lost permissions/encryption problem

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  1. Posts : 13,985
    Win10 Pro and Home, Win11 Pro and Home, Win7, Linux Mint
       #11

    The formatted capacity of any drive is less after formatting so your 58GB started life as 64GB, marked on the drive and the packaging it came in.
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  2. Posts : 26
    window 10/64
    Thread Starter
       #12

    Berton said:
    The formatted capacity of any drive is less after formatting so your 58GB started life as 64GB, marked on the drive and the packaging it came in.
    Oh yes! thanks!
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  3. Posts : 26
    window 10/64
    Thread Starter
       #13

    thedoc735 said:
    No! "access is denied"!
    It's only the the files in the 'moved' previous downloads folder that is affected, nothing else!
    i.e. even older files and even older 'moved' downloads folders are all OK, it's just the current/present downloads folder were access is denied; all the other folders and files are OK, i.e. from 2016 backwards.
    Many thanks!
    Addendum:
    come to think of it all the files and folders I migrated a couple of days ago have transferred successfully to the memory stick;
    except for the ones in the download folder!
    So, have I lost them now then?
    I don't want to lose loads of bl**dy personal files every time I re-install windows, so how do I save them in the future to stop this happening over and over again please?
    Many thanks!
      My Computers


  4. Posts : 13,985
    Win10 Pro and Home, Win11 Pro and Home, Win7, Linux Mint
       #14

    Backup backup and/or copy to an additional External USB drive, such HDDs at 500GB to 1TB [1000GB] are running between $45 and $60, maybe less. I like the Dell My Passport for carrying in a coat pocket, have 750GB and 1TB, others like Seagate and there's the Toshiba Canvio, may be other brands. I also have Dell My Book HDDs but they are bigger and heavier, not as portable but movable. Toshiba Canvio Basics Portable Hard Drive

    The Dell My Passport uses only a USB cable for both power and data, My Book has its own power supply [necessary as they need more power than USB ports can give].
      My Computers


  5. Posts : 26
    window 10/64
    Thread Starter
       #15

    Berton said:
    Backup backup and/or copy to an additional External USB drive, such HDDs at 500GB to 1TB [1000GB] are running between $45 and $60, maybe less. I like the Dell My Passport for carrying in a coat pocket, have 750GB and 1TB, others like Seagate and there's the Toshiba Canvio, may be other brands. I also have Dell My Book HDDs but they are bigger and heavier, not as portable but movable. Toshiba Canvio Basics Portable Hard Drive

    The Dell My Passport uses only a USB cable for both power and data, My Book has its own power supply [necessary as they need more power than USB ports can give].
    Even if I get a different kind of storage device other than a memory stick as you suggest, what's to say that I won't be locked out of the files in exactly the same way when O/S is re-installed once again? Surely just using a different storage device won't fix the problem? And if it was fixed this way, what is the reason?
    Maybe there is some new windows paranoia going on?
    I mean what if I bought a new PC/laptop, would my existing files be rejected in the same way BECAUSE THEY ARE plugged in to a different/unknown/alien machine? Surely your files should be transferable & portable? (not locked).
    I can't think why MS would prevent you from accessing your own existing files because they are dependant on encryption files/certificates that where located on a machine you no longer own! Unless they expect everyone to copy both the files and their dependant certificates? How many people would know that? I mean when you copy a file you don't get a pop up window telling you to also download an encryption certificate/file!
    Many thanks!
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  6. Posts : 13,985
    Win10 Pro and Home, Win11 Pro and Home, Win7, Linux Mint
       #16

    No, the problems won't be fixed regardless of the storage device used, it's just that the portable drives have much greater capacity than the Thumb drives. It's all in the state of the files before they are copied or moved, if encrypted they usually stay encrypted. Same for compression [.zip files], if compressed they stay compressed but can be decompressed after copy/move but compressed files can be passworded preventing use if not having the password.
      My Computers


  7. Posts : 26
    window 10/64
    Thread Starter
       #17

    Berton said:
    No, the problems won't be fixed regardless of the storage device used, it's just that the portable drives have much greater capacity than the Thumb drives. It's all in the state of the files before they are copied or moved, if encrypted they usually stay encrypted. Same for compression [.zip files], if compressed they stay compressed but can be decompressed after copy/move but compressed files can be passworded preventing use if not having the password.
    many thanks!
    yes I know of the encryption of compressed files like zip, rar, etc. And yes you certainly can decompress them, unzip them etc. But I'm talking about locked files (with a pad lock), so are you saying they can be unlocked somehow? Cheers!
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  8. Posts : 5,478
    2004
       #18

    Do your "yellow padlocks" look like this?

    lost permissions/encryption problem-capture.png

    If so you are using EFS (which is what the yellow padlock is) then no you can't recover your files if you forgot to backup the key. It tells you when you use it that if you forget your key or reinstall your OS then your data is lost but millions of people forget it. In recent versions of Windows it is difficult to even invoke for that reason.

    There is a warning here in the tenforums tutorial:
    warning   Warning
    It is highly recommended that you back up your file encryption key after encrypting files and folders to help avoid permanently losing access to your encrypted files and folders.

    If you lose access to your encrypted files and folders, you will not be able to open them again unless you first restore the file encryption key for them.
    Encrypt Files and Folders with EFS in Windows 10 | Tutorials

    It is a terrible encryption system to use for that and other reasons. You should stop and use bitlocker or (perhaps but probably not) veracrypt. If you didn't backup your certificate (as it warned you, only once, at the time) then no, you probably can't restore it.

    You could check in your backup you made with cipher /x "%UserProfile%\Desktop\MyEFSCertificates"
    Backup Encrypting File System Certificate and Key in Windows 10 | Tutorials

    If you didn't do that though and if you don't have a unencrypted backup you are out of luck. Sorry to be the bearer...
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 26
    window 10/64
    Thread Starter
       #19

    lx07 said:
    Do your "yellow padlocks" look like this?

    lost permissions/encryption problem-capture.png

    If so you are using EFS (which is what the yellow padlock is) then no you can't recover your files if you forgot to backup the key. It tells you when you use it that if you forget your key or reinstall your OS then your data is lost but millions of people forget it. In recent versions of Windows it is difficult to even invoke for that reason.

    There is a warning here in the tenforums tutorial:
    warning   Warning
    It is highly recommended that you back up your file encryption key after encrypting files and folders to help avoid permanently losing access to your encrypted files and folders.

    If you lose access to your encrypted files and folders, you will not be able to open them again unless you first restore the file encryption key for them.
    Encrypt Files and Folders with EFS in Windows 10 | Tutorials

    It is a terrible encryption system to use for that and other reasons. You should stop and use bitlocker or (perhaps but probably not) veracrypt. If you didn't backup your certificate (as it warned you, only once, at the time) then no, you probably can't restore it.

    You could check in your backup you made with cipher /x "%UserProfile%\Desktop\MyEFSCertificates"
    Backup Encrypting File System Certificate and Key in Windows 10 | Tutorials

    If you didn't do that though and if you don't have a unencrypted backup you are out of luck. Sorry to be the bearer...
    thank you! - this is what I expected to hear! Yes, It is a terrible encryption system!! Not much warning really! It never occurred to me (& countless others?) to back up certificates!
    Cheers! - have a nice day!
    brutal truth is sometimes best, wink wink!
      My Computers


 

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