 6324 days Last view: 6299 days |
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| I have 2 Hard drives. One doesn't have an operating system on it, I just use it as extra storage. I moved all of my files to that Ddrive before completely formatting my Cdrive which is the drive with windows on it. And yes I completely reformatted the Cdrive. Nothing was on it and I installed windows again when it was totally blank. I can access all of my other files on the Ddrive fine, but it won't allow me access to the encrypted ones saying im not authorized to do so. | |||
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spiroth10 Paratroopa Since: 01-28-06 From: USA Last post: 6300 days Last view: 6299 days |
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| sorry, I just have never actually been given a definition for formatting, only prior experience to what I've done myself, and read of in books/tutorials.
first time in a while I actually didn't know what I was talking about. I can't apologize enough. |
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BlackNemesis13 Micro-Goomba Since: 02-28-06 From: In my own little world Last post: 6324 days Last view: 6299 days |
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Originally posted by RainbowKitty It seems the EFS Recovery Agent is just another name for whoever is allowed to access the file. Everything on those sites instructs you how to restore the original EFS recovery agent's private key to the the files so it will recognize you as the original creator, but in order to do that you must have already created a backup of the original private key as the original EFS recovery agent. I could have done this before I formatted, but I can't now because since I formatted, I'm no longer recognized as the original recovery agent. |
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||bass Administrator  Since: 11-17-05 From: Salem, Connecticut Last post: 6301 days Last view: 6299 days |
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| Your EFS key is gone. You will never ever ever ever ever get your files back. Forget about them, you're wasting your time. | |||
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BlackNemesis13 Micro-Goomba Since: 02-28-06 From: In my own little world Last post: 6324 days Last view: 6299 days |
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Originally posted by RainbowKitty It seems the EFS Recovery Agent is just another name for whoever is allowed to access the file. Everything on those sites instructs you how to restore the original EFS recovery agent's private key to the the files so it will recognize you as the original creator, but in order to do that you must have already created a backup of the original private key as the original EFS recovery agent. I could have done this before I formatted, but I can't now because since I formatted, I'm no longer recognized as the original recovery agent. Edit: "The encryption process is based on keys. Therefore, the question that you’ll have to ask yourself before you begin the decryption process is “do the keys still exist”? For example, suppose that a key employee encrypted all of their data and then walked off of the job. In such a situation, there’s a good chance that the user’s keys still exist on the hard disk of their PC. If that’s the case, you can simply reset the user’s password, log on as the user from the user’s PC and then decrypt the files. However, this technique won’t work if the keys are missing. For example, if the user knew the location of the keys and erased them, then logging on as that user wouldn’t do any good. Likewise, suppose that a legitimate user’s hard disk went bad. If this hard disk contained the user’s keys then there’s no easy way of decrypting the users files, even if the files were stored on a different hard disk or on a network partition." Yeah looks like the only way I can access these files is by having the original private keys which I destroyed all trace of when I formatted my drive. Well, sucks to be me I guess |
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emcee Red Super Koopa Since: 11-20-05 Last post: 6300 days Last view: 6299 days |
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| Did you do a full format or quick format? | |||
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D 2007 D Since: 02-19-06 Last post: 6347 days Last view: 6347 days |
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| I was under the impression that an EFS encryption was just based off your NT user password. | |||
neotransotaku Sledge Brother Liberated from school...until MLK day  Since: 11-17-05 From: In Hearst Field Annex... Last post: 6302 days Last view: 6299 days |
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| For a personal computer for private use, what is the need of encryption? I can understand if you keep sensitized data on the computer, like your financial history w/ SSN and stuff like that. But if all you have are games, homework assignments, and music then um...yeah. | |||
FreeDOS + Giant Red Koopa Legion: freedos = fritos  Since: 11-17-05 From: Seattle Last post: 6299 days Last view: 6299 days |
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| You should be able to change your password back to your old one and access them again... unless Microsoft fixed that vulnerability (it worked in Windows 2000 anyhow). | |||
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D 2007 D Since: 02-19-06 Last post: 6347 days Last view: 6347 days |
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Originally posted by neotransotaku Don't question his reasoning for having encrypted files; that isn't the point of this thread. |
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BlackNemesis13 Micro-Goomba Since: 02-28-06 From: In my own little world Last post: 6324 days Last view: 6299 days |
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Originally posted by neotransotaku well I'll answer anyway fyi. I do keep some sensitized data on it, mostly stuff for quick reference. I encrypted the folder with all of those type of files in one place as well as whatever else was in the folder since my computer isn't exactly organized. I didn't really know anything about EFS but figured it couldn't hurt as a precaution for that folder. I also tried changing my NT user password, and tried a few other methods I found on google before asking here but none of them worked. Ive pretty much accepted the loss of that folder at this point. |
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FreeDOS + Giant Red Koopa Legion: freedos = fritos Since: 11-17-05 From: Seattle Last post: 6299 days Last view: 6299 days |
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| Well, maybe next time you'll remember to keep backups. You could also see if your bank has a safe you can use, to store CDs/DVDs of your backups (suppose your house catches fire and your backups are in your house, the whole point would have been defeated). |
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