Cannot open the client user interface due to corrupted user settings file

Article ID

2009

Product Version

AhsayACB / AhsayOBM: 7 or above

Operating System

All platforms

Symptom

There are several errors that can be encountered related to corrupt user settings file.

Here are some errors that users may encounter upon opening the AhsayOBM / AhsayACB user interface:

"javax.crypto.BadPaddingException: pad block corrupted"
"Invalid byte 1 of 1-byte UTF-8 sequence"
"Content is not allowed in prolog."
"Failed to obtain salt from input stream"

Cause

This issue can occur if the AhsayOBM / ACB user settings file (e.g. ~\.obm\config\settings.sys) saved on the client computer is corrupted.

Resolution

To resolve the issue, remove, then re-create the user settings file on the affected client computer.

Before proceeding to the next step, ensure that you have the encryption key for all backup sets of the affected user. Re-creating the user profile will require you to enter the encryption key for all existing backup set.
For more details and best practice for managing encryption key, refer to the following KB article: Best practices for managing encryption key on AhsayOBM or AhsayACB.

Refer to the following steps to resolve the issue:

Stop the AhsayOBM / ACB services
Locate the settings.sys file in the.obm / .acb folder at:

%UserProfile%\.obm\config\settings.sys or
%UserProfile%\.acb\config\settings.sys
Exact path to the .obm / .acb folder is saved in the home.txt file found at:

C:\ProgramData\AhsayOBM\home.txt or
C:\ProgramData\AhsayACB\home.txt
Rename the settings.sys file to 'BACKUP_settings.sys'
Login to the AhsayOBM / ACB user interface.

At this point, the client application will prompt for encryption key of all existing backup sets. You must enter the correct encryption key of each backup set to regain access to them.