What is the best way to decrypt Word/Excel 97/2000 file with password for opening?
These programs use a 40-bit key for encryption regardless the password length. That’s way you need to check 240 keys for guaranteed decryption of a document. This will take you about a week on a modern computer. In case you have a multiprocessor/multicore computer or a local network, then you can perform this process effectively in parallel on your computers. It is possible to speed up this method even more by using huge precomputed tables, then the needed key can be found in few seconds. There are some products and service, offering instant decryption of Word/Excel 97/2000 files.
