How to decrypt files that i can decrypt?

[Ian Boyd]

i have two test files on my computer:
a.dat
b.dat

i am the Owner and have Full Control over both files. Both files are
encrypted with the same Encryption File System Certificate:

efsinfo /C

a.dat: Encrypted
Users who can decrypt:
JOSE-PC\Administrator (Ian)
Certificate thumbprint: 1E01 673B B646 8FBA 21A6 122A 2D1F 0629 7229
914D

b.dat: Encrypted
Users who can decrypt:
Unknown (Ian)
Certificate thumbprint: 1E01 673B B646 8FBA 21A6 122A 2D1F 0629 7229
914D

My login uses that same EFS Certificate:

efsinfo /Y

Your current EFS certificate thumbnail information on the PC named JOSE-PC
is:

1E01 673B B646 8FBA 21A6 122A 2D1F 0629 7229 914D

And yet one file i can decrypt (open, read, decrypt), the other i cannot.
What gives?

i know: these unanswerable questions suck.

[Meinolf Weber]

Hello Ian,

Did you encrypt both files with your account? Or is the second encrypted
with another account?

Best regards

Meinolf Weber
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[Ian Boyd]

> Did you encrypt both files with your account? Or is the second encrypted
> with another account?

One was restored from a backup.

[Meinolf Weber]

Hello Ian,

So what account has encrypted that file from the backup?

Best regards

Meinolf Weber
Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers
no rights.
** Please do NOT email, only reply to Newsgroups
** HELP us help YOU!!! http://www.blakjak.demon.co.uk/mul_crss.htm

>> Did you encrypt both files with your account? Or is the second

[Ian Boyd]

> So what account has encrypted that file from the backup?

The account named "Ian".

[Ian Boyd]

The frustrating thing is that i did everything you're supposed to do. i did
everything Microsoft says you should do. i had backups of my files, and i
had backups of my EFS certificate.