I cannot copy a folder from a drive with a malfunctioning windows xp media center.

It has a hal.dll problem which I have had no success fixing. I will do a windows repair install after I solve this problem.

I slaved the drive to a working media center PC and copied all files I want to back up except one important folder. ( many subfolders and files )
When I try to copy this folder (from safe mode, admin login) cannot copy: access denied etc.

Both drives are NTFS

I changed ownership to administrator, set object permissions as per instructions from other threads here and elsewhere, still no luck.
This folder was originally encrypted, and I think set to private.
The file names are green.

Before I did the ownership thing, the folder showed 0 files ... bad. When I changed the ownership to admin the first time, I could browse the folder, all subs and files appeared, but copy access still denied.

I tried ownership/permissions fix again, now folder names are black in windows explorer, but file names are still green and still copy access denied.

Does this have something to do with the encryption set originally, and can I adjust that?

I really want to back this folder up before the windows repair install.

Thanks to all who can help!

This post has been edited by dbldady: Feb 24 2008, 11:05 PM

Hello dbldady,

Yes, it would appear that the files are encrypted and that would cause the issue you are having. Try to right-click the file and choose Properties, then click Advanced.
See if you find a checkbox that says "Encrypt Contents To Secure Data". If so, try to change it.

This might also help:
http://www.softwaretipsandtricks.com/windo...s-on-Windows-XP

Regards,

Ax

Welcome to the forum, dbldady. I don't use Windows built-in file encryption myself, but I have researched it a little. If the filenames are shown in green then they are almost certainly encrypted since green is the default colour for these types of files if the option to colour them is enabled.
It seems you cannot copy encrypted files if they are tagged as "read only" in each of the files 'properties' dialog (right-click menu). If you 'untick' the 'read-only' option for each file, you should be able to copy them.

Additionally (and maybe before you perform the above step) the files may also have to be 'decrypted' within the account in which they were encrypted. Since that's obviously not possible (since the OS is 'broken') I hope you find that's not necessary, although it may be possible to decrypt them in any event if you are logged on as Administrator.

This post has been edited by pip22: Feb 23 2008, 04:05 PM

I have logged into the working OS as admin, and the aforementioned folder, sub folders and files are owned by the administrators group.

I can browse the encrypted folders on the drive with the broken OS. When I unset this folder and all subs and files from read only, click apply/OK, and click properties again, the read only box is filled in with a green square again. I have tried this to the parent folder, and a few subs and individual files with the same result.

When I unchecked "encrypt contents to secure data, and selected "applies to all subfolders and files" the dialog buzzed through some of the files, and "error applying attributes: access denied" popped up on others. This happened trying both encrypt and decrypt settings. I also checked the properties on a file that I think the decrypt routine didn't complain about, but it was still denying access.

There is 450+ files in 50+ folders. Possibly the advanced properties dialog is decrypting the folders but not the files themselves.

I have also tried to copy the folder from this to another mounted drive with Puppy Linux 3.01, but I was told "permission denied"

Although many files are already backed up, many of the current versions the files are not.

I have secured my data from myself!

AX238, I'll try the instructions in the link you provided when I have time to concentrate. But don't I have to be logged into the broken OS to do this?
I can at least get to the recovery console from that drive.

Also, IS THERE a way to simply mirror the folder as is, so I can at least save it somehow before the repair install?

I understand a repair install isn't supposed to wipe other programs, data or settings, but I just don't trust M$ right now. This all became an issue during an auto windows update that crashed, causing a missing hal.dll error during reboot.
I described what is going on with that here: http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/missing-hal-dll-t188429.html

I appreciate yours and PIP22's help, and in return I promise to do backups each month before patch Tuesday goobers up my PC.

This post has been edited by dbldady: Feb 24 2008, 11:08 PM

Ax thanks again for the post.

I read through the article at:
http://www.softwaretipsandtricks.com/windo...s-on-Windows-XP

I think I need to be logged into my broken OS to do this, please correct me if I am wrong.

So now I am looking for a workaround. After reading many of the comments in the above article it seems the "security certificate" and or "file encryption certificate" have been written over when many users did a repair install of their OS, or moved the drive with encrypted files to a different PC/OS. I haven't repair installed windows yet, but I need to eventually.

Is there a way to preserve my microsoft EFS security certificates from the broken OS first?
( microsoft enhanced file security )
Can I copy them to the working OS I am using to browse the drive with the broken OS?
I don't care what happens to this working OS after I recover the encrypted files.
I just want to decrypt them and back them up to CD
I installed the working windows OS on a storage drive to try to recover the files in the first place, I'll wipe that drive once all files are successfully backed up to CD.

In other words, the M$ EFS security certificates and encryption keys are probably intact on the broken windows OS drive.
( trusted root certificate authorities? )

Do you AX, or any other XP mullahs out there know how I can make use of these certificates/keys from within my working OS?

Or at the very least, how do I preserve the EFS security certificates somehow and copy them back to the broken OS after I repair install windows so I can open the encrypted files afterwords ?

I'll be grateful forever!

This post has been edited by dbldady: Feb 24 2008, 11:10 PM

I don't know what all you've tried as far as fixing the missing hal.dll problem, but did you try the directions in this MS Article:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?...kb;en-us;307545

If you can fix it then your EFS problems are over, though you should definitely read here one way or the other:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/890951

This post has been edited by Ztruker: Feb 24 2008, 08:48 PM

Thanks ztruker,

I saw your post on the other thread too. http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/missing-hal-dll-t188429.html

I'll give some thought to you there so others can see how I am proceeding with that problem

This post has been edited by dbldady: Feb 24 2008, 11:10 PM