Dell Data Protection Encryption Problem

Thank you for this post. I have been searching in vain for 5 days for a solution - phone calls, twitter rants and tech chat lines with no assistance. There is zero assistance in Australia if you have a problem with Dell computers - not 1 single authorised repairer for the whole country. At least now I have a precedent.

I have the same issue after uninstalling the Dell Protection programs but fortunately did a backup just before uninstalling. I can only access word, excel etc files from the backup (not form my hard drive) which are up to date but unfortunately emails weren't. Trying to get some sort of response out of Dell on how to fix but have found the same as you - virtually no support here in Australia.

I'm actually sorry to hear your problems (unlike Dell's disingenuous 'support' people) and I feel your pain. Lost 2 months of my PhD (and my due date is this December) thanks to Dell's Data Protection rubbish programme. They flatly refused to help. And sadly they will not help you either. They don't care. My only suggestion is to do what I have done - file a complaint with the Office of Fair Trading in your respective state. They believe I have a case and are pursuing with Dell. If I find that Dell has breached my consumer rights I'm suing their arses and getting every media outlet known to man involved.

If you can't access your files from your hard drive, I'm wondering if you have a similar problem to me where your backup has created a lock around the current data. If this is the case, as I understand it, you will not be able to access files in your hard drive again. Only the backed up files. Basically, what DDP does is, create a lock around your data that can only be accessed by the DPP programme. If you uninstall then reinstall DPP on your computer it will create a new, different locking system to the original – and the two locking systems do not recognise each other. So your data is eternally trapped - and Dell will not help you to unlock it either. Don't waste your time talking to them. It only frustrates and enrages you. Contact consumer affairs and let them help you, based on your rights as a consumer.

That's pathetic!  I usually have good luck, maybe it is being in Texas???  I totally understand and was being a bit sarcastic about the protection thing.  Helped my sister through her PhD work and I know what you go through.  Hope you can find some help, congratulations on the PhD!  that's a big life accomplishment.

I kept up with Dell support and they fixed the problem per my above post.  They were very helpful and actually contacted me if they hadn't heard from me in a few days.  They unlocked the files for 24 hours and we got everything backed up and copied to a server.  I reformatted the laptop and it works great.  Don't use DDP unless you know what you are getting into and follow the instructions properly.  It certainly protects your files!!!!!

Maybe you are lucky being in the States (?) and having support, but I tried for weeks with lots of Dell people on phone lines, chat lines, twitter accounts etc. Believe me, I wouldn't throw away 2 months of PhD lightly!!!!!! My final blow was a technician in the Sydney office who said they couldn't help me because it was a data issue, and they don't deal with individual's data - even though it was their programme that encrypted my data. TRUST ME. I did not want DPP installed on my computer. I did not ask Dell to install it on my computer. It came already installed. So there was no choice.

Thanks. I actually probably won't finish the PhD now. Although it was only 2 months work (in the grand scheme of things) the thesis took a last minute re-direction, and the 2 months work consisted of taking apart and reconstructing a methodology, that I just can't remember how to do again. It was a complex process, and the added grief suffered at losing it all has caused some strange memory issues that I am now trying to overcome/regain through a psychologist. Thanks again Dell for ruining my life!

Thank you so much

You certainly copped it worse than me! I feel for you - all that work lost. Keep pushing on and don't give up on that PhD.

I'm still tackling the issue with Dell and will keep doing so for a bit longer yet. If I get anything positive out of it, I'll let you know. It may help you too.

Best of luck.

How did you go?

An update on my sorry affair - after contacting Consumer Affairs, they said I had a case and were pursuing it with Dell. Then Dell came back with some lie about me not having a password and that's why they couldn't help me. I sent all correspondence to the person from Consumer Affairs who was helping me, and told her that if Dell could please show her the evidence where this conversation about a password even existed, and clearly if they couldn't, then Dell were the low-life liars that I am becoming accustomed to. Also the reply was from one of their chat lines - so clearly even Dell didn't think in the first instance that my issue was that concerning, as they passed it on to one of the lower level "technicians". (I'm beginning to figure out the "support" levels and avenues of Dell).

Clearly Dell couldn't weasel their way out of that one, so out of the blue I get a call from a woman in the Dell office in Sydney saying that they in fact did have a team of people who could assist me in unencrypting my data. I asked her was the reason for her calling due to the complaint I made with the Office of Fair Trading? She said to me  "yeah, pretty much". I told her how interesting that my case was closed and was told that nothing could be done for me and now, only now, were they willing to help. A red flag to a bull moment, I can tell you.

So if you haven't had any luck, please continue to pursue this with Dell as they CAN fix it they just don't want to, or alternatively file with consumer affairs that will force them to fix it.

Dell technician so far has not been able to help. Said he needed a bit more time to look in to the matter. That was on the 23rd of last month and still have had nothing back from him. I sent another email this morning asking him how he was going with it - dont expect anything back.

I ended up restoring my laptop back to the factory default settings, re-installing all my programs and loading all my files / documents from my cloud back-up. Didnt lose anything too critical - about 3 weeks of emails but impact form that has been minimal.

When I restored my laptop it gave me the option to digitally download the Dell software that I purchased with the computer which included all the data protection software that caused the original issue - I declined. I'm not running any Dell software at all anymore - and never will. Looking at Toshiba or HP for my next laptop.

Will still follow it up with Dell as they need to be held accountable for the stuff they sell and look after their customers.

Dell technician got back to me and said that he discussed the issue with his Level II and that they would like to visit me and replace my HDD and reinstall Windows as they suspect the entire drive is encrypted. The fact that I have restored my computer to factory default settings and reinstalled all my software and it is all working fine (apart from not being able to access the encrypted data) would appear to me that there is nothing wrong with the HDD. This they know but still want to replace the HDD?

Anyway, I declined the offer so they are now saying it is a data encryption issue and that, according to Dell's company policy, they are not able to assist with data recovery. In other words, we will sell you a computer, we will sell you the software - but we wont help you when it all goes wrong.