Files encrypting (efs) randomly

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Guest

winxp sp2. Files and folders appear to be encrypting randomly with efs. I am
not applying the encryption myself. I am able to remove the encrpytion but it
is getting very inconvenient and chewing up a lot of cpu cycles. I have not
identified a pattern yet. Sometimes it happens when I create a folder, when I
copy or move a folder, when i save docs from various programs. It does not
happen all the time. ????????
 
Doug G. said:
winxp sp2. Files and folders appear to be encrypting randomly with efs. I
am
not applying the encryption myself. I am able to remove the encrpytion but
it
is getting very inconvenient and chewing up a lot of cpu cycles. I have
not
identified a pattern yet. Sometimes it happens when I create a folder,
when I
copy or move a folder, when i save docs from various programs. It does not
happen all the time. ????????
Click to expand...

What are the exact symptoms you see? I have never heard of this happening
'on its own'.

Is your PC protected with a firewall? Good antivirus software?
 
The files are encrypting with the built in windows efs encryption. Right
click a folder, select properties, advanced, and select encrypt contents to
protect data. That is the encryption that is RANDOMLY applying itself. It
happens sometimes when I copy files, create files, save files from various
apps, etc. Firewall and virus protection yes, but irrelavent.
 
Doug G. said:
The files are encrypting with the built in windows efs encryption. Right
click a folder, select properties, advanced, and select encrypt contents
to
protect data. That is the encryption that is RANDOMLY applying itself. It
happens sometimes when I copy files, create files, save files from various
apps, etc. Firewall and virus protection yes, but irrelavent.
Click to expand...

Check your event logs?
 
If other users access the computer possibly they are enabling encryption on
the folder and then every file that is put in the folder by any user will
also be encrypted. If you want you can disable EFS altogether with a
registry edit as shown in the first link below. When you remove encryption
be sure to do it at the folder level or else files added to the folder will
be encrypted again. To track down exactly what is going on you could enable
auditing of object access and then audit your folders for write attributes
and write extended attributes. --- Steve

http://www.microsoft.com/resources/...Windows/XP/all/reskit/en-us/prnb_efs_dgwp.asp
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;301640
Disabling EFS for a Stand-Alone Computer
A registry entry must be added to disable EFS for a stand-alone computer.

To disable EFS on a stand-alone computer by editing the registry

1.. In the Run dialog box, type regedit.exe.
2.. Navigate to the subkey HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\EFS.
3.. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD Value.
4.. Enter EfsConfiguration for the value name and 1 for the value data to
disable EFS (a value of 0 enables EFS).
5.. Restart the computer.
6.. If EFS is disabled and a user tries to encrypt a file or folder, a
message tells the user that "An error occurred applying attributes to the
file: filename. The directory has been disabled for encryption."
 
Steven L Umbach said:
If other users access the computer possibly they are enabling encryption on
the folder..
Click to expand...

If so, a look at the ownership of the files (and their creation/modification
times) should give some clue as to whodunnit.
 
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