Help with encryption key in Word 2007

[robert]

I have had 2 PC's running XP Pro prior to the current Vista Business
Nightmare one. On each, I created Word Docs, some which were saved to a
networked location (no domain). Others were saved on the local hard drive of
each computer.
When the hard drive failed on the Vista Nightmare PC, and I recovered the
files, they are now mostly unreadable. I am asked what type of encoding I
wish to use, with no choice bringing up anything but gobbledygook (I had to
look up the spelling on that one!).

I did manage to find 2 encryption keys, and copied them to a thumb drive.

Now how do I de crypt these files?

 

[Terry Farrell]

When it asks you select the encoding, it isn't meaning that it has been
deliberately encoded as in encryption. What it means is that Word does not
recognise the format and needs some help. However, what it really indicates
is that the document files are corrupt. There are several possible solutions
but probably they have been totally trashed from your description.

First, open Word and use File, Open to select a document and then use the
Open and Repair option.

If that fails, again select the file and chose the Recover Text from any
File option.

If that fails, try opening the document in WordPad.

If that fails, they are definitely blown.

How were the files recovered from the broken HDD?

 

[robert]

Hello Terry Thank you for taking the time to respond.

I will try your suggestions and report back, when I get into the office in a
little while.

The HDD was sent to Kroll Ontrack Data Recovery Services. After initial
eval, it was determined that there was recoverable data, about 66% is what I
got back.

The files were copied by Kroll onto a USB Drive, and shipped to me. There
are files that open just fine, and others that go with the gobbledygook. The
date the file was last opened or modified seems to have an impact on whether
or not they are readable. The dates on the two encryption keys are also in
rough timing with the behavior as well.

Kroll Ontrack is of the opinion the encryption keys are,well, key to this.
Their tech Dept has repeatedly promised to call and explain how to use the
keys to end this mess. This "miracle" call has not arrived in 3 weeks, and I
cannot seem to find anything on the subject on the webz, hence my post here.

But first I will try your suggestions, and then we'll know more.

 

[Terry Farrell]

Most bizarre. No one can 'guess' an encryption key - if they are really sure
that it is encrypted. The last time at looked at desktop security for an HP
notebook, the encryption was done using an HP tool and was dependant on the
hard drive serial number that is indelibly written to the hard disk. This
stops anyone from copying the encrypted files to another drive to read them.

Terry

 

[robert]

Hello Terry:

No is guessing, these keys were found by searching all the files that have
migrated from Computer A to Computer B. Computer B had the HDD crash. Both A
and B were running XP Pro, and Office XP. I searched for and found two keys,
with a .pfx extension, and was told by Kroll/Ontrack that these were the
encryption keys I needed, as they are related to each HDD from each of the
computers here known as A & B.

My current computer, known here as Vista Business Nightmare (I'll play nice
and not go off on THAT tangent) runs Office 2007 and is the one I am trying
to open these recalcitrant files with.

The files I am referring to (Word Docs in 99% of the cases) do not open in
Wordpad correctly, will not open correctly with Open > Repair. I could not
find a recover text option.

And now, for the best part. My business shares Word Docs with a sister
business via a web based storage solution. Lately, as in the last day or two,
many of the files uploaded by our sister company are now going to
gobbledygook too. For the last 2 years we have shared docs in this fashion
with nary a hitch in the git along, but now we have this to deal with too. I
queried the person in charge of uploading the files to see if they were doing
anything different, and they are not. I have at this point no reason to doubt
this, as they have not changed the method, nor the software nor for that
matter the PC used.

Hey, what a day, eh?

 

[Terry Farrell]

Can the sister company that uploaded the docs to the web store open them
still?

Terry

 

[robert]

They report no problems whatsoever

Can the sister company that uploaded the docs to the web store open them
still?

Terry

 

[Terry Farrell]

For a test to see if this is your installation of Office or if it is
something else corrupting the doc files, download the free Word Viewer from
Microsoft and see if that will open the doc files.

Terry

 

[robert]

No such luck.

At this point, I have also finally received a call from the folks that
recovered the data. They walked me through making the encryption keys I found
work. I must also report no success with their methods either. They maintain
the files are not corrupt.

So the soap opera continues.

For those in the future who are in a similar boat note the following:

If you have an issue with encrypted documents, then double click on the .pfx
file to import into your PC. In theory, this should work. It is working for
my data recovery folks, but not for me!

More as the situation ripens..........

 

[robert]

UPDATE:

After working systemically, I have isolated the files that present a
problem. They're last modified dates all fall on Oct 10th, while the data was
being recovered by Kroll Ontrack.

Since there are multiple files with other dates that do open, it seems
significant that these are limited to the ONE day.

At this point, still clueless.........................

 

[Terry Farrell]

In that case, one wonders if they were corrupt before Ontrack 'recovered'
them from the old disk and were beyond rescue at that time.

Terry