I think my hard drive got encrypted

Question

I have a Seagate external hard drive with tons of pics and videos on it but when I opened it, there's a folder that says encryption folder and won't let me view past it. I can see the other folders and files but not actually view them. There's also a file that says adbkey but I can't do anything with it either. I tried to do the "properties, advanced, uncheck the encryption box but the box is shaded out and jeeps telling me I don't have access even tho I have full admin and ownership

Answer 1

The "adbkey" file is likely unrelated to the encryption issue. It's usually associated with Android development tools.

Download and install the Seagate Toolkit software from Seagate's website. This software often includes tools for managing encryption.

Seagate/Maxtor Manager - Encryption and Decryption

Answer 2

Hello,

The issue you’re experiencing might be due to the encryption on the folder/files. If the files were encrypted on a different system or with a different user account, you won’t be able to access them without the encryption key. Here are few things you can try:

Check User Permissions: Make sure you have the right permissions for the files/folders. Right-click the file/folder, select “Properties”, then “Security”. Check if your user account has full control. If not, edit the permissions, but be careful not to change permissions for system files.

Use the Original Account: If possible, try accessing the files from the original account/system they were encrypted on.

Decryption Software: If you used a third-party software to encrypt the files, you might need the same software to decrypt them.

https://www.seagate.com/gb/en/support/kb/access-denied-error-or-filefolder-permission-issues-on-an-external-drive-203795en/

Please Note: This response contains links to third parties, which we provide for convenience of reference, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the validity of any information and content in this link.

Best Regards,
Hania Lian

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