Unable to access encrypted/hidden files after Win 7 install


  1. Posts : 2
    Windows 7 Professional 64bit
       #1

    Unable to access encrypted/hidden files after Win 7 install


    Hi all,

    Recently my XP machine bite the dirt and on one of its IDE NTFS HD contained a few folders with hidden and encrypted files. Thinking this was a decent way to keep family members from touching my work, I never excepted them to become inaccessible after I installed Win 7 Pro 64bit.

    My problem is that I am unable to open, or move any of the encrypted and hidden files within the folders, yet I am able to only copy the folders, but without the files contained within, as I receive permissions errors.

    When I try to move one of the files, I get a File Access denied error stating "You'll need to provide administrator permission to copy this file", I press continue, and I get another error "Your require permission from Administrators to make changes to this file".

    My user account "Mark" is an Administrator within the Administrators group, and I have set User Acccount Control to it's default setting. I have also enabled the hidden default Administrator account, logged in as it, and receive the same errors. If it makes any difference, the username of my XP machine was PHOENIX/Administrator

    When I view the file attributes, Read-only, and Hidden are not selected, but under Advanced "Encrypt Contents" is selected. If I click details, I receive an EFS error "Unable to find the user information for the file", and another window appears called User Access with all of its options grayed out.

    If I took at the Security Tab of one of the files, it says "You must be an administrative user with permissions to view this objects security properties", I click continue, and it shows the Administrators group (PHOENIX\ Administrators) with allow full control selected. After pressing ok, I click on Advanced, I click on the Owner Tab, and current Owner says "Unable to display current Owner", so I click on Edit, and I have the option to change owner to PHOENIX\ Administrators or PHOENIX\Mark, I chose Mark, press Apply and close and reopen the windows. I then try to move the file again, but this time the error says "I need permission from PHOENIX\Mark to make changes to the file"


    I've had no problems accessing the other files from the XP HD, but I've spent weeks now combing forums for solutions, and I just can't access the hidden and encrypted files from the XP hard drive. I was able to access one encrypted and hidden spreadsheet without a problem, so I don't understand why I cannot access these two groups of folders and the files within their subfolders. I've spent days trying to figure this out, it seems simplistic, but I am also new to Windows 7. Sorry for the novel.

    I'm sure other people have experience this problem, but I would greatly appreciate any suggestions. It seems so simplistic, but so frustrating at the same time.

    Thanks a bunch,

    Mark
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 2
    Windows 7 Professional 64bit
    Thread Starter
       #2

    I just read an article about recovering the encryption certificates from XP and importing them into Windows 7, and I noticed that my xp username was PHOENIX\Mark... which is the same as on Win7 machine.. if that makes any difference. Also, I noticed, that I am actually not able to access Any of the encrypted files from the XP HD.
      My Computer


 

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