Supporting File Encryption in Windows XP

In Windows XP Professional, you can protect files and folders by using the Encrypting File System (EFS). EFS is not available in Windows XP Home Edition. EFS encode your files so that even if a person can obtain the file, he cannot read it. The files can be read-only when you log on to the computer by using your user account and password. Windows uses your user account’s public key to create a file encryption key that can be decrypted only by your personal encryption certificate, which is generated from your user account’s private key.

There are two restrictions when implementing EFS:

■ You cannot use EFS on storage volumes that are not formatted with NTFS.

■ You cannot use EFS to encrypt a file that has been compressed by using NTFS compression. Although NTFS manages access to file system resources in Windows or on an internal network, when you have a dual-boot configuration, NTFS permissions can be circumvented by the second operating system. This issue is especially pertinent to portable computers because they can easily be moved or stolen, which would enable a second installation of Windows to be installed as a dual boot. The protected NTFS files would then be accessible on the second installation of Windows. EFS address this computer security issue by requiring you to enter your user account and password information before it will encrypt a file. In a dual-boot environment, the EFS protected files would still be inaccessible.

When an unauthorized user attempts to access an EF0S-encrypted resource, the user receives an “Access Denied” message. This message is similar to what a user experiences when he attempts to access an NTFS resource that he does not have permission to access.

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Compressed (Zipped) Folders in Microsoft Windows XP

Moving and Copying Compressed Files and Folders in Windows XP

Supporting File Compression in Windows Xp

Configuring Folder Options in Windows XP

File and Folder Attributes

Compressed (Zipped) Folders in Microsoft Windows XP

Microsoft Windows XP contains a new feature called compressed (zipped) folders. User can create these folders on any FAT, FAT32, or NTFS volume, including floppy disks, and any files copied into the folders will be compressed. Compressed (zipped) folders are compatible with other programs that create zipped files, so you can easily share the compressed folders with other users, even if those users are not running Windows XP Professional or using a drive formatted with NTFS.

 To create a compressed (zipped) folder, follow these steps:

1. Open Windows Explorer.

2. From the File menu, select New, and then select Compressed (Zipped) Folder. A zipped folder is represented by a folder icon with a zipper on it, so it is easily differentiated from nonzipped folders. After you have created a zipped folder, you can drag files into the folder to compress them.

More on Microsoft Windows Xp >>

Moving and Copying Compressed Files and Folders in Windows XP

Supporting File Compression in Windows Xp

Configuring Folder Options in Windows XP

File and Folder Attributes

Change the default way that a file type opens in windows XP

Moving and Copying Compressed Files and Folders in Windows XP

When you move and copy compressed files and folders in Microsoft Windows, those files and

Folders are affected in the following manner:

 

• When you move files and folders within the same NTFS volume, the compression attribute remains the same in the new location. For example, if files were compressed in the original location, they will remain compressed in the new location, even if the new parent folder is not compressed.

 

• When you copy files and folders in windows xp within the same volume, the ompression attribute is lost, and the files will take on the compression attribute of the new parent folder.

 

• When you move or copy files and folders to a different volume in Microsoft windows, the files and folders take on the compression attribute of the new parent folder.

 

• When you move or copy files or folders to a volume that is formatted with FAT or FAT32, compression is lost because these file systems do not support compression.

More on Windows XP Support -

Supporting File Compression in Windows Xp

Configuring Folder Options in Windows XP

File and Folder Attributes

Change the default way that a file type opens in windows XP

 

Supporting File Compression in Windows Xp

File compression reduces the amount of disk space that is required to store files and increases the amount of information that you can place on a single volume. This is useful on a volume that is running low on available disk space. Windows XP Professional supports file compression on NTFS volumes only.

You can enable compression for an entire NTFS volume, for one or more folders, or for individual files. Each file and folder has its own compression attribute that you can control on an individual basis.

Windows provides compression entirely through NTFS and after a file or folder is compressed, that compression is transparent to applications and users in Microsoft windows. The NTFS compression filter automatically decompresses files into memory when you open them and compresses any files again when they are saved to the disk.

To enable compression of a volume, folder, or file on an NTFS partition, follows these Steps:

1. In Windows Explorer, right-click the volume, folder, or file that you want to compress and select the Properties option from the action menu.

