I was reading the Windows XP 'Security and Administration' on-line forum and I began wondering what might happen if my e-mail were in an encrpyted folder and someone who didn't have the key wanted to look at it?

The experts posting indicating that EFS (Encrypted File System) files & folders in XP and Windows 2000 cannot be accessed without the security keys.

"Brett,

> What part of my first sentence "I screwed up and ..." didn't you understand?
>
>
That's not the problem. This part is...
> Anything I can do?
>
You're ignoring all the factual info, others have been giving you on EFS.
Under W2K you might have had a VERY small chance of recovering your data.
Under WinXP you have ZERO chance of doing so.

These very user horror stories on EFS are why I haven't yet used EFS. I know a
lot about the areas you made gross mistakes on with it, yet I'm not yet
comfortable to entrust any critical data due to my lack of knowledge about
EFS. Just need to learn & better understand EFS under WinXP before
implementing it.

Digging up answers to "you can't do that" sort of things (Like WPA) is
sometimes doable. Circumventing EFS under WinXP is NOT.

Maybe I'll get brave next week & try EFS on some non-critical data.
--

   
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-- Modified on 11/24/2002 10:03:13 AM

-- Modified on 11/24/2002 10:03:36 AM

That no one can read it without the encryption keys.

What kind of security would it be if you could just "reset" the encrpytion keys if you forget the password. You forget the keys...it is over. Well, maybe if you wait 10 or 20 years and have a computer fast enough to break the keys by brute force. Might have some commercially available quantum computers by then.

-- Modified on 11/24/2002 12:01:03 PM

Never write something down on paper that you wouldnt mind being handed in court. The same thing goes today for email, encryption or not.

But I think your 'daddy' was smarter. And true indeed John.Galt.