Help! Files "Access Denied"

[Ojaser6]

Help! When I was running XP, I put some personal files in a special encrypted folder, but I forgot to decrypt it when I backed it up to install Vista. Now, everytime I try to open one of the still encrypted files, I get the message saying "Access Denied". Does anyone have a solution to this? Thanks!

 

[Brink]

Hello Ojaser,

You might be able to use this program, or one like it, on it to gain access to it again.

Password recovery, forensics, system and security software from Elcomsoft Co.Ltd. - Advanced EFS Data Recovery

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[Ojaser6]

Yeah, um, do I go download it on The Pirate Bay or buy it or...?

Kind of too expensive, so is there an app like that which is free? Thanks!

Ojaser6

 

[roy69]

Dont pirate or talk about pirate activites, this site does not condone it.
There are plenty of free aps for password recovery, use google to search for them.

 

[patio]

How were the files encrypted ? ?
How did you manage to lose the password ? ?
How to take ownership of a file or a folder in Windows XP

The above may or may not work depending on what you've done...

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/67717-take-ownership-file.html

 

[Brink]

Yeah, um, do I go download it on The Pirate Bay or buy it or...?

Kind of too expensive, so is there an app like that which is free? Thanks!

Ojaser6

Ojaser,

You can use the free 30-day trial period for it.

As Roy posted, illegal activity is not allowed to be discussed here.

 

[Ojaser6]

OK...
That was a joke, sorry about that pirate stuff...
I am very forgetful, so it will probably happen again even after the trial has expired. I REALLY need a free program because I got my PASSWORDS in there, and I have forgotten them since I can't open the files. PLEASE, SOMEONE HELP!!!

 

[Ojaser6]

How were the files encrypted ? ?
How did you manage to lose the password ? ?
How to take ownership of a file or a folder in Windows XP

The above may or may not work depending on what you've done...

Patio, I have went to the same site for Windows Vista, and it doesn't help me. No, I have not lost the password, I don't even know what password ur talking about. All I know is that in the options menu for the folder, I checked "Encrypt" and the folder label turned green. I backed it up on my external hard drive, but I didn't decrypt it. Now once I reinstalled my OS to Vista, my folder label still shows up as green, but when I try to open a file inside the folder, a window pops up saying "Access Denied".

And, Patio, I'm running Windows Vista, not XP, so that site will not help me.

 

[lordbob75]

That sounds like you need to take ownership of the file.

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/67717-take-ownership-file.html

Ok...
- Right-click on the file you want to open.
- Click Properties.
- Under the General tab, at the end of the window you should be able to see a security option like this: Security: "This file came from another computer and might be blocked to help protect this computer."
- Click the button Unblock.
- Click Apply.

That may or may not work, but its worth a try.

~Lordbob

 

[Brink]

OK...
That was a joke, sorry about that pirate stuff...
I am very forgetful, so it will probably happen again even after the trial has expired. I REALLY need a free program because I got my PASSWORDS in there, and I have forgotten them since I can't open the files. PLEASE, SOMEONE HELP!!!

Well, I would purchase the program then, or see if you can find a free one with Google.

Taking ownership of the file will not help though since it was encrypted file. The only way to access the file is with the EFS certificate that you no longer have, or with a program like the one above.

For the future, you might backup your EFS certificates in case you need to restore them in situations like this.

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/99948-encrypted-file-system-efs-certificate-backup.html

and

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/99956-encrypted-file-system-efs-certificate-restore.html