Here's how I solved the problem on a Linux Mint install, using a Linux Mint Live CD:
mint@mint /tmp $ sudo ecryptfs-recover-private
INFO: Searching for encrypted private directories (this might take a while)...
INFO: Found [/media/mint/632d671e-65a8-4566-b101-hab6b061b502/.ecryptfs/USERNAME/.Private].
Try to recover this directory? [Y/n]: n
mint@mint /tmp $ sudo ecryptfs-recover-private
INFO: Searching for encrypted private directories (this might take a while)...
INFO: Found [/media/mint/632d671e-65a8-4566-b101-hab6b061b502/.ecryptfs
/USERNAME/.Private].
Try to recover this directory? [Y/n]: y
INFO: Found your wrapped-passphrase
Do you know your LOGIN passphrase? [Y/n] y
INFO: Enter your LOGIN passphrase...
Passphrase:
Inserted auth tok with sig [562b3416hhc4ud6r] into the user session keyring
INFO: Success! Private data mounted at [/tmp/ecryptfs.1x34gL7R].
mint@mint /tmp $ gksu nemo [<---- NOTE THAT I HAVE OPENED TERMINAL IN THE TEMP FOLDER of the LIVE CD NOW]
Via the Nemo file browser (I believe it is Nautilus in Ubuntu) I navigated to the NEWLY PLACED folder named ecryptfs.1x34gL7R
(in the LIVE CD's TEMP FOLDER), and from there, right click on the folder, and select "Open as root".
Right away, without any further password challenges, I accessed my hitherto inaccessible Home directory.
I don't see any other way to recover data at my aptitude level.
There is a seeming alternative route using ecryptfs
that requires your user password, but it ALWAYS rejects the password that you enter - ALWAYS. Even given that your actual Mint password is correct, and the Live CD has no password for root. I wish I could remember which route I'm talking about here, but basically, it's the one that always rejects your password. Forget that.
If you cannot get anywhere with the method I've shown, then maybe you've forgotten your own login password (unlikely), or that your encryption key has become corrupted (through hard drive failure OR if you've removed gvfs - never touch gvfs - some troll on the Internet has said it's a security risk and given instructions on how to remove it, but this will completely destroy your system).
If you cannot access your encrypted drive, then you can at least copy the encrypted folder from the Live Disc tmp folder to your backup drive VIA TERMINAL (for example, cp -a /source/. /dest/
OR maybe it was cp -a ~/source/. ~/dest/
), and then take it to an expert to decrypt it, at some indefinite later date.
Now that you can see your files again, you have a new problem - you cannot actually move anything out of the browser window. However, you can at least open individual files (text, word processor, and picture files) and select to save them onto your new location (e.g. a backup drive).
Finally, I'm sorry Ubuntu and Mint programmers (yes that's me and you) etc. etc. - but Linux needs to improve to be user friendly in the case of data recovery. If the data exists, and the user full-well knows his password, then the data recovery process should be more streamlined!
P.S. remember: it's ecryptfs
NOT encryptfs
, and remember that a Live CD most likely uses a default American keyboard character set, so change the way you enter your login password accordingly, e.g. if your password uses special characters.