Help with decrypting a folder the files within...

cyrius1995 · 18 Jun 2011

I have a folder with several subfolders that I encrypted sometime ago. Now I want to go back and look at the images contained within however I cannot get the folder or any of the files to decrypt.

I have used cipher and takeown in a command prompt window as suggested on a couple of sites I found via Google. However whilst the properties now show that I have full access to the files it will not decrypt them.

Can anyone suggest where I might look for a solution? I am fairly confident that I have not used any external software to encrypt the files just Windows 7 own built in encryption but am at a loss to explain why the files will not decrypt now :-(

logicearth · 18 Jun 2011

reinstalled the OS at any point during the time they were encrypted?

cyrius1995 · 18 Jun 2011

I think I did not long after I installed Windows 7 or it may have been a roll-back to avoid problems with an install. Would that have an effect?

logicearth · 18 Jun 2011

Could possibly wiped out the encryption key that was used to encrypt. Without that key....its impossible to recover.

cyrius1995 · 18 Jun 2011

Oh bugger it! Is there any software out there that might be able to help me? I only use 2 or 3 different passwords when it comes to stuff like this so would it be possible to generate a new key?

logicearth · 18 Jun 2011

Unless you can recovery the exact key that was used you won't be able to...It kind of would defeat the purpose of encryption if it could be defeated with a simple brute force attack. But I don't know if what you did really affected the encryption key. However, if you didn't take the advice of the warning you get when you first encrypt to backup the key...well. o.o

cyrius1995 · 19 Jun 2011

Well I have the key, I did a data recovery and found it but I keep getting told I need to provide administrator permission to change the attributes. Then when I click to continue I get told there is an error.