[igalan]

When a file is encrypted it is done by the OS in a transparent way using a key created by the OS itself; applications do not see a difference. When the file is needed the OS uses the key that it has stored safely to decrypt it. But if you install a new OS, it won't have the key so it will not be able to decrypt the files. As far as I know there is no way to decrypt them except using the original OS (did you do a Norton Ghost or something that could help?). Note that I may not be aware of tools developed for the purpose...