Windows 10: EFS Certificate issue!!!!

Hi. Here's what happened.

I encrypted my files with EFS a while ago and I THINK I backed up the certificate.
I moved a bunch of files over to a new HDD, copied the User folder from the old SSD, ran Samsung Disk Erase Manager on the SSD, and installed New Windows 10.
Of course, some of the files are still encrypted.
I tried opening the certificate I saved in an attempt to decrypt the files, but it either didn't work, or the certificate isn't getting accepted/recognized(I checked certmgr.msc it doesn't show up).

Is there anything that I could possibly do?
I have found the User/app data/my certificates folder with TWO certificates (not in standard cert file format though). Can I use these somehow?

Is there any way for me to completely recover my old OS or anything? I've only written ~20gb of new data on the SSD after I erased it.

I would appreciate any help. Thank you.

:)

 

Surface Pro 4 and External Hard Drive

Perhaps some encryption issue with efs?

EFS installed on Mac, but certificate not installed on SP4?

Best wishes from Wulf Gerdts

 

EFS

Also try regenerating a new EFS certificate manually.

But before you do that make sure all your files you have turned OFF the EFS if it happens to be on or else you will be locked permanently out of those files.

Once you do that go to search and type certmgr.msc

Then open up the console and go to Personal - Certificates.

Find the one with intended purposes of EFS and delete it.

Close certmgr.msc

Then try EFS encrypt again.

 

I had the same issue. I'd encrypted some files using EFS. I did a clean install of Windows 10, forgot to migrate the previous certificate (it doesn't do this by default) almost resigned to the fact that all my encrypted migrated files where locked forever. All I'd done was import the WRONG certificate, one of three I had backed-up on an external drive (.pfx). Check the "thumbprint" (details/properties tab) of the files you EFS encrypted and can't open, against all Certificates you've created (saved externally or imported to your Personal store in Cert Mgr, must have passwords too) - hopefully you'll find a match. Good luck.

 

I had also inexplicably saved the Cert I needed as a .txt file which is partly why I couldn't find it. If you've just saved it with an incorrect extention, copy the original, save it to a USB in the correct .pfx format and try reimporting it.