Vista: How to use EFS

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Guest

I have recently acquired Vista Ultimate with a new PC. I am trying to setup
EFS and have a few questions:

a) Before I even thought of setting up EFS, I suddenly received a message
from Vista asking if I wanted to backup the recovery keys. The message kept
popping up everytime I tried to open a zipped file. I do not know what caused
it. There was no virus in the file. Anyways, I clicked on 'Never ask me
again'. How do I get this message back now that I have setup EFS?

b) Before setting up EFS, I could access all my files by sharing the disk
over the network. Now, using a mapped network drive, I can see only the file
names. Whenever I try to open the file, I get permissions error. Is there a
way that I can share files over the network but have to provide some kind of
key to access these files?

c) If I send an EFS encrypted file as attachment in e-mail, would the
recipient be able to open it?

Thanks
 
Hi,

a) if you want backup your key, you can do it by properties of encrypted
files: Properties -> Advanced -> Details

b) If you share encrypted files then to copy them by the network, on network
machine, should be installed same certificate which the files was enrypted.
Or better way - on network machine genere for that user certificate, install
it and next add it to properties of encrypted files: Properties ->
Advanced -> Details -> add...

c) Yes it would open it because when you will add encrypted file to email,
that file will be decrypted. So you will send normal file.

Marcin Domaslawski
 
I exported the certificate from one PC and imported on second one. However,
when I try to access the file on first PC over the network from the second
PC, I still get access denied error. It looks like sharing of encrypted files
does not work as documented in Help.
 
Arun Gupta said:
I exported the certificate from one PC and imported on second one. However,
when I try to access the file on first PC over the network from the second
PC, I still get access denied error. It looks like sharing of encrypted
files
does not work as documented in Help.
Click to expand...


Are you sharing between two instances of Vista? Vista's EFS encryption is
not compatible with XP's EFS encryption.

Bit of a problem, that.

Alun.
~~~~
 
The files are on Vista Ultimate and I am trying to access them from Vista
Business. EFS in Vista doesn't work as documented. I just tried removing
encryption from files and Vista totally messed up. It removed encryption from
the directories but the files were left encrypted. In some directories, some
of the files were left encrypted but encryption was removed from others. I
think it is time to try Truecrypt.
 
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