Hi, all, I have 2 questions based on a problem encountered when installing WinDVD 3.0 on a W2k professional. The installation went smoothly. When try to run the program, it shows a tip-window-like dialog says "system would need subsound system to run this program" and provides option "dont' show this message next time". When click on "ok", computer crashed and restarted. (Didn't go through shutdwon process just like pressing "restart" button). Then problem arises: 1. Win2k can not startup, last known good configuration, safe mode, safe mode with network, boot with logging, debugging mode...all don't work. After checking hard drive from the previous crash, it just go ahead reboot again. I did notice there was a blue message "start..." flashed before the reboot, but it's too quick to read the setence. It never gets to the login window. What method else would let me startup the w2k and uninstall WinDVD? 2. After install another installation of W2k on a different directory. I start the comuter and find I can not files under one directory that was using EFS (Encrypted File System). I know it was encrypted by the adminstrator on the previous W2k installation. And the adminstrator of new OS could not decyphor, he can delete the files though. I tried the following method, would not work: 1) Copy the file to a FAT volume, would not let me do that. 2) Backup and restore to a different NTFS folder, still encrypted and can not read. 3) Backup and restore to a FAT volume, would not let me do that. 4) Take ownership? Already the owner. 5) Uncheck the Encrypt option for the folder/files, not permitted. After all these, I have 2 startup options when booting, 1) The new installation works ok but can not read the EFS enabled folder. 2) The previous installation would not start up. Is it possible to modify the previous installation registry (files) from the second installtion? How? Any suggestion would be highly appreciated. Thanks. Layne

You lost me on some of your boot questions with WinDVD and you may want to call the vendor. If you made and updated the the ERD you may be able to recover from that. As far as EFS goes. If the user that encrypted those files no longer exists because of a reinstall of the OS and the Recovery Agent (which is the administrator by default) no longer exists, those file are not recoverable. Just because you are the administrator now is not good enough. A key was assigned to that file based on the user and the RA. If those two users are gone, so are the files.

#1 Try to reboot the machine and boot into safe mode. You should be able to uninstall the program then. #2 The local administrator cannot decrypt the folder. The admin is not always the Recovery agent either. You would have to be the EFS Recovery agent in order to recover the folder.

I can not boot the computer, even in Safe mode. That's why I try to install another OS on another directory to save files. Is it possible to modify the non-working OS Registry from the working OS startup? I can see the WINNT directory of the non-working OS installation. How? If I can manage to start up the system from previous installation, the EFS should be able to be decoded too. Thanks for your input.

Have the same problem but with Win XP. From what I understand I need to get my old private key.. which I didn't bother to backup :( cause I didn't know! The old copy of WinXP doesn't boot at all... normal/safe/command prompt nothing! I also can see all the files in the old OS except my encrypted directory (Documents and Settings) which is the only part I really need from it! Is there a way to find my encryption somewhere in the registry perhaps or a file on the old WinXP somewhere other than Documents and Settings? If I figure things out I'll be sure to post back... if anyone knows how to solve this problem, I'd appreciate it.. Thanks Jimmy