I have no idea about "IDEA."

[Johan Wevers]

none none wrote:

> gpg: encrypted with 1024-bit RSA key, ID XXXXXXXX, created yyyy-mm-dd
>       "user information"
> gpg: public key decryption failed: unknown cipher algorithm
> gpg: decryption failed: secret key not available
> 
> Why does it think I encrypted the message with IDEA, when I
> don't have IDEA capability installed.

You have the secret key encrypted with IDEA, not the message. Judging from
the short length I'd say it's a pgp 2.x key. You can solve this by using the
IDEA plugin or re-encrypt the secret keyring.

> gpg: checking the trustdb
> 
> and it runs for thirty-five minutes (at one-hundred percent
> CPU) before allowing me to continue.

Rebuyild the thrust db. It is probably one created by gpg <= 1.0.6.

-- 
ir. J.C.A. Wevers         //  Physics and science fiction site:
johanw@vulcan.xs4all.nl   //  http://www.xs4all.nl/~johanw/index.html
PGP/GPG public keys at http://www.xs4all.nl/~johanw/pgpkeys.html