Decription after a re-install...hense lost the key!! Pleas

[Guest]

I encrypted all my personal files on my computer... just cuz it made me feel all warm and snuggly.

 

Well, I had to reinstall Windows 2000 yesterday, meaning I re-formatted....the whole shabang.

 

I didn't think to unencrypt, or save my key. So, therefore I'm not allowed to unencrypt or even access any of those really important files. I went into the Os's help and got a ton of ideas, but I don't know up from down... especially now that I read the help.

 

It has to do with certificates... which I found and tinkered with... to no avail. The button that says "Create new certificate" or something along those lines does not work for some reason.... it gives me an error.

 

I also played with the "snap-ins".

 

Anyways to make a long story short (too late), I need to set myself up with a public or universal key so that I can unencrypt the files that I encrypted on my last installation of Windows 2000.

 

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---Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.---

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Pentium II 450@504 4.5X112

128MB PC100 SDRAM

Diamond Viper V770 Ultra

Sound Blaster Live! Value

Seagate 13.6 Gig 7200RPM ATA/66

Western Digital 13.4 Gig 7200RPM ATA/66

Quantum 8.3 Gig

36X Acer CD Rom

Viewsonic PS790 19" Sweet as Heck Monitor

3Com NIC

Lexmark 5700 Printer

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[Guest]

Anybody?

Hello?

[tOke 0]

I can only suggest setting up a user account with the same user name and password as what you had before (using the password when you first used the account).

 

It all depends how the encryption key contained in your personal certificate is generated. If it sticks your password through a one way fixed length hash generator then you may be ok. If it is produced in a random way then I can't see a way around it.

 

If you have got any ERU disks (like who has), they may contain a backup of your personal certificate.

 

If anyone has any info how this whole encryption thing works in w2k I would also be interested.

 

 

 

[This message has been edited by tOke (edited 21 April 2000).]

[Guest]

I've already tried the user account thing. It's all the same.... no luck.

 

I know there is a way... there is a ton of "help" in the help files. But it's not very clear. It has to do with assigning a "recovery agent".... which I've done but it doesn't work.

 

I dunno. Please keep this thread going.. I need these files pronto!

[marlyman 0]

send me a file, il look into it

[Guest]

Any luck? There's tons of documentation on it but nothing seems to work.. or maybe I'm just doing it wrong.

 

Anybody with any input, please post a reply!

[Bursar 0]

There hasn't been any movement here for a while, so I don't know if you still want info on this or what..

 

Anyway, if you encrypt files using Windows 2000, and then trash your Win2k installation and re-install, you cannot regain access to the encrypted files.

 

The key used is unique and you cannot recreate it.

 

The official Microsoft solution to this is to unencrypt your files first, then reinstall, and then reencrypt the files.

 

Sorry its bad news.

[Guest]

Yeah, i figured.

 

Thanx anyways!