Help With Encryption

Question

OK, I'm relatively computer stupid. I decided a few months ago to encrypt all of "My Documents". Then, any time I created any WordPad or Paint file and saved it, whether to a folder or to the desktop. it was automatically encrypted. When I saved a webpage as an HTML, it was encrypted. I went back and changed "My Documents" to un-encrypted (I Thought). I don't remember what steps/settings I made originally, but it continued making every type of file mentioned encrypted.

All the above can now be changed to past tense. Because... I searched and searched how to remedy this, to no avail. SO..... I restored the system back to a date that I thought was before I played with encryption.... and it's still encrypting files I create !!!

Can anyone guide me how to defeat this and change it back to normal? I am no longer concerned with encrypting files. I'm getting tired of having to manually un-encrypt files. I shouldn't have even experimented with it in the first place.

Often I will take a seller on eBays' photo and add Arrows, Text etc to ask questions about an item. I bet that would work real good, trying to send an encrypted picture to eBay !! LOL

Answer 1

Eureka !

I think I finally fixed it (knockin on wood)

I'm bad about placing files randomly here and there. I have all the three types of files in Documents. I searched diligently for every type of file mentioned and found all that I could that were still showing encryption. I either changed the attribute or deleted them, as fit. I'm glad I didn't have a terabyte of files/folders to search through !!

It apparently worked. The system is no longer automatically encrypting files. I'll know not to ever encrypt "My Documents" again. I don't even remenber how I accomplished what was happening. When you right click on the "Documents" folder in Windows Explorer, then click on properties, there isn't an option to encrypt the folder. I must have opened "My Documents"... selected all... and then right clicked to encrypt them all.

I guess I'll just create a separate folder(s) on a removable device for any files I deem sensitive.

Thanks for the reply LightJack. Wish me luck.... {:o )

Answer 2

Hi,

On the folder you selected to encrypt, right click.

Select "Properties"

Under "General" find "Attributes" and click advanced.

Under "Compress and Encrypt attributes" uncheck "Encrypt contents to protect data".

This is the default method of encrypting specific folders in the file system.

Sincerely,

LightJack