AES Error: Unable to open output file.

Discussion related to AES Crypt, the file encryption software for Windows, Linux, Mac, and Java.
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puter
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Feb 03, 2011 11:41 pm

AES Error: Unable to open output file.

Post by puter »

Using Windows XP Prof and a Pentium 4 computer.

When I encrypt a jpg file or something else with AES Crypt/right mouse button and a simple password xxx then a file named *.aes appaers.

When I want to decrypt this *.aes file I get the message: "AES Error: Unable to open output file. The file does not exist"

I am using VoipR a German program to recorder VOIPcalls in a Fritz!box DSL modem.

The program gives the possibility to encrypt those recordered calls with a script:
aesKey u7HB6cp04nM6v77REsWKlxxxxxxxxxr89VGfrsLCde4rVCde2xMju
(the key is an example however the same number of characters)

After a phone call a *.aes file with the taped phone call appears on the USB stick in the Fritz!box modem.

When I want to decrypt this aes file I get the same message: "AES Error: Unable to open output file. The file does not exist"

What can be the problem?
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paulej
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Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2009 7:32 pm
Location: Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
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Re: AES Error: Unable to open output file.

Post by paulej »

I assume the file is not literally "*.aes", but some other name like "example.aes", right?

I'm really at a loss on this one. When AES Crypt attempted to create an output file to store the decrypted data, it calls the Winodws routine to create a new file. If that fails for any reason, an error code value is returned. AES Crypt then calls a Windows routine to get the text meaning of that error code. So, unless there is a bug we've not seen there, what is displayed on the screen is what Windows told AES Crypt to display.

I agree, it's a very strange error. I just did a quick test on Windows 7 and XP Professional, but could not reproduce the results. However, I also cannot create a file named "*.aes", since that is an illegal filename. Just for fun, I created a file on Linux called '*.aes" (a real AES Crypt file). Accessing that via Samba, I get an odd filename that is not '*.aes'. Trying to decode it, I get an error that says "The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect". Interesting error. Perhaps that might be something we need to correct, but I cannot reproduce the error you're reporting.

Paul
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