• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

NTFS Encryption..

M

Maezr

Senior member
I had some files that I encrpyted in Windows XP, with the built in encrpytion deal. Windows XP got screwy, I wanted to do a clean install. I moved the files, but accidentally left them encrypted. Windows XP is now reinstalled. But I can't access the files.

I am the admin, but I don't really know how to get around this.. Any help would be appreciated. ;_;
 
There's absolutely no way to get around this?

What would happened if I reverted the volume to FAT32?
 
Once the files are encrypted you need the encryption key to decrypt them, otherwise it wouldn't be very usefull.
 
I did read the FAQ, but it wasn't quite clear to me..

Again, what would happen if I reverted the volume to FAT32?
 
The data is encrypted, it will stay that way until you decrypt it. Converting the filesystem will just change how the encrypted data is stored.
 
If the files were very important, I believe there are professional companies out there that will recover them for a huge fee.
 
You cannot revert an NTFS volume unless you use something like Partition Magic.

Even then, those files will still be locked as they are encrypted: nothing can touch them AT ALL without the EFS key, therefore the process for changing NTFS to FAT32 will fail.

Which part of the FAQ are you having problems understanding? Perhaps I need to rewrite it if you can point out what you are having difficulties with.
 
How do I copy my encrypted files to FDD or CD without losing encryption. I would like to leave my improtant documents encrypted on disk, so I would like any help, if possible.
 
You can't. Encryption only exists on an NTFS volume.

Since you cannot format a floppy to NTFS, nor can a CD use NTFS, any files that you copy away to such removable media that is not formatted to NTFS will not be encrypted.
 
Since you cannot format a floppy to NTFS, nor can a CD use NTFS, any files that you copy away to such removable media that is not formatted to NTFS will not be encrypted.
Click to expand...

You can format a floppy with NTFS (I believe Winternals has a util to do this) and technically a CDROM can use any filesystem, but since you'd have to format it then add the files (like packet writing UDF) it become a project not worth the effort needed. If you want to encrypt files on any medium get something like PGP or GnuPG.
 
I'm pretty sure that you can't. The file system overhead along with the MFT is larger than 1.44MB.
Click to expand...

I swear they had a util to do it, although I can't find it now. You did lose a large portion of the floppy's space to the MFT, but it worked.
 
Originally posted by: AndyHui
Which part of the FAQ are you having problems understanding? Perhaps I need to rewrite it if you can point out what you are having difficulties with.
Click to expand...


I kept seeing references to 'designated recovery certificate' but no real explanation of what that is.. But eh. There's absolutely NO way to get around this? I mean, usually Windows has loopholes and stuff, and isn't the most secure thing in the world..
 
ALL encryption can eventually be broken...the trick to developing a secure crypt is to make it so it would take much longer than anyone would want to take to crack it.

I believe EFS in the US is 128bit....that will take loooong time to crack. On the other hand there was a story about some journalist cracking EFS to get to some documents left on a laptop by the taliban....but that was only 40 bit, the max allowed by export laws.

Of course if you have many very large computers at your disposal, the time to crack can be decreased significantly. But we are talking about machines like ASCII white, not your P4. By the way, to go through all the 6.6 quadrillion possible password combinations that can be formed from the 95 ascii characters would take that P4 over 13 years.
 
I kept seeing references to 'designated recovery certificate' but no real explanation of what that is.. But eh. There's absolutely NO way to get around this? I mean, usually Windows has loopholes and stuff, and isn't the most secure thing in the world..
Click to expand...
If you never created a designated recovery certificate in the first place when you back up your EFS Private Key, you won't have one. Therefore you cannot retrieve your files.

There is no way around this.
 
I believe EFS in the US is 128bit....that will take loooong time to crack. On the other hand there was a story about some journalist cracking EFS to get to some documents left on a laptop by the taliban....but that was only 40 bit, the max allowed by export laws.
Click to expand...


I believe it's actually only 56bit.

Bill


 
From the MS site....

The Encrypting File System (EFS) included with the Microsoft® Windows® 2000 operating system is based on public-key encryption and takes advantage of the CryptoAPI architecture in Windows 2000. Each file is encrypted using a randomly generated file encryption key, which is independent of a user?s public/private key pair; thereby stifling many forms of cryptoanalysis-based attack.
File encryption can use any symmetric encryption algorithm. The release of EFS uses the Data Encryption Standard X, or DESX (128 bit in North America and 40 bit International) as the encryption algorithm. Future releases will allow alternate encryption schemes.
 
Originally posted by: STaSh
From the MS site....
The Encrypting File System (EFS) included with the Microsoft® Windows® 2000 operating system is based on public-key encryption and takes advantage of the CryptoAPI architecture in Windows 2000. Each file is encrypted using a randomly generated file encryption key, which is independent of a user?s public/private key pair; thereby stifling many forms of cryptoanalysis-based attack.
File encryption can use any symmetric encryption algorithm. The release of EFS uses the Data Encryption Standard X, or DESX (128 bit in North America and 40 bit International) as the encryption algorithm. Future releases will allow alternate encryption schemes.
Click to expand...

Funny, the 56 number was sticking in my mind, so I searched and saw this EFS, and a couple other sources. Sounds like the original plan was 56 in the US but that changed to 128 as the law changed. Thanks for the clarification.

Bill
 
Originally posted by: Maezr
Again, what would happen if I reverted the volume to FAT32?
Click to expand...
I didnt see anyone address this so I will.

You cant "revert" the volume to Fat32, you can convert a Fat volume to NTFS, but you cannot go back once it has been converted.

You can copy the files to a fat32 partition, I've tried this before however they would not be readable...

Hope that helps to clarify the fact that your screwed. Next time make sure to backup the key before you trash the OS.

-Spy
 
You cant "revert" the volume to Fat32, you can convert a Fat volume to NTFS, but you cannot go back once it has been converted.
Click to expand...

Actually Partition Magic can (could?) convert NTFS to FAT32, but it still wouldn't help the contents of the encrypted files.
 
Originally posted by: Nothinman
You cant "revert" the volume to Fat32, you can convert a Fat volume to NTFS, but you cannot go back once it has been converted.
Click to expand...

Actually Partition Magic can (could?) convert NTFS to FAT32, but it still wouldn't help the contents of the encrypted files.
Click to expand...
If I remember corectly it does this by moving the data, converting it to Fat and than moving the data back. It's the one step version of copying the data to another HD, than reformatting as FAT and copying back...

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, it's been a while since I worked with it. I had that brain fart while working with NT and saying "how could I convert back to FAT, If I did that I couldnt fit the data on the drive..." and I think that's how I went about asking how Partition Magic could do that (and how it changes a partitions format in general).

-Spy
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top