After Hours

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24 replies

by purpleskys

that post is so old, it may not apply to whatever OS you are currently running...What operating system are you running and does it give you an error message? We do need a little more to go on.

by alehellas

The OS is XP pro after i did what was mentioned in the old post, i get:
Windows cannot access the specified device, path, or file.You may not have the appropriate permission to access the item. this is applied only to the files inside the folder
tnks

by seanferd

that while you are taking ownership of the folder, that permissions are inherited by the child objects (the files). Owning the folder does not automatically mean that you own the files. Check permissions on the files themselves and see.

You mention the file names are green text. They may be encrypted, then, and no matter what ownership you take, you will have to log in with the original owner's credentials on the original machine and OS, I do believe.

by alehellas

i'VE REINSTALL WINDOWS, THE OWNER ON THE PREVIOUS VERSION OF THE OS WAS ADMINISTRATOR AS IT IS NOW. BUT IT SEEMS DURING THE INSTALLATION THAT THE ACTUAL USER ADMINISTRATOR IS DIFFERENT FROM THE OLD ONE

by seanferd

This is, of course, assuming that the files were, in fact, encrypted. You know how Windows compressed files show up in blue? Maybe encrypted files show up in green, I don't know. I have never used Window encryption. Ask the original person who saved these files in their account.

But have you tried to make sure that you have actually taken ownership of the files in the folder?

If that fails, someone may be able to tell you how to re-create the original account so that the files may be accessed. You would need the original username and password for the account.

by alehellas

I was the administrator before the new xp installation, the file were actually encrypted,the only attribute that is not possible to change is Special Permission

by alehellas

i need to know how and if is possible to restore the old xp installation, in that way i can tell windows to use the old administrator folder as default.
thks to all of u for ur help

by seanferd

simply change your current Administrator account login to use you old username & password, and try it that way.

Otherwise, now that we have firmly identified the problem, I'll have to leave it to someone else who knows how to fix this to help. I could research the issue, but I wouldn't want to make an error which would irrevocably cost you the information you are trying to recover.

by alehellas

My old username was administrator like it is now, how do i change current administrator name?

by seanferd

Create a new administrator account with the correct password and name. Log into the new administrator account and try to take ownership of the files and access them.

by voldar

- download 'Unlocker' from the net
- using winexplorer, surf to the folder that has the files
- right-click on the folder and chose 'Unlocker'
- in the "action" case chose 'move' and then specify a new destination
- click OK

The folder will be moved to the new location and all the security it had will be lost, those on the files included. Now, you can move it back to its initial location and add the security you want (files included).
Good luck !

by voldar

where encrypted, forget about my first answer. Moving them will not allow you to decrypt them.

by alehellas

unlocker allow me to move item but the restriction still remain and the files arestill green. thanks for ur help

by alehellas

tried to change administrator, but u cannot create 2 accounts with the same name

by seanferd

You can always try reinstalling again if you aren't too far along, so you can try the admin account again. But you may want to wait for information from people who have dealt with this before.

You may even want to edit the title of your original post to something like "recover my encrypted files" to more specifically reflect on your problem.

by darryl~

I've sometimes used a "Winidows Boot CD" to access files outside the operating system & then copy them to a USB drive or something.

Have you tried that?

Here's a link to a popular Boot CD...

http://www.ubcd4win.com/

by seanferd

It took a long time to have this revealed, but it is the root of the problem.

I am personally not up to suggesting how to own and decrypt the files, aside from simply re-installing and creating the admin account with the same name and password as the original, if that even works. I wouldn't want to be responsible for complete and final destruction of the data. :0

I was sorta hoping Col would find this, as he always seems to know about this sort of thing. (As well as everything else, apparently. :D )

by darryl~

Sometimes you can do "certain" things once "outside" Windows...

I just wanted to give a "nudge" in another direction in case it hadn't been thought of.

And I agree....this is a "Col" issue....but probably dealt with more privately & not in an open forum (if you know what I mean) ;)

by seanferd

which are there, it's just the method or whether it is even possible that I'm looking for, not a "crack".

But if reinstalling and creating an account with the same name and password (or something similar) doesn't work, thew only other option is Expensive Forensic Recovery (abbr. SOL ;) ).

by darryl~

concerned about where it may lead....I've seen people jump in & make suggestions that are maybe not something you'd want to see in an open forum...I think you know what I mean...

But if they're will to spend a few bucks....there's a possibility that Encryption Analyzer from Passware may do the trick....it's worth looking into.

by seanferd

I was just hoping someone would pop in, and indicate whether a fix is an easy possibility, or if it is an, "Oh no, its hosed, take it to a data recovery house," type of gig.

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