I also am having an identical problem to some of the others. I have encrypted pictures and files on a secondary drive and due to a system error i re-installed server 2003 on the main drive...hence wiping out the user profile that created the encryption.
How can i recover the files as i did not see any resolution comments in response to that.
please help....I'd hate to lose those pictures.

Eric2/19/2005 10:25:57 PM

I have a MAJOR PROBLEM...Its complicated to explain. But try to understand what happened.

I tried to do a home network using Windows 2003 Server Enterprise (Active Directory), and connected my Windows XP Pro to it.

Somehow some of my personal files kept on D:\\ got ENCRYPTED on my XP machine, which I dont remember doin it.

Because I couldnt get Active Directory to do what I wanted (a friend managed to do it on his PC), I decided to scrap the Server installation, and put XP on the server as well.

I tried to view the files on my 1st XP machine, and it wouldn't let me do anything with the files. I found out they got encrypted with EFS, and now I can't decrypt them.The Recovery Agent that was on the Server's HD has been formatted and put into another PC, which I have sold. So I no longer own that HD.

So no I'm stuck here without any Recovery Agent, or any way of decrypting my files.

I have tried EFSINFO and CIPHER, but it wont let me. Somehow, the files don't even recognise my several standard passwords. NOBODY else has used my PC's, I KNOW that.

I have tried a number of software. One program finds the decrypted files, and asks me for a password (which I don't know anymore), but I can't find a Password Recovery software for EFS encrypted files.

PLEASE can someone help me with this, or the whole problem I have. I don't even have a Recovery Agent or Certificates.

Anonymous User 12/24/2004 6:11:40 AM

i have deleated the user profile of the encrypted user. I try to decrypt files, login as administrator. but no use. what shall i do. can i decrypt.

issay 12/21/2003 10:21:49 AM

I found the article very informative and interesting.
I am in the following trouble. I have had some files decrypted in drive D. Since my operational system had some trouble, I decided to format my disk without however exporting the keys for encryption. As a result, I can not access important files (those encrypted). Do you have any suggestion?
Thanks in advance

Sofoklis karapidakis 12/12/2003 12:40:55 AM

Could anyone tell me how can in decrypt a file which is encrypted by a user. I know that only the user can open it and there is a recovery agent who can do it. I added the recovery agent but still when I open the file I find the
access denied message. Can some tell me the complete process of decryping the file. I will be greatful

thanks.

Jan5/4/2003 11:44:43 PM

Hello everybody!! I have a problem. I had fat& NTFS partition. on fat I have win 98 & on NTFS win2000prof.
I formatted the FAT partition .Then I wasnot able tologon. Myproblem is that I had a user in Win2000 whose data was on EFS partition. When I format fat partiotn I was not able to boot throght win2000. Now I want t o recover win2000 users data which Iwas not able to recover as I installed another windows 2000 over the previous windows 2000. So the previous users were not able to logon & I am not able to recover te data by new administrator of win2000 which I instaalled recently. plz do help me how to recover it. If with recovery agent it is possible than how & from which site I canget recovery agent.

anil12/9/2001 4:19:32 AM