chapter 7 managing disk and file...

7 MANAGING DISK AND FILE SYSTEM

7.1 Introducing Disk Management 7.1.1 Basic Disk 7.1.2 Dynamic Disk

7.1.3 Converting to Basic and Dynamic Disk

7.2 Maintaining Disk Drive 7.2.1 Defragment a Disk Drive Volume 7.2.2 Check Disk

7.2.3 Disk Cleanup

7.3 Introducing File System 7.3.1 Comparison FAT, FAT32 and NTFS 7.3.2 The strength of NTFS file system

7.3.3 Converting to FAT32 and NTFS 7.4 Introducing Encrypting File System (EFS)

7.4.1 Guideline for implementing EFS 7.5 Summary 7.6 Exercises

Objectives At the end of this chapter students should be able to:

§ Differentiate basic disk and dynamic disk. § Perform a conversion from basic disk to dynamic

disk. § Perform disk management by utilising the Disk

Defragmenter, Check Disk and Disk Checkup § Identify file system supported by Window XP § Perform a conversion from FAT32 to NTFS § Perform securing file system using Encrypting

File System.

CLIENT OPERATING SYSTEM

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7.1 INTRODUCING DISK MANAGEMENT Hard disk is the common type of data storage device found in the computer system. There are two types of hard disk storage that have been supported by Windows XP on a computer which are: basic hard disk and dynamic hard disk. Additionally, Windows XP offers a system utility that let you inspect and manage such hard disk storage that is called Disk management. For example, Disk Management allows you to create, delete and format partition and converting basic disk to dynamic disk. There are a few different ways to access Disk Management so choose whichever is more convenient with you. § Method 1 - Start > Control Panel > Performance and Maintenance > Administrative

Tools. Double click Computer Management and then click Disk Management in the left hand column.

§ Method 2 - By default, Administrative Tools is not shown on the Start Menu but if

you have modified the Start Menu (by right clicking the Start button and selecting Properties > Customize) so it is shown then just select Start > Administrative Tools > Computer Management and then click Disk Management in the left hand column.

§ Method 3 - Click Start > Run and type diskmgmt.msc in the Open: line and click OK.

The Disk Management snap-in will open.

Important Terms using in the Disk Management: Partition: A partition is a section of a hard disk. When you format a hard disk, you can usually choose the number of partitions you want. The computer will recognize each partition as a separate disk. Typically, an operating system needs to be installed on its own partition so that it won't conflict with other operating systems on the machine.

Logical drive: A logical drive is a single hard drive that can be assigned several drive letters. For example, drives C:, D: and E: could represent one physical drive partitioned into three logical drives.

Volumes A volume is a unit of storage, such as a hard drive or CD-ROM drive. Volumes are also called as logical drives.

Managing Disk and File System

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7.1.1 Basic disk

Traditional types of disk storage is called basic disk. Basic disk uses normal partition table supported by MS-DOS, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Millennium Edition (ME), Windows XP, Windows NT and Windows Server 2003. Windows XP Basic recognizes all disks as basic disk by default unless it is upgraded to a dynamic disk. A basic disk contains basic volumes such as primary partition, extended partition and logical partition. Table 7-1 explains about three types of partitions on a basic hard disk:

Types of partitions Explanation Primary partition • It can be configured up to four primary partitions on a computer.

• It can be configured as a bootable drive. Extended partition • It is a way to exceed the four primary partition limits.

• It can not be formatted with any file system. Logical partition • It can be created inside an extended partition.

• It uses for organizing files

Table 7-1 Types of partition on a Basic disk

You can perform the following tasks only on a basic disk: § Create and delete primary and extended partitions. § Create and delete logical drives within an extended partition. § Format a partition and mark it as active. § Delete volume, striped, mirror, or stripe sets with parity.

7.1.2 Dynamic disk

Dynamic disk is a physical disk that provides features that basic disks do not, such as support for volumes spanning multiple disks. Additionally, it uses a hidden database to track information about dynamic volumes on the disk and other dynamic disks in the computer. There are five types of dynamic disk volumes: § simple volumes § spanned volumes § striped volumes § mirrored volumes § RAID-5 volumes


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Table 7-2 show the terms in the dynamic disk (Refer the screenshot on Figure 7-1)

Terms Definitions A volume • A storage unit made from free space on one or more disks.