2. In the Properties dialog box for the volume, folder, or file, on the General tab, click Advanced.

3. In the Advanced Attributes dialog box, select the Compress Contents to Save Disk Space option and click OK.

4. If you have selected a folder that contains files and subfolders, you will be prompted to apply compression—either to the folder only or to the files and subfolders, Select the appropriate response and click OK.

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Configuring Folder Options in Windows XP

File and Folder Attributes

View a file type in a different program for one time

Change the default way that a file type opens in windows XP

Understanding File and Folder Types

Configuring Folder Options in Windows XP

User can use folder options to resolve different types of service calls and request from end users. This can be accessed from folder options from the control panel or from the tools menu in Windows Explorer. There are four available tabs in the folder options dialog box.

 

• General Tab

Use the options on this tab to change how folders look and how will they open when clicked.

We can configure Windows to use Windows classic folders for a pre-Windows XP look and feel, and opening a folder inside another folder can be configured easily to appear in different ways. We can configure folders so that the new folder opens either in the same window or in a different one and can also configure folders to open with a single- or double-click.

 

• View Tab

Use the options on this tab to apply folder views system-wide (Details, Tiles, Icons, and so on) or to reset the folder views to their default. Configure advanced settings to remember (or not remember) each folder’s view settings, to show (or not show) pop-up descriptions of folder and desktop items, to use (or not use) Simple File Sharing, to automatically search for network folders and printers— and more in Microsoft windows xp.

 

• File Types Tab

Use the options on this tab to view, add, or reconfigure which types of files open with which particular program. When an end user requests that a specific file open with a specific program, make that change here in Windows xp.

 

• Offline Files

User can enable and configure offline files here. When offline files are enabled, a user can work on network files even if he or she is not connected to the network.

 

More on Microsoft windows xp support >>

File and Folder Attributes

View a file type in a different program for one time

Change the default way that a file type opens in windows XP

File Name Extensions

How to manage files and folder types in Windows Xp

 

File and Folder Attributes

Understanding the attributes of a file in windows xp is really very simple. Following are the attributes in windows xp -

 

-Read only – These are the files which can only be read by the user. The user cannot make any change in that file and cannot delete anything from that file. If the user wants to make any change in the file then he has to save the copy of file where he can make changes.

 

- Hidden – There are some which can be hiding in the Microsoft windows xp. So that user can protect then unintended access. Windows xp hides critical system files and folders to protect them from deletion or modification. You can view hidden files and folders by selecting the option to show hidden files and folders in the Folder Options dialog box on the View tab.

 

- Ready for Archiving - File that has not been backed up recently. When a

backup utility backs up a resource, it marks the resource as archived. If the

resource changes in any way, the archived flag is removed.

In addition to the Hidden file attribute, Windows xp displays a warning message when

the following critical files are accessed:

■ System Volume The entire system volume is protected from access by users

with limited rights.

■ Program Files This folder contains the majority of application-specific files on

the computer and is therefore protected.

■ Windows The system folder contains the operating system and is protected.

More on Microsoft windows xp>>

View a file type in a different program for one time

Change the default way that a file type opens in windows XP

Understanding File and Folder Types

  

View a file type in a different program for one time

In my earlier post we discussed about how to change the default program of a file to make it open in other program forever in Microsoft windows xp. And in this post I m discussing about how to view a file in a different program for once only.  It is very simple.

Let’s take an example, if I want to make some changes in my picture and that file opens up in Picture and file viewer by default then I can open it another program to make changes in it. It is very simple, right click on the file, click on Open with and then select the program from the list. The file will open it selected program.

And if you are using Microsoft windows Vista and want to open the file with other program then also the same process follows.

Make sure

 The Open With dialog box includes the Always Use the Selected Program to Open

This Kind Of file check box. If you select this check box, the program will always open with this type of file. Do not select this check box if you do not want to make this program the default program. 

If you face any kind of trouble in Microsoft windows xp and Microsoft vista operating system,  then you can contact us at any point of time by dialing 1800 602 586, it’s a toll free number.

More on windows xp>>

Change the default way that a file type opens in windows XP

File Name Extensions

Understanding File and Folder Types

How to manage files and folder types in Windows Xp