Recover encrypted files or folders

Applies to all editions of Windows Vista.
Which edition of Windows Vista am I using?

You can lose access to encrypted files if you install a new operating system or upgrade your current one, or if your current operating system fails. The following steps can help you regain access to encrypted files.

Notes

These steps can't be completed on Windows Vista Starter, Windows Vista Home Basic, and Windows Vista Home Premium.
You must have a backup copy of your encryption key and related certificate on a floppy disk or other removable media (such as a USB flash drive) to do the steps below.

Do one of the following:

•	To recover encrypted files stored on an external hard disk, connect the hard disk to the new computer.
•	To recover encrypted files that are stored on a different partition from your operating system, move the encrypted files to a computer that is working or install a functional operating system on the current computer.
•	To open encrypted files stored on a system partition after re-installing the operating system, follow the steps below to re-install your original certificate and key.

Insert the removable media that your certificate and key are saved on.

Open Certificate Manager by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button , typing certmgr.msc into the Search box, and then pressing ENTER.‌

Click the Personal folder.

Click the Action menu, point to All Tasks, and then click Import. This opens the Certificate Import wizard.

Click Next.

Type the location of the file that contains the certificate, or click Browse and navigate to the file's location, and then click Next.

If you have navigated to the right location but don't see the certificate you are importing, then, in the list next to the File name box, click Personal Information Exchange.

Type the password, select the Mark this key as exportable check box, and then click Next.

NoteDo not enable strong private key protection.

Click Place all certificates in the following store, confirm that the Personal store is indicated, click Next, and then click Finish.

After you import the certificate, you should have access to the encrypted files.

Recover encrypted files or folders

See also