• It can be formatted with a file system and assigned a drive letter. Volumes on dynamic disks can have any of the layouts: simple, spanned, mirrored, striped, or RAID-5.

A simple volume • It uses free space from a single disk. • A simple volume can be extended within the same disk or onto additional

disks. If a simple volume is extended across multiple disks, it becomes a spanned volume.

A spanned volume

• It is created from free disk space that is linked together from multiple disks.

• It can be extended onto a maximum of 32 disks. A spanned volume cannot be mirrored and is not fault-tolerant.

A striped volume • A volume which data is interleaved across two or more physical disks.

• It cannot be mirrored or extended and is not fault-tolerant.

A mirrored volume

• Volume which data is duplicated on two physical disks. All of the data on one volume is copied to another disk to provide data redundancy.

If one of the disks fails, the data can still be accessed from the remaining disk. A mirrored volume cannot be extended. Mirroring is also known as RAID-1.

A RAID-5 volume • Volume which data is striped across an array of three or more disks. If a physical disk fails, the portion of the RAID-5 volume that was on that failed disk can be re-created from the remaining data and the parity. A RAID-5 volume cannot be mirrored or extended.

Table 7-2 Dynamic Disk terms

Advantages of Dynamic Disk over Basic Disk

The basic disk concept primary and extended partitions does not exist when using dynamic disk, therefore you can divide disk into many volumes. Configuration information about dynamic disks are stored on the disk itself in the last 1MB space of the disk. If there are multiple dynamic disks Windows replicate information to all other disks so that each disk has copy of the configuration information.


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Figure 7-1 Simple (E, G); spanned (F); and striped (H) dynamic volumes displayed in Disk Management

7.1.2.1 LAB: Using Disk Management Managing Disk can be done by using Disk Management tool. This tool allows you to create and manage volumes on fixed and removable disks. To start Disk Management:

1. Log on as an administrator or as a member of the Administrators group.

2. Click Start, and then click Control Panel. And then click Administrative Tools.

3. Double-click Computer Management . In the console tree, click Disk Management. Or you can also click Start, point to Run, type diskmgmt.msc, and then click OK.

4. In Disk Management, the computer's disks and volumes are displayed in a graphical

view and in a list view.

To customize the view of the disks and the volumes in the upper and the lower panes of the window, click View, point to Top or to Bottom, and then click the view that you want. (see Figure 7-3).


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Figure 7-2 Disk management tool allow you to create and manage volumes on fixed and removable disk

7.1.3 Converting to Basic and Dynamic Disk One of the most useful Windows XP Professional features is the ability to convert basic disks to dynamic disks. The advantage of doing this is that the Windows operating system allows you to span a single volume across multiple dynamic disks. It means that, you can create a larger volume than what a single disk can hold, you can achieve better performance than what a single disk would provide.

Converting a basic disk into a dynamic disk is a semi-permanent operation. Thus, you need to be aware before converting a basic disk into a dynamic disk. Once you convert a basic disk into a dynamic disk, you can not convert it back into a basic disk unless you delete every volume on the entire disk. There is no way to convert a dynamic disk into a basic disk and preserve the drive’s contents. You will have to make a backup of the data prior to the conversion, delete the volume, convert the disk to basic, create a partition, assign the partition a drive letter, and restore your backup


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7.1.3.1 LAB: To convert a Basic Disk to a Dynamic Disk You can use Disk Management or DiskPart command-line utility to proceed this process. For the conversion to succeed, any disks to be converted must contain at least 1MB of unallocated space. Disk Management automatically reserves this space when creating partitions or volumes on a disk. Indeed, you must be a member of the local Administrators group to make any changes to the computer’s disk management configuration. Before you upgrade disks, close any programs that are running on those disks.

To do this, follow these steps:

1. Log on as Administrator or as a member of the Administrators group.

2. Click Start, click Control Panel and click Administrative Tools 3. Then double-click Computer Management.

You can also right-click My Computer and choose Manage if you have My Computer displayed on your desktop.

Figure 7-3 Disk Management tool allows to convert basic disk to dynamic disk

4. In the left pane, click Disk Management.

In the lower-right pane, right-click the basic disk that you want to convert, and then click Convert to Dynamic Disk. You must right-click the gray area that contains the disk title on the left side of the Details pane.

