MCSA/MCSE Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-270): Installing ...

How to Encrypt a Folder
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Lesson 4 Increasing Security by Using EFS
10-51
The recommended method to encrypt files is to create an encrypted folder and place
files in that folder. To encrypt a folder, use these steps:
1. In Windows Explorer, right-click the folder and click Properties.
2. In the Properties dialog box for the folder, on the General tab, click Advanced.
3. In the Advanced Attributes dialog box (refer to Figure 10-14), select the Encrypt
Contents To Secure Data check box, and then click OK.
4. Click OK to close the Properties dialog box for the folder.
The folder is now marked for encryption, and all files placed in the folder are
encrypted. Folders that are marked for encryption are not actually encrypted; only the
files within the folder are encrypted.
Exam Tip Compressed files cannot be encrypted, and encrypted files cannot be compressed
with NTFS compression.
After you encrypt the folder, when you save a file in that folder, the file is encrypted
using file encryption keys, which are fast symmetric keys designed for bulk encryption.
The file is encrypted in blocks, with a different file encryption key for each block. All
the file encryption keys are stored and encrypted in the Data Decryption field (DDF)
and the Data Recovery field (DRF) in the file header.
Caution If an administrator removes the password on a user account, the user account will
lose all EFS-encrypted files, personal certificates, and stored passwords for Web sites or network
resources. Each user should make a password reset disk to avoid this situation. To create
a password floppy disk, open User Accounts and, under Related Tasks, click Prevent A
Forgotten Password. The Forgotten Password Wizard steps you through creating the password
reset disk.
How to Decrypt a Folder
Decrypting a folder or file refers to clearing the Encrypt Contents To Secure Data check
box in a folder’s or file’s Advanced Attributes dialog box, which you access from the
folder’s or file’s Properties dialog box. Once decrypted, the file remains decrypted until
you select the Encrypt Contents To Secure Data check box. The only reason you might
want to decrypt a file is if other people need access to the folder or file—for example,
if you want to share the folder or make the file available across the network.