Denied Access to Encrypted Files After You Change Your Password (316994)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
  • Microsoft Windows XP Professional
This article was previously published under Q316994

SYMPTOMS

Under the following conditions, you may not be able to obtain access to your encrypted files:
  • You logged on to your computer in a workgroup or in a Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 domain.
  • You encrypted files on your local computer by using a local user account or a domain user account in the Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 domain.
  • You have changed your password.
  • You have logged on to your computer by using cached credentials when your computer is not on the network.

RESOLUTION

A supported hotfix is now available from Microsoft, but it is only intended to correct the problem that this article describes. Apply it only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem.

To resolve this problem, contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain the hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services phone numbers and information about support costs, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[LN];CNTACTMS

Note In special cases, charges that are ordinarily incurred for support calls may be canceled if a Microsoft Support Professional determines that a specific update will resolve your problem. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for the specific update in question.

The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in coordinated universal time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel.
   Date         Time   Version      Size     File name
   ----------------------------------------------------
   05-Feb-2002  22:56  5.1.2600.28  653,824  Lsasrv.dll       
   05-Feb-2002  22:55  5.1.2600.28  100,352  Msv1_0.dll

For additional information about a related hotfix, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

331333 User cannot gain access to certificate functionality after password change or when using a roaming profile

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, change your password back to the old password to obtain access to your encrypted files.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:10/18/2005
Keywords:kbHotfixServer kbQFE kbbug kbenv kbfix kbSecurity kbui kbWinXPsp1fix KB316994
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