5. Select the check box that is next to the disk that you want to convert (if it is not already selected), and then click OK.


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Figure 7-4 Verify the correct hard disk to be converted

Not every hard disk can be converted!!

Dynamic disks are only supported on desktop or server systems that use Small Computer System Interface (SCSI), Fibre Channel, Serial Storage Architecture (SSA), Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE), Enhanced IDE (EIDE), Ultra Direct Memory Access (DMA), or Advanced Technology Attachment (ATA) interfaces.

Dynamic disks are not supported on portable computers, removable disks (such as Jaz or Zip drives), and disks connected via USB or FireWire (IEEE 1394) interfaces.

The reason for this is simple!!

A dynamic disk can span multiple drives. If a volume spanned a removable disk and the disk was removed from the system, then the volume would be broken

7.2 MAINTAINING DISK DRIVE Windows XP provides tools that are: Disk Defragmentation, Check Disk and Disk Cleanup. These help you in organizing your hard disks more efficiently; recover readable information from damaged areas on your hard disk. Yet, these tools will clean up any temporary file and unnecessary programs taking up space on your hard drive. While running these utilities, it is advised to the users to close all operation.

7.2.1 Defragmenting a disk drive volume Defragmenting is a process of finding and consolidating fragmented files and folders by moving them to one location on the hard disk. This process can be accomplished by using Disk Defragmenter.


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Why you need defragmenting? Generally, temporary files, Internet cache files and unnecessary programs take up space on your computer’s hard drive. Sometimes there are file system errors which can cause you to lose data that you have stored on your hard disk. Yet, obviously, the more broken up the information is, the longer it takes to access the data and the slower the computer becomes. By defragmenting, it rearranges files or folders stored in a hard disk to occupy contiguous space on the hard disk. Thus, your system becomes more efficient. The reason is that defragmenting has reduced the time that the operating system needs to access files and folders.

7.2.1.1 LAB: Defragment a Hard Drive Before you start the defrag process, it is advised to turn off any programs that you are running, including those running in the background like firewalls and anti-virus programs. If you try to defrag when these programs are running, the defrag process will constantly be stopped. If you turn off the major programs that you are running and still find that the defrag routine is constantly interrupted, you can defrag from safe mode.

To start defragment, follow the steps below:

1. Click Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and then click Disk

Defragmenter.

Alternatively, you can right-click a volume in My Computer, select Properties, click the Tools tab, and click Defragment Now.

2. Select which disks you want to defragment.


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Figure 7-5 Select disk that need to defragment

3. Click the Defragment button to start the defragmentation process.

Figure 7-6 Starting the defragmentation process The display colours indicate the condition of the volume as follows:

Display color Indication Red Fragmented files Blue Contiguous (nonfragmented) files Green System files which Disk Defragmentation cannot move. White Free space on the volume.

Table 7-3 The displays colours during defragmentation process


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Depending on your computer and your hard disk, defragmenting the hard disk can take a bit of time. After you defragment, you will see no difference in your computer, except for a little faster speed if the disk was very fragmented. Yet, getting into the routine of defragment every now and then is a good habit to form since it keeps your computer running smoothly. Some programs, like video editing software, will crash if the disk is too fragmented. Once a month is a good practice for most average users. Whether you decide to defragment once a month or just a few times a year, defragment can help your computer run smoother and faster.

7.2.2 Checking disk Apart from defragmenting, Windows XP also provide checking disk utility. Checking disk can be done by using Check Disk tool. Check Disk attempt to repair file system errors, locate bad sectors and recover readable information from the bad sectors. All files must be closed for this program to run.

7.2.2.1 LAB: Check Disk Drive To access Check Disk:

1. Double-click My Computer, and then right-click the volume that you want to check. 2. Click Properties, and then click Tools.

Figure 7-7 Check Disk tool attempt to check the volume for error


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3. Under Error-checking, click Check Now. A dialog box that shows the Check disk

options is displayed.

Table 7-4 Use Check Disk to analyze and fix the file structure on a volume

4. Use one of the following procedures: § To repair errors without scanning the volume for bad sectors, select the

Automatically fix file system errors check box, and then click Start. § To repair errors, locate bad sectors, and recover readable information, select the

Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors check box, and then click Start.

