Encyrpted File System

Discussion of new Synchronize It! version.
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andyr

Encyrpted File System

Post by andyr »

Please confirm that encyrpted files will be dealt with in the final release. That is to say copy efs encyrpted files to a network share with EFS service disabled. This is essential for me.
thanks,
andyr

Gargantubrain

EFS

Post by Gargantubrain »

I would have to say that EFS compatibility is totally outside the scope of this program. I don't think it is really fair to ask for EFS-awareness from this program.

This program basically copies files and directories from one directory to another.

EFS is essentially an attribute on a directory or file. When you are copying into NTFS, all new files and directories copied into a directory will inherit the parent folder's attributes and permissions (including the EFS attribute).

If you delete a directory, then create it again, the new directory will inherit the parent folder's attributes and permissions.

Plan your implementation of this program to properly inherit the parent folder's EFS settings on the source and destination directories, and it will work as you expect.

Copying to a file system (FAT, FAT32, CD-ROM, etc) that does not support EFS will cause the files to no longer be encrypted on that file system. When copying from those file systems into a NTFS directory with EFS on, the files will of course inherit the destination folder's EFS attribute.

One last note, when copying EFS files (especially through a network), you have to understand that it is the NTFS disk driver on the machine that handles EFS. If you copy a file from NTFS to NTFS with EFS on in both places, the file is decrypted when read from NTFS by the computer it resides on, then copied unencrypted, then encrypted by the computer it is being copied to. Just ask yourself, "Whose NTFS is it?" and you will see where it is being encrypted or decrypted. The only way to avoid de- and re-encrypting when moving a file is to move it (not copy it and delete it) within the same NTFS partition -- then this operation becomes a rename rather than a copy.

grigsoft
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Post by grigsoft »

Gargantubrain,
Thank you for comments. Still I hope I will be able to find a way to copy such files to NTFS drives - I know some programs are able to do it.

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