Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

Question

lost cryptainer volume

Aug 31, 2012 7:54AM PDT

My laptop is defunct but I have salvaged the hard drive intact. After reinstalling cryptainer on my new laptop I need to find the cryptainer volume on my old hard drive. This seems to be a hidden folder which I cant locate. I have mailed Cypherix but have not received a reply and there is nothing on the website to help. Can anyone help?

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
Answer
Re: encryption
Sep 1, 2012 12:46AM PDT

Yes, that's the risk of encryption: losing the encryption key and so losing all your data. That's why our standard advice is to always keep an unencrypted copy on a safe place (two safe places is even better).

I'm afraid that only the maker can help you. If they don't, contact www.lostpassword.com and ask for a quote. My guess is they will ask you to send them the disk.

If it's just the data you can't find, and not the key, see their page about "Backin up Chrystainer vaults" on http://www.cypherix.com/cryptainerle/online_help/index.html
It tells where to find the file in Windows 98, 2000 and XP.

Kees

- Collapse -
Answer
I'd try the maker's support site first.
Sep 1, 2012 1:05AM PDT
- Collapse -
lost cryptainer volume
Sep 1, 2012 3:07AM PDT

thanks everyone, I have now found the missing volume hidden in my documents. When I was trying to copy these to my new laptop it popped up with a file that was too big to transfer and that was it!

- Collapse -
Does that mean ...
Sep 1, 2012 6:29AM PDT

that you didn't have a backup of that data? Then you're lucky that it's just the laptop that crashed, and not the disk.
Or was it just a backup that was a few days old and didn't contain the most recent stuff?

Kees

- Collapse -
I think the unwritten message here is
Sep 1, 2012 6:53AM PDT

A few things.

1. We only lose what we don't backup.

2. My bet is this cryptainer file was over 4GB in size. Such files rarely can move over with a memory stick or some transfer programs.

After this many decades, it seems to me that it's time for such issues to be cured. The users are either going to have to learn more or suffer more loss.
Bob