Maybe you have faced this problem some time. You just forget to decrypt the file first and instead directly copied the file in its encrypted form to another Windows computer. Now when you try to open it on the other computer, you get a message saying that Access is denied. If you get Access is denied message when opening encrypted files, you may need to first export the Encrypting File System (EFS) certificate and key. This occurs because either you do not have permission to view the file or the key that was used to encrypt the file is probably not on the other computer.
If you right click its Properties > Security tab, and find that you do not have permission, you may have to contact your system administrator. But if the file is from another computer, you need to get the key from the computer where you encrypted the file. If the file was encrypted by someone else, that person will need to add the certificate to the file before you can access it.
Here is a step by step tutorial on how to do this:
Get an encryption key from another computer
You need to first export the Encrypting File System (EFS) certificate and key on the computer where the files were encrypted, and then import them on the computer that you transferred the files to.
Export the EFS certificate and key
1. Go to Control Panel and search for Certificate Manager and open it.
2. In the left pane, double-click Personal, click Certificates, and then click the EFS certificate that you want to export.
3. Click the Action menu, point to All Tasks, and then click Export.
4. In the Certificate Export wizard, click Next.
5. Click Yes, export the private key, and then click Next.
6. Click Personal Information Exchange, and then click Next.
7. Type the password you want to use, confirm it, and then click Next.
8. The export process creates a file to store the certificate in. Type a name for the file and the location (include the whole path), or click Browse, navigate to a location, type a file name, and then click Save.
9. Click Next, and then click Finish.
Import the EFS certificate and key
1. Go to Control Panel and search for Certificate Manager and open it.
2. In the left pane, click Personal.
3. Click the Action menu, point to All Tasks, and click Import.
4. In the Certificate Import wizard, click Next.
5. Type the location of the file that contains the certificate, or click Browse, navigate to the file’s location, and then click Next.
6. Type the password, select the Mark this key as exportable check box, and then click Next. (Do not select the Enable strong private key protection check box.)
7. Click Place all certificates in the following store, choose Personal, and then click Next.
8. Click Finish.
Add a certificate to an encrypted file
To add your encryption certificate and key to a file, export your certificate and key by following the steps above and have the person that you received the file from, import the certificate and key and then add it to the file by following these steps.
1. Right-click the encrypted file, and then click Properties.
2. Click the General tab, and then click Advanced.
3. In the Advanced Attributes dialog box, click Details.
4. In the dialog box that appears, click Add.
5. Click the certificate, and then click OK in each of the four open dialog boxes.
Hope that helps!
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BitLocker is a pre-installed program with Windows 7 to prevent unauthorized access to your system files and user data. Once you have enabled BitLocker drive encryption, it will provides protection for entire volumes with a 128-bit or 256-bit key, so that your hard drive cannot be read even if it is physically removed and placed into another computer.
However, for some reasons you may need to turn off BitLocker drive encryption to make the drive once again readable.
Steps to Disable Bitlocker Drive Encryption on Windows 7
Before we start to remove BitLocker protection, make sure two things:
Here is how to decrypt BitLocker drive in Windows 7:
1. Click Start and choose Control Panel.
2. Go to System and Security > BitLocker Drive Encryption.
3. You will see all the hard disk drive listed, informing you which drive is under BitLocker protection.
4. Choose a drive and click Turn Off BitLocker beside.
5. A message will pop up informing the decryption may take some time. Click Decrypt Drive to move on.
6. Wait for the process finishing.
Note: Pausing decryption before you completely shut off BitLocker service may damage the hard drive.
Extra Tip: How to Enable Bitlocker Encryption in Windows 7
If you want to turn on BitLocker in the future after disabling it, follow below steps.
1. Go to Start > Control Panel > System and Security > BitLocker Drive Encryption.
2. Click Turn on BitLocker.
3. Follow the instructions to initialize the TPM security hardware.
4. Choose whether to store the recovery key to a USB drive or a file or print it.
5. Run BitLocker system check and click Continue.
6. Click Restart now to be ready for enabling BitLocker encryption.
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7. If your Windows 7 computer meets BitLocker requirements, you will see the Encrypting status bar. Wait for it completing.
