Password Protected PST

Any Microsoft Outlook security experts out there?

I have the foresight to do regular backups of my files, so when my computer died it wasn't that big a deal to me. It just flat out died one day while I was out. No juice at all. Nada. Nothing. I thought the power supply would be a slam dunk but replacing the power supply did nothing. So- now I have to keep troubleshooting to determine which component is dead.

In the meantime though I am using my backed up files from a different computer. The only problem is that I can't access my Outlook PST file. I had the file password protected on the computer. I know the password, but that doesn't seem to matter. I have tried to open the file and I have tried to import from the file and I am repeatedly told I don't have access rights, blah, blah, blah.

Does anyone know how to make it ask me for the username / password credentials or something so I can "unlock" it or is there a way to simply remove the password protection? I realize that to some this may look like one of those veiled attempts at learning to hack someone else's email, but I think I have enough brownie points and respect around here for people to realize my request is genuine.

If you have a clue but don't want to share it with the less-morally grounded masses feel free to PM me.

Thanks

Try logging in as administrator and taking ownership of the file...............that might work?

You know? I thought of that myself. Even tried it. For some reason it didn't work until YOU suggested it and I tried it again.

Problem solved. :-)

Thanks

Nice comeback, not sure if I want to chance a clever retort, but there is a product that will remove the password in the pst itself. Elcomsoft. I haven’t used this product on pst’s, but their other stuff is pretty good.

My IT director walked out walked out with no notice and burned his 2003 inbox on the way out. Luckily, I had been duping his drive when his attitude went south and now have a copy of his PST. Bad thing is that it is locked. I tried the eval version of the pst cracker from elcomsoft. The app said "Sure, we can crack this, We have the password right here. But the password is tooooo long for us to show you with the eval version,,, Whip out that visa, boy, and put some dough down.."
so, that is kind of where I am at. Anyone know of another route to crack a 2003 outlook pst?

This is an old post!

Did you try what NIHIL suggested...appears to have worked

MLF

Yes I did try that and no luck....

Try it again.... Tony said it didn't work first time but it did second.... You're desperate enough to try that aren't you... ;)

Well, It beats breaking out the tape library....

fraggin

So did it work?

MLF

Yeah- I had already done that to no avail, but I tried it again when Nihil suggested it and I was in.

I assumed ownership of the file using the Administrator account and was able to access it. But, in my case I actually KNEW the password, I just couldn't get it to accept it because I was not using the right account. So, assuming ownership may not do the trick in this case.

Good luck!

Well.....

Guess it depends on the users password the...so as admin...I would change the users password..then log into the machine with the username and new password...and then try and access the pst file??


Not really sure if that will work...but I am stubborn...worst case.........and I REALLY needed access I would call MS and pay the 245USD and get them to help...if they can :) or start cataloging that tape library

and restore the mailbox from a previous backup.before the user did what ever s\he did :D

MLF

Hi. May I suggest something. Naturally, this is completely depended on many factors and may not even work. But it is worth a try.

Call the person up and ask them to unlock the pst file and give you the emails that you need. If you don't know what you are looking for, ask them if they can clean out any emails they feel are personal and hand over business related emails back to your organization.

The passing over of business emails from predesssor to successor is very common practice. If this person is of IT Director level and a real professional, they will understand. If he asks how you got his pst file, just tell him you have to restore it from backups. The emails belong to your company and you have every right to go into them for business purposes if you need them.

Hi,
I remember reading some time ago that software exists to convert the .PST to later versions of outlook. The down/up side of this is that the password protection is removed.

Hope it helps

Moose467 is right. I have done this before. I forget the name of the program but it upgrades the version of the PST and has a side-effect of removing the password.

Taking ownership again did not work. Could have something to do with the PST file being moved from one workstation to a network server, could have fubarred the ntfs permissions.
I used outkey to crack the pw........

pst19upg.exe is the file I think you need, if you can find it!