Vista folder permission

Hi all,
Last night I left my laptop on to download a file. In the morning apparently it was restarted. Anyhow I had folder say X. From the early morning I can't open any of its files.
The name of files is usually in black but the name of files including pdf and doc are in Green now.
When I want to open a PDF file it says:
"There was an error opening this document. Access denied"
for doc files it says:
"Word cannot open the document: user does not have access privileges"
and such a thing for ppt and ...
I'm the only user and I'm admin. I also switched user to admin but even in admin account it says the same. I tried run in command promt mode and copy the folder into my flash memory but says "access denied"
I restored my computer to some days including 5 days ago when definitely this problem did not exist but it's not solved.

I have lots of files in that folder that I need them for this semester. Please help me if you can.
Thanks

The Wolfman wonders what the permissions are for your folder. Right click on the folder and choose properties - security tab and tell us what the permissions are.

properties->security->advanced->permissions:

Type Name Permissions Inherited from Apply to

Allow boyboy400 Full Control <not inherited> This folder subfolders and files

See!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :confused:

But I don't have full control. I can't even copy the files.
By the way in properties->security
Under permissions for boyboy400 the final check box which is special permissions is not highlighted and is not checked and I can't check it. I can't even change anything in these windows of course if I do, first it says you don't have privilage but then when I close it, it has been applied!!!!!!!! But as you seen though I have full control but I don't have any control :rolleyes:

Hmmm................

Vista doesn't trust boyboy400, and has encrypted the files for him :D.... that's what the green filenames means ;)

Please try this:

1. Right click on file
2. Select: Properties > Advanced
3. Uncheck "encrypt contents to secure data"
4. Try to access file

Now, I might be completely wrong in this particular case but I have seen several similar ones. It is to do with incompatibilities between Mac OS-X and Vista.

OS-X has a built-in compression utility and Vista has a decompression one............ they don't play nicely together, and Vista encrypts the files when it decompresses them.

The solution is to use third party compression/decompression utilities and set them as the default application so that they get used when you double click to open.

boyboy400, if that isn't the answer then please let us know because I am intrigued............the green names certainly means "encrypted", but why doesn't it ask you for a password?

That's what makes me suspect the OS-X/Vista incompatibility bug. Try unpacking the folder with WinZip or WinRar.

:)

Hey Nihil,
You're right. 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........(when I posted my first message here I didn't remember about what I had done. Sorry about that)

I looked at what you said but "encrypt contents to secure data" is not checked. You know I think it was checked first. But as I said before, although I can't change anything in properties, but if I do for example if it's checked and I deselect it, first windows says you don't have permission but when I close the popup window and reopen it, the change has been applied apparently!!!!!!!! (So now it's not checked :confused:)

I'm totally confused. If there is a trick so that I can only copy the files into my flash and use them from there, it'll be great :(:(:(:(:(

Thanks

I can't unpack it with winzip, winrar,7-zip and I can't even pack the folder with them!!!!!!!!!! It says access is denied !!!!!!!!!!

Hi boyboy400,

I am afraid I am not the bearer of good news, although let me make it clear that I have never actually used Vista encryption so I might well be missing something.

Quote:

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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!

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From what you have said so far I get the impression that you have this folder on a remote server/computer, and that you encrypted it on a computer other than the one you downloaded it to?

As I understand Vista encryption, it uses the SID. This is assigned to a user on a particular machine. If you want to use the files/folders elsewhere, there is some sort of procedure to export the encryption key.

Actually, Vista encryption is doing its job. As far as it is concerned, you are a hacker who has stolen that folder and it won't let you into it. ;)

I am afraid I don't know of any way of circumventing this, as I have never actually used the encryption myself. I know that it can be dangerous, because if you had to do a format and reinstall you would create a new SID and the backed up encrypted files (using the old SID) would be inaccessible. I have heard of that happening.:eek:

At this point all I can suggest is:

1. Go to the computer you encrypted the folder from.
2. Get someone you trust to do this and logon as you.
3. Get remote management access to that computer. If you already have this (and it must be the computer that did the encryption) then all you have to do is remove the encryption and download it again.:)

OK, it is at least 2 or 3 years since I looked at it, so I don't know if there are any recovery tools around these days? I don't think that "cracking" is an option, because, as you say, there isn't a password :(

I am sorry that I have not been able to be of more help, but I think we now have a better picture of what the problem probably is?

Good Luck!

EDIT:

Quote:

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I can't unpack it with winzip, winrar,7-zip and I can't even pack the folder with them!!!!!!!!!! It says access is denied !!!!!!!!!!

---

That sort of makes sense, because the encryption is at the machine level, and it is not password protected. You are being stopped before your compression tools have a chance to ask for a password...........and there isn't one so it wouldn't work anyway.

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

Quote:

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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........(

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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.

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.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 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.

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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 :(:fpissed:

Quote:

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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.

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

Quote:

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

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

Quote:

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

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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.:(:)

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.

Make a ghost or shadowprotect of the drive before blasting away at these files....

also, I know it goes without saying, but next time when testing encryption, just copy some music files and test it out on the copies..... dont test them on the only copy of important notes and hours of hard work.

Good luck mate - Hope things work out.


CTO

:) Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy :)

Advanced EFS Data Recovery solved the problem.
Thank God, Nihil and CybertecOne :D
Now I have a copy of that folder. It searched for all the stored keys and decrypted the files into a new folder but it was not clear which key it used.

I would be probably thinking of a way to delete the original folder after the final exams :p

Thanks everybody ;):p

Thanks for the feedback mate!

It helps if we know what worked and what didn't ;)

Obviously, I have to buy my software, but it is nice to know that the trial version was not so disabled as to not do the job.

Good luck with your exams!

:D

Glad you found a solution to your problem boyboy400. Something similar happend to a system I was working on and I was able to access the files from the builtin Administrator Account. To enable this account, go to a CMD Shell and type:

net user administrator /active:yes

Now you can log out and you'll have Administrator on the account page. Click it to log in, there is no password by default. Then you can see if you have access to the original files, Take Ownership, etc. To disable the account again type:

net user administrator /active:no

from your own account in a shell. Just thought I would share, most people don't know about this. Have Phun!!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Wazz

Glad you found a solution to your problem boyboy400. Something similar happend to a system I was working on and I was able to access the files from the builtin Administrator Account. To enable this account, go to a CMD Shell and type:

net user administrator /active:yes

Now you can log out and you'll have Administrator on the account page. Click it to log in, there is no password by default. Then you can see if you have access to the original files, Take Ownership, etc. To disable the account again type:

net user administrator /active:no

from your own account in a shell. Just thought I would share, most people don't know about this. Have Phun!!!

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Wazz, boyboy mentioned that he tried to access the file from the admin account but had no luck. As it turns out, the issue was not with folder permissions but some wonky issue with encryption or corruption.

Hey Keezel.......I just noticed that, my bad. I read this "I also switched user to admin" and interpreted it the wrong way.....