You can also use run Chkdsk at the command prompt

1. Click Start, and then Run. 2. In Open, type cmd, and then press ENTER. 3. Use one of the following procedures:

• To run Chkdsk in read-only mode, at the command prompt, type chkdsk, and then press ENTER.

• To repair errors without scanning the volume for bad sectors, at the command prompt, type chkdsk volume:/f, and then press ENTER.

• To repair errors, locate bad sectors, and recover readable information, at the command prompt, type chkdsk volume:/r, and then press ENTER.

Note If one or more of the files on the hard disk are open, you will receive the following message:

Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another process. Would you like to schedule this volume to be checked the next time the system restarts? (Y/N) Type Y, and then press ENTER to schedule the disk check. Then restart your computer to start the disk check.


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7.2.3 Disk cleanup

Disk Cleanup helps free up space on your hard drive by searching your drives and then showing you a list of temporary files, Internet cache files, and potentially unnecessary program files that you can safely delete. You can instruct Disk Cleanup to delete none, some, or all of those files.

Use Disk Cleanup to perform any of the following tasks to free up space on your hard disk:

§ Remove temporary Internet files. § Remove downloaded program files. For example, ActiveX controls and Java

applets that are downloaded from the Internet. § Empty the Recycle Bin. § Remove Windows temporary files. § Remove optional Windows components that you are not using. § Remove installed programs that you no longer use.

You can start Disk Cleanup, by doing any of the following:

1. Click Start, and then click Run. In the Open box, type cleanmgr, and then click OK. -or-

2. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Cleanup. -or-

3. In Windows Explorer or My Computer, right-click the disk in which you want to free up space, click Properties, click the General tab, and then click Disk Cleanup.

7.2.3.1 LAB: Remove Files Stored on Your Hard Disk To remove files stored on your hard disk that you no longer use, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click My Computer. 2. Right-click the disk in which you want to free up space, and then click Properties. 3. Click the General tab, and then click Disk Cleanup.


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Figure 7-8 Disk Cleanup can be accessed through disk volume in My Computer

Figure 7-9 Disk Cleanup is calculating the space on the disk volume

4. Click the Disk Cleanup tab (if it is not already selected), click to select the check boxes next to the files that you want to remove, and then click OK.

Figure 7-10 Use Disk Cleanup to remove unnecessary files from a volume

5. Click OK to proceed with this action, and then click Yes.


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7.2.3.2 LAB: Remove Windows Components To remove Windows components that you are not using, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click My Computer. 2. Right-click the disk in which you want to free up space, and then click Properties. 3. Click the General tab, and then click Disk Cleanup. 4. Click the More Options tab, and then under Windows components, click Clean up.

Figure 7-11 Disk Cleanup also allow you to free more disk space by removing Windows components that you do not use

5. The Windows Components Wizard starts. In the Components list, click to clear the check box next to the component(s) that you want to remove.

Figure 7-12 Windows Component Wizard


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A shaded check box next to a component indicates that only some of its subcomponents are installed. If you want to remove a subcomponent, click Details, click to clear the check box next to the subcomponent(s) that you want to remove, and then click OK.

6. Click Next. 7. In the Completing the Windows Components Wizard page, click Finish.

7.3 INTRODUCING FILE SYSTEM

The file system is an important part of any operating system. File system is a method for storing and organizing computer files and it is designed for the storage of files on a data storage device, most commonly a disk drive.

Examples of file system include FAT, FAT32 and NTFS. You can choose between three file systems for disk partitions on a computer running Windows XP: NTFS, FAT, and FAT32. Use the information below to compare the file systems.

There is one situation in which you might want to choose FAT or FAT32 as your file system. If it is necessary to have a computer that will sometimes run an earlier version of Windows and other times run Windows XP, you will need to have a FAT or FAT32 partition as the primary (or startup) partition on the hard disk.

7.3.1 Comparison FAT, FAT32 and NTFS The following table describes the compatibility of each file system with various operating systems.

NTFS FAT FAT32 A computer running Windows XP or Windows 2000 can access files on an NTFS partition. A computer running Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 4 or later might be able to access some files. Other operating systems allow no access.

Access is available through MS-DOS, all versions of Windows, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and OS/2.

