Novice system manager here.... Months after someone else reinstalled Windows XP for me (I had removed a virus for the first time but had some apparenlty corrupted files; and since I was a novice, I let a "professional" check that my system was clean and do the reinstallation)... I recently went to open an encrypted file in my encrypted folder. Couldn't get in. I was able to get into all files in the folder (just turn off encryption in Properties window) which were put there after the Windows reinstallation, but not before. I see about needing to add a recovery agent and took steps in mmc I got to the Add Recovery Agent Wizard. In there, when I browsed for my certificate information (to add me as the agent), the window popped up with my documents listed.... I see from HELP notes, that "Adding a recovery agent from a file indentifies the user as USER_UNKNOWN...:My question: Does this mean that if I add a file of mine in the Add recovery Agent Wizard list, that I will be adding my certificate, i.e. me as the recovery agent? Please help me out here, with whatever information you think which I need to get into these files. (P.S. files are backed up on hard disk, is that enough?) THX1 person needs an answerI do too