Technical problems
Sorry, no. No backdoor, no master key, nothing of that kind. And even if we wanted to add the master key feature (we don't!), it is not technically possible to implement a master key without completely compromising security. Anybody with access to your computer could easily replace the public part of our master key with his own master key, and get full access to your data.
Try recalling your password – this is the only way to get your data back. Remember that password characters are case-sensitive. Punctuations marks are also significant; check your password carefully, maybe you have just missed a comma or a period.
Please check the article How to Choose a Good Password. Although it will not help you recover a lost password, it may help you avoid that in the future.
No, you need not. You can decrypt even with an expired trial version. Only the encryption function is disabled when the trial period is over.
There must be some other reason – most notably, a wrong password. If you are sure the password is right and still cannot decrypt the file, please contact us. Note that we cannot recover a lost password nor will we try to recover it.
I cannot encrypt (decrypt) files on CD-RW...
You cannot write directly to CD-RW (or DVD-RW); you must use a specialized program like Easy CD Creator or Nero Burning because CD-RW is not a read-write device really – it is a read-only device like CD-R except it can be erased.
You can encrypt or decrypt file on CD-R or CD-RW as long as you don't try to store the resulting file on the same device. Drag-and-drop or the Explorer right-click menu won't work there (because they are placing the encrypted file to the same folder); instead of that, right-click the files, drag them to a hard drive folder while holding the right mouse button button, and select Encrypt Here. You can also use the Kryptel browser (or Silver Key shell).
Silver Key produces EXE file that does not decrypt...
That happens when you try to create a too large self-decrypting (EXE) parcel. Windows cannot run too large executable files, and if you create a parcel larger than, say, a gigabyte, then there is a chance that the system will refuse to run it. Such a file can be decrypted with Silver Key (Extractor) like any non-executable parcel, but it is not possible to decrypt it standalone, by double-clicking the file.
See also the question "Is there a limit on the file size or on the number of files being encrypted?"
Some Internet Service Providers block executable attachments as a measure against spreading of virus and trojan programs. Unfortunately, Silver Key self-decrypting parcels are also executables, so depending on your (and the recipient's) ISP policy you may have a problem sending them.
If the recipient cannot receive parcels from you, or receives them corrupted, the chances are the problem is a result of virus protection. The recommended way to fix the issue is to send non-executable parcels, however your corresondent should install free Silver Key Extractor to unpack them. If that is not possible, try placing the file into a zip archive. The recipient will have to unzip the executable file and run it as usual.
Please note that it is not a Silver Key issue - it is a generic issue caused by a specific mail server configuration. Any software would have exactly the same problem; the only difference is that Silver Key offers a workaround by supporting non-executable parcels, and we provide a free extraction tool for them.
The text below relates to the command-line interface only.
If you are using the command-line interface, a typical error is a missed /x switch.
For example, the command
SkCmd /e parcel.exe ...
will create a non-executable parcel because there is no /x switch, but the output
file will have the .exe extension anyway. An attempt to run it will result in
a system error message. Windows Explorer shows such a parcel with the generic icon instead
of the Silver Key parcel icon.
Note that such a parcel is perfectly valid and can be decrypted. It simply has a wrong extension and can't be decrypted by double-clicking it because it is not executable.
I get the message "Class not registered".
The registry cleaner you ran lately deleted Kryptel (Silver Key) registry records. Just re-install the program and the installer will restore deleted records. No need to uninstall the corrupted version, installing over it will fix the problem.
I get the message "Shredder is active, the previous operation has not completed yet".
You see this error if the shredder can't start for some reason. Another possible reason is that Kryptel cannot create or maintain the shredder queue file because it cannot access its application directory. This usually happens if you used some ‘malware remover’ tool.
First, check the settings of your antimalware / antispyware tool and make sure that ShrProc.exe is allowed to run.
Go to the directory C:\Documents and Settings\<your name>\Application Data\Kryptel and delete the file ShredList.dat. Try copying any file there to ensure your user settings allow writing to that directory.
Reinstall Kryptel to restore the lost registry records and restart your system.
Go to C:\Documents and Settings\<your name>\Application Data\Kryptel again and see what happens when you shred files. The size of ShredList.dat should increase when you issue the ‘Shred’ command and should return to zero when shredding is finished.
Encrypt (Backup) command works strangely or displays unexpected dialogs...
Sometimes you might observe a strange behavior of the Kryptel Encrypt or Backup command. It displays unexpected dialogs, asks irrelevant questions, and in general does not do what you expect it to do from reading the program documentation.
The answer is simple: it is not a Kryptel command ( read more).