Access is available only through Windows 95 OSR2, Windows 98, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows 2000, and Windows XP.


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The following table compares disk and file sizes possible with each file system.

NTFS FAT FAT32 Recommended minimum volume size is approximately 10 megabytes (MB). Volumes much larger than 2 terabytes (TB) are possible. Cannot be used on floppy disks.

Volumes from floppy disk size up to 4 gigabytes (GB). Does not support domains.

Volumes from 512 MB to 2 TB. In Windows XP, you can format a FAT32 volume up to 32 GB only. Does not support domains.

File size limited only by size of volume.

Maximum file size is 2 GB.

Maximum file size is 4 GB.

7.3.2 The strength of NTFS File system NTFS is the recommended file system for the following reasons:

• More powerful NTFS is more powerful than FAT or FAT32. It includes features required for hosting Active Directory as well as other important security features. You can use features such as Active Directory and domain-based security only by choosing NTFS as your file system.

Active directory is a directory service that store information about object (eg. user account, file, computer etc) on network and makes this information available to users and network administrator.

• Easy to convert partitions to NTFS The Setup program makes conversion easy, whether your partitions used FAT, FAT32 or the older version of NTFS. This kind of conversion keeps your files intact (unlike formatting a partition). If you do not need to keep your files intact and you have a FAT or FAT32 partition, it is recommended that you format the partition with NTFS rather than convert from FAT or FAT32. Formatting a partition erases all data on the partition and allows you to start with a clean drive. Whether a partition is formatted with NTFS, NTFS is the better choice of file system.


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• Maintain the access control You should use NTFS to maintain the access control on files and folders and support limited accounts. If you use FAT32, all users will have access to all files on your hard drive, regardless of their account type (administrator, limited, or standard.).

• NTFS is the file system that works best with large disks. (The next best file system for large disks is FAT32.)

7.3.3 Converting to FAT32 and NTFS Converting a partition from FAT32 to NTFS can be done by an inbuilt utility in the Windows XP operating system — but it is important to realise that it is a one-way process.

FAT32 and NTFS are two options for file systems which may be used on a Microsoft Windows hard disk partition.

NTFS provides a number of improvements over FAT32, including:

• Second copy of boot sector for improved reliability • Compression • File permissions • Improved recoverability • Improved performance on large volumes • Improved efficiency in disk space utilization • Improved fault tolerance

If you have a FAT32 partition, you can convert it to NTFS.

7.3.3.1 LAB: Convert FAT32 to NTFS This instruction will assist you in converting the C: partition from FAT32 to NTFS. If you wish to convert another partition instead, just use that drive letter instead of C: while following these instructions.

1. First, back up your data. The conversion process almost always works flawlessly, but there is no point in taking the risk.

2. Click Start, Click Run. Enter "cmd" into the text field labeled "Open". Click OK. 3. Enter the command "vol c:" to find the volume label for the C: partition. 4. Enter the command "convert c: /fs:ntfs" to convert the C: partition from FAT32 to

NTFS. 5. When prompted, enter the volume label for the partition.


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Figure 7-13 Use command "convert c: /fs:ntfs" to convert the C: partition from FAT32 to NTFS

Figure 7-14 Starting converting the FAT32 to NTFS

Once you convert a drive or partition to NTFS, you cannot simply convert it back to FAT or FAT32. You will need to reformat the drive or partition which will erase all data including programs and personal files on the partition.

7.4 INTRODUCING ENCRYPTING FILE SYSTEM (EFS) Encryption is the process of converting data into a format that cannot be read by another user. Encrypting File System (EFS) provides the core file encryption technology for NTFS volume used to store encrypted files on NTFS file system volumes. Once a user has encrypted a file, the file automatically remains encrypted whenever the file is stored on disk. Using EFS is similar to using permissions on files and folders. Both methods can be used to restrict access to data. However, an intruder who gains unauthorized access to your encrypted files or folders will be prevented from reading them.


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If the intruder tries to open or copy your encrypted file or folder, he receives an access denied message. Permissions on files and folders do not protect against unauthorized attacks. EFS provides the following features:

• Users can encrypt their files when storing them on disk. Encryption is as easy as selecting a check box in the file's Properties dialog box.

