Cannot access encrypted files 1

[creeps]

A user has encrypted their My Documents folder and when I try to decrypt the folder, Error message that the file is in use and access denied is given.
Anyone know of a way to now retrieve these files?

 

[wolluf]

The user concerned will have to retrieve them - that's the point of encryption. Why are you trying to access a user's encrypted files?

 

[pddxr]

There is a lot of stuff on tech net about this but it may be that you are locked out forever...

The only person that can decrypt it is the person that encrypted it and suposedly Domain Admins but you must have a Windows 2000 Server Domain Controller for this to work. When anyone uses 2000 folder encryption they need to be special careful to get the certificate and back it up so that if for some reason the user is deleted then anyone with this certificate can have access to the file. If the 2000 machine has windows reinstalled and the user added again windows will give that user a totally different CID and they will not have access to it either. Also the certificate will be totally different.

 

[imatthec]

As an adimin on a win2k machine you should be able to take ownership of the folder and then decrypt the folder. On a stand alone system the administrator is the default "keeper of the keys".

 

[wolluf]

http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/howitworks/security/encrypt.asp

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;223316

 

[creeps]

Company initiated a policy to encrypt the folder on all laptops. The user has now left the company and we need to access the files before redeploying the PC.
The environment is Win2K pro, Novell 4.81 client, and the user is Power user status on the laptops.

So from what I've read above, the files are totally lost.

 

[pddxr]

If your servers are Win2k then you may beable to backup the files to tape then dump them back onto a FAT32 partition. That would remove the encryption. I read something about that a couple years ago... Sorry I don't have docs to back it up.

Did you delete the user account from that laptop?

 

[creeps]

Replying to pddxr,

The files in question are on the laptop. The user account is still on the laptop. Tried changing the attributes on the hidden System Volume information folder, resetting the ownership of the files, and trying to access the files as local admin. This still did not work.

Any suggestions?

 

[pddxr]

If the user account is still on the laptop you should beable to logon with that account and get into the folders. Do you have the password to that account?

 

[creeps]

Thanks for all the help. Had to logon to the laptop without locally and bypass our Novell scripts. Was able to decrpyt the files after changing user back to a local admin.

 

[pddxr]

good deal