Password protected files

The format for word files changed with Office 97, and again with Office 2007. After each change, a number of releases could open documents of the previous format, so it makes sense to use the earliest version of Word that you can lay your hands on.

If you can then open the document, save it again in the latest format that the application can handle.

What version are you using?

Thanks both, but the text is still just showing as encrypted text. See document attached.
WHY.DOC

The file very small. Is that the actual document file?

Yes. There is only one page.

BillDL - Thanks for the reply. Yes this document could well be older than an Office 95 version.

If you have any other solutions please let me know. Thanks

Working on it.  You appear to be on GMT time also, or else you would be sleeping.  I'll be on here a while, so I'll let you know what I come up with.

What version of Word do you have at your disposal, and on what Operating Systems?

There is, of course, the possibility that the document was created by a non-Office program.  I've come across instances where software writers stupidly have their programs create files with the *.doc extension in some mistaken idea that the "doc" tacked onto the file name is a great indicator that the file is a "document", but hadn't considered file associations with existing programs.

Are you pretty confident by the file names that this is some kind of user created document from a word processing application rather than a "readme.doc" in some unique encoding only understood by the application for which the "readme" file was created?

Any chance this may have been created on a Mac or Unix computer?

Your right I am on GMT time.

I can either use Microsoft Word Mac 2008 or Microsoft Office Word 2010 PC.

Yes there is a good chance the document is not from Microsoft Office. However I have opened this document in the past using what I think was word, but I could be wrong. It was many year ago. Not sure why I can't open now in the same way. Maybe due to using more modern software versions.

To give you a bit of background on this document... My father had motor neurone disease and had a special computer that he communicated using a head clicker. The same as Steven Hawkins. My father has passed away in 1995. I have asked my mother to try and see if she has any information regarding the operating system used on this computer or the text editing software. I will let you know if I find out anything. So I am trying to open this document and a few others that I have. I think I know the password for this document, but not the others documents which I will try to crack. They are basically memoirs or other feelings that my father wanted to get out of this head and on paper. Some maybe messages that he wanted to express to his family, but not till after his death for emotional reasons.

So I'm sure you understand it will be greatly appreciated if you can help to find a solution.

Hi,

For what it's worth I opened it using LibreOffice on a Ubuntu box and got exactly the same as BillDL in his comment here.

DrTribos - Thanks for the reply.

I think the main issue is to work out why the insert password option is not appearing so the text doesn't get encrypted or some how remove this encryption.

BillDL - Thanks again for the information, It really is much appreciated. I will hopefully get more information this evening from my mother that will help us further.

I'll need to leave this until later anyway.  Just getting ready to go out and get some things done while I'm off work for a couple of weeks.

BillDL - Okay thanks. There is no rush. Just something I would like to see. After all it's been 18 years already!

I have some .doc files dated 1990 which ask for a password before opening. They accept the password and open in Word 2003, though there is some non-text data showing before and after the main body text.

GrahamSkan - Thanks for the reply. Have you to tried opening the doc I attached in an earlier post. Does it ask for a password when opening in Word 2003?

BillDL - Thanks again for the information and advice.

I have attached another document.

I will also request EE to add this question to the digital forensics.
DIARY.DOC

I think I was mistaken about my document being password-protected. When trying to open a password is, indeed, asked for but they are in a zip folder and it seems that it is the folder that is passworded.

The files that have been posted here appear to be text files where every printable character has been replaced with another. The lines are not left to fold but are terminated with carriage return and line feed. It also looks as if the space character has been left intact.

I can see no way that Word will treat them as password-protected Word documents.

GrahamSkan - Thanks for the reply. Yes it is looking more obviously that the files are not word  documents and the text shown is the encrypted text and the password option is not available as it is not a word document. I will hopefully get more information regarding the possible file type later this evening.

BillDL - Thanks again for investigating further and all the time you are spending.

Yes I did see my Dad typing using this computer. It basically had large keyboard on the bottom of the screen and it would basically highlight each letter for a few seconds, then if it was the letter my dad wanted he would select it using his head clicker. A long process as you can imagine, though it would use predictive text to speed up the process slightly similar to text messaging on mobile phones.

Thanks for the advice for investigating the software. I have the contact of Stephen Hawkins PA which I am sending an email. I will also contact the Motor Neurone Disease Association.

I know his computer was definitely not as advance as this one: http://www.hawking.org.uk/the-computer.html

Unfortunately my mother has not found any information that could help.

I will keep investigating. Many thanks

The Motor Neurone Disease Association may have had a previous connection with this company: http://www.abilitynet.org.uk regarding the software . They are being very helpful are going to contact me back to hopefully assist further.

Hi Pete

I am going to have to temporarily throw in the towel unless any other information comes to light that might lead in a more definite direction.  I have come to a dead end with this and don't really know where else to look or what else to try.  I will be monitoring for new comments, and if anything else comes to mind I will post back.

Bill

Thanks all for your time, help and advice. Especially BillDL. Even though I have not been able to resolve the issue I really appreciate your efforts and knowledge that you have passed on. To be honest I feel that some of the documents my Dad created he may never wanted to be read and they were just a way for him to express his frustrations during his illness. We do have other documents which were not password protected which have been nice to read. So I feel this is what is mean't to be!

Thanks again!

Thank you Pete.

Something like this really does leave you with a dilemma, and although I cannot fully put myself in your situation, I can understand to some degree how frustrating that dilemma must be.

There is the strong need to know what was so personal that your Dad deliberately chose to protect the files from your eyes and those of other family members, but there is the trepidation of wondering whether those notes may prove to be very painful to read.

Perhaps you are from a religious family and he was pushed to cursing in them, or perhaps they voice some other frustrations that he felt may be of too personal a nature for anybody else to see apart from him.  Maybe he felt that his writings could have made you or others feel guilty about failing to have recognised some of his needs, or maybe it was just a rant uttered through rage that he felt might have reminded you all again years later of the agonies he was enduring.

Gaining an insight into the thoughts and experiences of people suffering from conditions like Alzheimer's, Cerebral Palsy, Motor Neurone Disease, etc, can sometimes be valuable to researchers, carers, families of other sufferers, and for those who are facing the onset themselves, but maybe you are right in just leaving his "secret memoirs" to lie in peace with the author.

Regards
Bill

Hi Bill.

Thanks for your kind words. I agree. I think they are probably best left to be unknown and that was probably what my father wanted. Part of the reason why I haven't investigated before now is for emotional reasons, but even though I haven't read the documents I feel better for trying and it's very kind of you to spend so much time helping me.

I wish you all the best!

Pete