• Accessing encrypted files is fast and easy. Users see their data in plain text when

accessing the data from disk. • Encryption of data is accomplished automatically, and is completely transparent to the

user. • Users can actively decrypt a file by clearing the Encryption check box on the file's

Properties dialog box. • Administrators can recover data that was encrypted by another user. This ensures that

data is accessible if the user that encrypted the data is no longer available or has lost their private key.

How files are encrypted Files are encrypted through the use of algorithms that essentially rearrange, scramble, and encode the data. A key pair is randomly generated when you encrypt your first file. This key pair is made up of a private and a public key. The key pair is used to encode and decode the encrypted files. If the key pair is lost or damaged and you have not designated a recovery agent, and then there is no way to recover the data

7.4.1 Guidelines for implementing EFS Because the encryption/decryption process is transparent to users, make sure that organizations that want to use file encryption fully promote strong guidelines about its usage. The following is the list of standard practices:

• Teach users to never encrypt individual files but to encrypt folders. Programs work on files in various ways. Encrypting files consistently at the folder level makes sure that files are not unexpectedly decrypted.

• Encrypt the My Documents folder for all users (User_profile\My Documents). This

makes sure that the personal folder, where most documents are stored, is encrypted by default.


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• Teach users to export their certificates and private keys to removable media. For the greatest possible security, the private key must be removed from the computer whenever the computer is not in use. This protects against attackers who physically obtain the computer and try to access the private key.

• The private key that are associated with recovery certificates are extremely sensitive.

They must be generated either on a computer that is secured or certificates, protected with strong passwords and saved on disk that is stored in a secure location.

• Recovery agent certificates must be assigned to special recovery agent accounts that are not used for any other purpose.

• Do not destroy recovery certificates or private keys when recovery agents are

changed. Keep them all, until all files that may have been encrypted with them are updated.

• Grant permissions to appropriate administrators to use the recovery agent accounts. It

is a good idea to have two recovery agent accounts to provide redundancy for file recovery.

• Implement a recovery agent archive program to make sure that encrypted files can be

recovered by using obsolete recovery keys. Recovery certificates and private keys must be exported and stored in a controlled and secure manner.

• Ideally, archives must be stored in a controlled access vault and you must have two

archives: a master and a backup. The master is kept on-site, while the backup is located in a secure off-site location.

• Avoid using print spool files in your print server architecture, or make sure that print

spool files are generated in an encrypted folder.

When you work with encrypted files and folders, keep in mind the following information:

• Only files and folders on NTFS volumes can be encrypted. • Files or folders that are compressed cannot also be encrypted. If the

user marks a file or folder for encryption, that file or folder will be uncompressed.

• Encrypted files can become decrypted if you copy or move the file to a

volume that is not an NTFS volume.

• Moving unencrypted files into an encrypted folder will automatically encrypt those files in the new folder. However, the reverse operation will not automatically decrypt files. Files must be explicitly decrypted.


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• Files marked with the System attribute cannot be encrypted, nor can

files in the systemroot directory. • Encrypting a folder or file does not protect against deletion or listing

files or directories. Anyone with the appropriate permissions can delete or list encrypted folders or files. For this reason, using EFS in combination with NTFS permissions is recommended.

• You can encrypt or decrypt files and folders located on a remote

computer that has been enabled for remote encryption.

7.4.1.1 LAB: How to encrypt a folder using EFS Although you can encrypt files individually, generally it is a good idea to designate a specific folder where you will store your encrypted files, and to encrypt that folder. If you do this, all files that are created in or moved to this folder will automatically obtain the encrypted attribute. To encrypt a folder and its current contents, follow these steps:

1. In the Windows Explorer, create a folder name presario on the C drive. 2. In the Presario folder, create a text file named presariocost.txt. 3. Right-click the Presario folder that you want to encrypt, and then click Properties. In

the Properties dialog box, click Advanced.

The Advanced Attributes dialog box displays attribute options for compression and encryption. This dialog box also includes archive and indexing attributes.

Although the NTFS file system supports both compression and encryption, it does not support both at the same time. This means that you can only select one or the other. A file or folder cannot be both encrypted and compressed at the same time.

4. To encrypt the folder, click to select the Encrypt contents to secure data check box,

and then click OK.


