Windows 7 Windows 7 32bit, windows update OS failure complicated with kapersky encryption

[wavelet81]

So, I’m running windows 7 32 bit on my work pc and some new policies come down from corp. headquarters that all the pc’s hard drives need to be encrypted with kapersky and the have to be updated every month with windows updates else the pc will be booted from the network.

So, I reboot by pc one day and after the updates install. I type in the kapersky password but during the boot up the updates fail and automatically restart my computer. I can get past the kapersky login but cannot start the windows 7 operations system without the pc rebooting. Tried safe mode but doesn’t successfully install the drives to even get to a command prompt.

Apparently, the network administrator lost the server with the kapersky security key information on the network and now all my current project information is in-accessible.

Kapersky hasn’t been or cannot provide any help since the key was lost. The encryption is preventing we from turning the drive into a slave to gain access to the files. So, my only option is to dis the operating system or try to boot from another good copy somehow. How can I fix the operating system if it keeps rebooting the PC before I can gain access?

 

[Neemobeer]

Well my first thoughts would be that if this is a work computer your IT department should be working on this issue.

Any who if you have access to another computer with the encryption software you can hook the drive up to that computer and scan and decrypt the drive

This may not be the correct version, but I'd image the same procedure is available.
How to use the Encrypted Device Restore Utility in Kaspersky Endpoint Security 10 to restore an encrypted drive

 

[wavelet81]

Well my first thoughts would be that if this is a work computer your IT department should be working on this issue.

Any who if you have access to another computer with the encryption software you can hook the drive up to that computer and scan and decrypt the drive

This may not be the correct version, but I'd image the same procedure is available.
How to use the Encrypted Device Restore Utility in Kaspersky Endpoint Security 10 to restore an encrypted drive

I did go though our IS Dept. They tried to get another computer with same kapersky version and setup the other drive as a slave but it didn’t work. The IS dept basically told me that there was nothing they could do to recover the files and start over which I do not want to do.

I would have thought their would be a way to boot the system off stick OS temporarily to access the to the files. I can unlock the encryption software with the password but existing OS is messed up by the software updates and suck in a repeating power cycle of the laptop. If I could load off of a known good OS I would copy the files off and re-format the hard drive.

I was looking online and ran across an older video on YouTube showing some comboot software. It allowed you to boot from the usb drive to bypass the encryption. It was an older video and may no longer be valid.

 

[Neemobeer]

The slave drive option is the only way to access that data in it's current state, besides that the files are essentially lost. I find it odd you don't have mapped network drives for storing your work. Every place I've worked that is how we operate and tell people if they don't store there data on the network drives we don't guarantee any kind of recovery from work machines.

 

[nmsuk]

We'd warn users never to store on the local machine

 

[wavelet81]

So, I got lucky... I purchased a similar computer dell XFR rugid computer on eBay. I pulled the hard dive on my office laptop and installed and swapped the hard drive with one purchased from eBay and booted the computer and the typed in the kapersky password. The computer didn’t reboot on boot up. Instead it said “ failing configuring windows updates: revering changes. Do not tune off computer. “

Once it finished restoring, I then re-installed the hard drive on the office computer and it boots normally. I can think of no possible reason why this worked but it did. The stars must have just aligned. I was able to back up the files to a lacie drive and am in the process of purchasing a NAS system for the home to back up everything thing too.

My guess is that any further windows updates to this computer will fail in the future. I’ll keep it off the office network for now. They got me a windows 10 replacement computer and i’m Dealing with the software compatibility issues with all the HMI, PLC, and conductivity software issues with the equipment on the plant floor now. But at least I have access to all my project folders now.

I still cannot remove the encryption software since the key was lost on the network server failure but it’s a minor thing sine I can copy the files to another computer.