HELP!!! I accidentally deleted my Identity Safe, and I can't get it back. I use Vista (I hear the communal groan), and I tried to get the info back using System Restore, but my computer didn't restore anything--something went wrong each time I tried to go through the process. I know enough about computers to be dangerous, but if anyone can tell me if it's possible to use the backup files (I use Carbonite) to get my Identity Safe back, I'd be VERY grateful! I don't know where the files are stored, or what their names are, so it makes finding them a little difficult, since Carbonite doesn't have a search engine--you have to know what you want, and where it is.
I will give my first-born child to anyone who can help me (KIDDING!!!).
This is how you can manually restore the Identity Safe data if the files are still there:
1. Open the C:\ProgramData\Norton\{various_numbers}\NIS-version\IdentitySafeDataStore\various numbers\ folder (on XP it is in C:\doc and set\all users\application data\Norton...) 2. From this folder copy IDDStore.dat and IDDStore_bak.dat to a safe place (like My Documents) 3. Remove the old Norton product 4. Open your Norton product installation and go to Settings 5. Create new Identity Safe profile 6. Log out from Identity Safe 7. Under Settings -> Miscellaneous settings (Settings -> Administrative Settings) find Norton Product's Tamper Protection on the list, and turn off 8. Set the time duration to 15 minutes 9. Open the same folder as above in the new installation and overwrite the files in it with the ones you saved previously 10. Turn Tamper protection back 11. Log in to Identity Safe 12. Test logins 13. Do a backup of the Identity Safe data
I got a very nice reply from PapuaZ (spelling?) about how to POSSIBLY retrieve my Identity Safe, but the directions were for XP, and I use VISTA (groan. . .). The directions seemed rather complicated, considering I only know enough about computers to get myself into some major trouble. Pap, do you POSSIBLE know how to recover a lost Identity Safe on a computer that has Vista for the O/S? Regardless, I thank you anyway for your kindness and your previous reply. I will try to "translate" what you wrote into "Vista-language". For me, it's like trying to translate the Guttenburg Bible into Chinese, but some things DO look familiar, and I realize that some things are the same, but the names have been changed to protect the innocent.<g> Thanks again.
on Vista and Windows 7 you will find the Identity Safe Data here: C:\ProgramData\Norton\{various_numbers}\NIS-version\IdentitySafeDataStore\various numbers\
I forgot to add that C:\ProgramData is a hidden system folder. You need to set first Windows explorer's settings to enable showing hidden files and folders.