Vista folder permission

[CybertecOne]

IMO

1) I agree with nihil in that the Green Text does indeed indicate Windows Encryption, however the encrypt check box in the properties windows is not checked, which may only indicate that you are not able to view the actual properties of the file/folder.

2) Are you able to modify the permissions? Create a new admin account and add permissions, then log in and see if this makes any difference.

3) Are you the owner of the folder/files? Properties > Security > Advanced > Owner

I usually use folderlock to protect some files. A couple of months ago I wanted to try windows encryption instead of folderlock so I only once tried it on this folder but the only thing that happened was change in the color of fonts to green. Even in that time it didn't ask me for any password! So I left the folder like that till what happened three days ago........(

4) Have you reset your password via the SAM/accounts snap in (Computer Management) via the 'Reset Password' right click menu?

The Green Text, coupled with the fact you do not have access to the files even though the permissions are set 'correctly' seems to indicate that the files are indeed encrypted.

Now i havent played around with the Vista encryption, but if it is anything like XP the following statements are true;

i) The files and folders are encrypted against your SSID and your current account password at the time of applying encryption - This also explains why you are not prompted for a password, as you have already authenticated just by logging on.

ii) If you change your password via the Ctrl+Alt+Del 'Change Password' method, then the security token is reissued maintaining the encryption just fine, however if forcefully reset your password via the SAM snapin, the security token is not modified in the same way, and the encrypted files cannot be decrypted.

iii) Further more, using a different account, or even recreating your account with the same name generates a different SSID and you will not be able to access the encrypted files either.


I used this encryption a long time ago (XP) and when the computer died, I put the HDD into a different computer to access all of my old data, however the encrypted folder was completely useless as the same SSID is required to decrypt the files - I lost stuff that I wanted secret but was not important, hence the general idea behind encryption - If the data gets into the hands of another person or machine, the data is kept secret, but most likely non-recoverable.

I don't use Windows Encryption anymore, just in case. Instead I use a hardware USB device that uses hardware/software encryption to keep secrets - at least this way you are able to access the files from any computer, providing you have the USB device and password. E.G. http://www.lexar.com/jumpdrive/jd_secureII_plus.html

Let me know the answers to all of my suggestions and we should be able to get a clearer picture of what the problem is, and why it occured.

[boyboy400]

Thanks guys.

Nihil, I have only this laptop and the folder includes some old assignments and papers So I put these files in this folder and just to try encryption as I said before, once I tested it on this folder. And I'm still on the same computer.

IMO

1) I agree with nihil in that the Green Text does indeed indicate Windows Encryption, however the encrypt check box in the properties windows is not checked, which may only indicate that you are not able to view the actual properties of the file/folder.

You know, I can check the box if you like but when I apply, it says "you don't have permission" with some options one of which is ignore all so if I ignore all it apparently applies the change so from then on the box is checked but practically it''s just checking or unchecking and Vista does it his way

2) Are you able to modify the permissions? Create a new admin account and add permissions, then log in and see if this makes any difference.

I'm the only user, the admin, the owner, the poor student .......

3) Are you the owner of the folder/files? Properties > Security > Advanced > Owner

Yea I am the owner. Even if I login with admin account, it says the same.

4) Have you reset your password via the SAM/accounts snap in (Computer Management) via the 'Reset Password' right click menu?

Not at all.

It seems to me like a corruption when I left the system on at that damn night and it got restarted. Maybe the folder has been open at the time of restarting I don't remember.

I just thought maybe I can upload the files into a server like rapidshare and then redownload them but it doesn't let me.

Many thanks for all your helps folk.

[nihil]

OK boyboy,


You might try the trial version of this application I know that it is limited as a trial but I don't know how much.

http://www.elcomsoft.com/aefsdr.html?r1=pr&r2=efs_pro

I am inclined to agree with you that it seems to be some form of corruption. In theory your SSID on that machine should let you in given that you haven't changed passwords, done a repair install or whatever.

This leads me to the question: are those files really encrypted? Like were they in green before this happened?

I do know of a way to extract them, but if they are encrypted that probably won't be much help, unless the corruption is only at the folder level, rather than the file level.

I am afraid that I don't know enough about the inner workings of EFS/BitLocker to say.

Please check this out:

http://www.roadkil.net/

"unstoppable copier" or possibly "raw copy" might work.

Please read the instructions carefully as the product is not designed for individual folder or file recovery. You will probably need a partition as large as your data or external media the same. Whilst I have used it in its various versions over a number of years, I have never checked to see if it only needs space enough for all the data or the whole partition/drive.