You can use your computer during BitLocker encryption, but the performance may slow down. You can also monitor the process by moving the mouse pointer over BitLocker Drive Encryption icon in the task bar.
Summary
That how you can turn off BitLocker on windows 7 computer and turn on it. If you happen to have your PC password locked, go ahead and try Windows Password Key to reset the password and bypass login screen.
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Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.comments powered by Disqus Decrypt Files Windows 7 64 Bit
Do you want to keep your files and folders safe from unauthorized access? At the same time, make those files unreadable to others only if they give the right password. Then you have to use the Windows built-in encryption tool called EFS (encryption files system).
What is EFS (Encrypting File System)?
EFS is the encryption tool that helps you to quickly secure files and folders on NTFS drives from unwanted access by using public key encryption. Therefore, if any hacker or unauthorized parties gain access to the hard drive that has been encrypted will be useless for them unless they know the decryption Key. The Encrypting File System is free to use and was first introduced on Windows 2000 and later available on all versions of Professional/Business and Ultimate/Enterprise editions of Windows XP/ Vista/7/8/10 except the Basic and Home versions.
By using EFS, you can either encrypt the single file or a folder. Furthermore, if any file is written to the assigned encrypted folder, then the file will automatically be encrypted. On the other hand, FAT file systems and other file systems do not support the Encrypting File System. EFS is much useful for laptop users as well as the organization where they can secure highly sensitive data. Suppose if the user enables the EFS then it offers transparent encryption and decryption of files by using advanced, standard cryptographic algorithms. Here the windows create the encryption key, which is itself encrypted and saved locally.
You can also check How to Encrypt your Files, Folders, and Drives on your Windows 7/8/10
The EFS encryption process is easy but not very secure, so we advise you to use a strong password where the other users or attackers find hard to guess when you enable. On the other hand, in some situations using EFS might not be appropriate for some users and they want to turn this feature off or disabled it. Reduce grain premiere.
Therefore, in this tutorial, we shall show you different ways to enable and disable EFS in Windows 10 / 8 / 7. It will not take long time or process to turn on or off the EFS, so let’s get started without any delay.
How To Enable or Disable Encrypting File System on Windows PC?Method-1 Enable or Disable Encrypting File System by Using Registry EditorEnable Encrypting File System:
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HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetPolicies
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Disable Encrypting File System:
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If the user tries to encrypt a file or folder when EFS is disabled, then the user can view a message that “An error occurred applying attributes to the file: filename. The directory has been disabled for encryption.”
Method-2: Enable or Disable EFS by Group Policy Editor
It is another way, where the users can enable or disable the EFS with the help of Group policy editor for that you have to follow the below step-by-step process.
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Computer ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesSystemFilesystemNTFS
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To Enable NTFS File System Encryption:
To Disable NTFS File System Encryption:
Method-3: Enabling and Disabling EFS Using Command Prompt on Windows 7
You can enable and disable Encrypting File System on Windows 2000 and later version by using the command prompt method. Do follow the below steps carefully.
Enabling EFS using cmd:
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fsutil behavior set disableencryption 0
For Disabling EFS using cmd:
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Decrypt All Files Windows 7
fsutil behavior set disableencryption 1
That’s it! Now restart your computer for the effects to take place.
Method-4: Enable or Disable EFS via Local Security Policy
Following this technique also helps you to enable and disable the Encrypting File System. To do so, you have to follow the below procedure.
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Security Settings –> Public Key Policies –> Encrypting File System.
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In some situation, if you want to enable the EFS option then, in the same way, follow the above steps but under the General tab, you have to choose either any one of option “not defined or Allow” in the “File encryption Using Encrypting File System (EFS)” section and Click OK button.
Also Read: How to Prevent / Restrict Hard Drive Access for Users in Windows 7
Therefore, when you try to encrypt the file or folder, then you will get the error message showing that “This machine is disabled for file encryption.”
That’s all! We hope that this article was useful. At the same time, we also suggest you encrypt your sensitive files/ folders that are available on your computer from prying eyes and unauthorized access. On the other hand, EFS also helps you to protect the data against users and attackers who try to access, but don’t have access or the ability to decrypt the data. So, follow the above methods to enable or disable EFS on Windows 7/8/10.
If you have any questions or suggestions related to the article, do let us know via below comment section.
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