Windows 10: Random files deleted, Encrypting File System certificate created

Hi all, so TLDR: Files randomly deleted (maybe somehow hidden?) at around 16:39 today. Here's some of the info:

Windows version: 10.0.18363 Build 18363

Microsoft Visual Studio 2019, Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio, Android Emulator were all running when this happened.

I added a new certificate earlier in the day (dotnet dev-certs https --trust) for .NET core web service development certificate (more info here: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-gb/xam...l-web-services).

I also added a NuGet package for checking my web service routes: routedebugger by Phil Haack (sounds dodgy but a couple of million people use it, so...)

IIS Server Manager could also be a culprit, as it essentially creates new users for each site/service/whatever you want to host.

At approximately 16:39, I couldn't access my web service that I hosted on IIS (locally). It just said the entire folder has gone.

I checked my D drive, and it's only some files on my D drives, and they've gone missing. The key files are:

ssms.exe which is the executable file for Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio (that was running before the files were deleted/hidden/whatever has happened to them). However, the rest of the SSMS folder is still there (from what I can tell), it's only the exe that has vanished...

Photoshop.exe (same with above, the folder and all the relevant files are still there apart from Photoshop exe.)

OBS.exe which is a video recording/streaming software. Weirdly, the entire folder has vanished...

Visual Studio is still there, however a bunch of my .cs files from a few of my projects have all vanished, and I'm an idiot for not backing them up more regularly.. I just didn't think this would happen.

Now I'm looking at this encryption key certificate that was created pretty much EXACTLY the time the files went missing, and I also got an alert about me backing up the encryption key. I didn't back it up but I'm guessing it was talking about this new key it had just created anyway, which I have here in the Encryption File System program.

The thing is though when you or I encrpyt a file, it doesn't get removed or hidden, it just has a lock on it... so where the hell have these files gone and why have they been potentially deleted in the first place?

I understand it's an extremely odd set of events, but would any of you intelligent people have any idea of what is happening here? Feeling very depressed that I've lost my work. The apps aren't a huge problem, just that I've lost a lot of work that I've been working on over the past few weeks and I was an idiot for not backing it up...

Thanks for reading and please let me know if you need more info.

:)

 

Windows 10 Encryption/Decryption of Folders/Files 'Certificate'

Hi,

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community.

To understand the issue better, I suggest you to answer the below question.

• Were you able to Encrypt the data?
• Did you get any error message?
• What exact issue are you facing with Encryption and Decryption?

Note: The first time you encrypt a folder or file, an encryption certificate is automatically created. You should back up your encryption certificate.
If your certificate and key are lost or damaged and you don't have a backup,
you won't be able to use the files that you have encrypted.

Keep us posted to help you better.

 

URGENT!! Decrypt files after deleting encryption certificate

Dear community

This is very urgent and i can't come up with a solution by my own. I'm getting scared that the mess i created isn't fixable.

A while back i created an EFS encryption for my Laptop. As i'm not really an IT expert, i didn't really know what i was doing so i was surprised that now all files i create on my computer were automatically encrypted. What i actually wanted was to encrypt specific files. But i left it for quite a long time because i didn't find a solution to reverse it. It really started to annoy me that i had to decrypt my files every time i wanted to transfer them to another computer. Today i was so annoyed that i tried again to find a solution. I googled and found an instruction on how to delete the encryption certificate. Without really thinking i assumed that by deleting the thing i created some time ago, all the files would decrypt and my problems would be solved. So i didn't hesitate and deleted the certificates. Now all my files are s encrypted, but i can't decrypt them separately anymore.

All my files from university are on this computer and i can't access or decrypt them anymore.

Does anyone have an advice on how to solve this?

Thank your for your help

 

Windows XP file encryption

LOL thanks, I think its standard windows XP file encryption