Cannot move some files from external HD after Windows reinstallation...

GSDog

GSDog

GSDog

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I just formatted my HD and reinstalled Windows. I added my external HD after the reinstallation to copy all of my backed up data, which includes video files, etc. For some strange reason I can only move some of files but not others...
I can play audio files and move them to this HD from the external HD, but I cannot seem to move or play 99% of my .avi movie files and I can't move my Mozilla firefox bookmarks file, etc.

I didn't have this problem before I reinstalled Windows as I was playing a movie earlier today and it worked fine... It seems since I reinstalled Windows I cannot move or use certain files from external HD.
Here is a screenshot of when I try to play a movie;

http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/4730/wmperrorqh6.jpg

And when I try to move the file from the external HD to my laptop;

http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/3082/movingvideofilesgo2.jpg

What could cause this?
 
I just tried the external HD on another computer and it had the same problem... so I don't think it is my computer afterall...

My external HD is encrypted with Truecrypt, so I don't know if that is causing it or not.
 
I think I might have found the problem...

When I browse through the folders and files in my external HD, some of the file and folder names are coloured green... and it's those files that I cannot open or move.
When I right click on the files or folders and go to properties > advanced -- I can see the "encrypt contents to secure data" box is ticked and this is on all the files that I cannot open.

This is what I get when I untick the box and click apply;

encrpytedkb4.jpg


Any idea how I decrypt those files? I am pretty sure Truecrypt didn't do it... and it isn't all my files... thankfully My Pictures and My Music seem OK.
 
Files highlighted in green have normally been encryted using microsofts inbuilt EFS (Encrypted file system) This is where you right click a file and select "Encrypt contents to secure data"

If this is what you have done it is bad news, if you have formatted the OS drive as you would have lost the decryption certificate.

When you encrypt a file uising EFS a local EFS certificate is generated that windows uses to encrypt and decrtpt data which is unique to that user account on that PC. So if you did not export this certificate there is no way to get the files back :eek:

M$ Realised that the average Joe Bloggs will not know this and in Vista when you first use EFS, a wizard runs and propmpts you and creates a backup.

In a local enviroment (non domain) there is no way to recover from this.
 
Thanks for that explanation. I had no idea about that and it means I have basically lost all my movies, emails, etc. :(

Oh well, **** happens and as you say there is nothing I can do now. :mad::(
Thankfully all my pictures and family stuff were not encrypted, so at least I still have the most important files. :)
 
ouch

in future if you want to use encryption, you can create a backup of your key, onto a floppy disc only i think
 
The weird thing is that a lot of the files, such as emails, were all archived as .rar and I am pretty sure I didn't chose to encrypt them... so I don't understand why or how they were encrypted...
 
I have another slight problem... I can't seem to delete the encrypted folders and some of the encrypted files...

I get this message;

deletewh2.jpg


Is it possible to delete them without formatting the drive?
 
Quite probably not - as the files are encrypted you have no rights to them at all which means that you don't even hold the "Delete" flag.
You're probably looking at a HD format to totally rid yourself of them.

Superplay:
I noticed your typo - it should have been MS and not M$ in your post.
Unless you were trying to sound like a 10 year old?
 
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