Understanding “encrypting File System” Feature Of Windows Xp

By Author: Tech Nova
Total Articles: 54
Comment this article

Avoiding unauthorized access is very essential for keeping the data secure that is stored on your hard disk. Microsoft realized the importance of data security and therefore, it embedded Windows XP with Encrypting File System feature. This feature of Windows XP enables its users to convert data into a format that cannot be read by others.
Using this feature, a user can get the data encrypted automatically, when it is stored on the hard disk. Files encrypted using this features are not accessible to unauthorized users and when such users try to open, copy or move an encrypted file, they fail to open it and receive error messages saying:
cannot open the file: username does not have access privileges
Error Copying File or Folder
Cannot copy filename: Access is denied
Make sure the disk is not full or write-protected and that the file is not currently in use.
How to encrypt a file using Encrypting File System feature?
To encrypt a file, a user will need to follow these steps:
Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Windows Explorer.
Locate ...
... the file that you want, right-click the file, and then click Properties.
On the General tab, click Advanced.
Under Compress or Encrypt attributes, select the Encrypt contents to secure data check box, and then click OK.
Click OK. If the file is located in an unencrypted folder, you receive an Encryption Warning dialog box. Use one of the following steps:
If you want to encrypt only the file, click Encrypt the file only, and then click OK.
If you want to encrypt the file and the folder in which it is located, click Encrypt the file and the parent folder, and then click OK.
Above mentioned steps let you encrypt files on volumes that are formatted with the NTFS file system. Once files are encrypted, no unauthorized user can view, access or move them and you can be keep your data secured from unauthorized access with Software Recovery.