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Figure 7-15 Select the Encrypt contents to secure data check box to encrypt the folder

5. Click OK to close the Advanced Attributes dialog box. If the folder you chose to encrypt in steps 1 to 3 already contains files, a Confirm Attribute Changes dialog box will appear.

Figure 7-16 Confirming the encryption You can choose to encrypt only the folder so that all files subsequently moved to the folder or created in this folder will be encrypted. If you want to also encrypt all the contents of this folder, click Apply changes to this folder, subfolders, and files, and then click OK.

Figure 7-17 Enable the changes to the encrypted folder

6. Open the Presario folder. See the colour of the folder.


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Figure 7-18 The changes at the encrypted folder “presario”

7.4.1.2 LAB: Accessing the encryption folder

1. Logon as User1. (this account has a limited user) 2. In Windows Explorer, locate and open the presariocost.txt text file. 3. What happens? _________________________. Did you see message dialog below?

Figure 7-19 Error message appears when you try to open the encrypted folder

4. Close Notepad. 5. Right-click the presariocost.txt text file and then click Properties. 6. Click Advanced and clear the Encrypt Contents to Secure Data checkbox, and then

click OK.

Figure 7-20 Clear the Encrypt Contents to Secure Data checkbox


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7. Click OK to close the presariocost.txt Properties dialog box. Did you see message

dialog below?

Figure 7-21 Error occurred when you applying attributes to the file.

8. Click Cancel 9. Close all open windows and dialog boxes 10. Log off

7.4.1.3 LAB: How to decrypt a folder using EFS To decrypt a folder, use basically the same process but in reverse order:

1. Right-click the presario folder that you want to decrypt, and then click Properties. 2. Click Advanced. 3. Click to clear the Encrypt contents to secure data check box to decrypt the data.

Figure 7-22 Clear the Encrypt contents to secure data

4. Click OK to close the Advanced Attributes dialog box. 5. Click OK to close the Properties dialog box. 6. If the folder has files in it, the Confirm Attribute Changes dialog box appears. You

can choose to decrypt only the folder. However, this will not decrypt any files currently contained in the folder. If you want to decrypt all the contents of this folder, click Apply changes to this folder, subfolders, and files, and then click OK.


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Figure 7-23 Confirming decrypt the folder


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7.5 SUMMARY

1. Disk management is a system utility that let you to inspect and manage hard disk.

Windows XP Professional supports two types of hard disk storage on a computer: basic hard disk and dynamic hard disk.

2. Basic disk is a physical disk with primary and extended partitions or logical drives.

3. A basic disk should have at least one partition and all hard disk begins as basic disks.

4. A dynamic disk is a physical disk that does not use conventional partitions or logical

drives.

5. A dynamic disk contains dynamic volumes, such as simple volumes, spanned volumes, striped volumes, mirrored volumes, and RAID-5 volumes.

6. A basic or dynamic disk can contain any combination of FAT16, FAT32, or NTFS

partitions or volumes.

7. A basic disk that has multiple partitions is used to organize file storage or support multiple operating systems on a single computer.

8. Converting a basic to dynamic allows you to span a single volume across multiple

dynamic disks.

9. Disk Defragmentation, Check Disk and Disk Cleanup helps you to organize your hard disks better, recover readable information from damaged areas on your hard disk and clean up any temporary file and unnecessary programs taking up space on your hard drive.

10. Defragmenting process rearranges files or folders stored in a hard disk to occupy

contiguous space on the hard disk. Thus, your system becomes more efficient.

11. Check Disk attempt to repair file system errors, locate bad sectors and recover readable information from the bad sectors.

12. Disk Cleanup helps free up space on your hard drive by searching your drives and

then showing you a list of temporary files, Internet cache files, and potentially unnecessary program files that you can safely delete.

13. File system is a method for storing and organizing computer files and it is designed

for the storage of files on a data storage device.

14. Converting a partition from FAT32 to NTFS is a one-way process. Once you convert a drive or partition to NTFS, you cannot simply convert it back to FAT or FAT32.


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15. When you convert a basic disk to a dynamic disk, data on the disk is preserved. When

you revert a dynamic disk to a basic disk, data on the disk is lost.

16. Encryption is the process of converting data into a format that cannot be read by another user.

17. Encrypting File System (EFS) provides the core file encryption technology for NTFS

volume used to store encrypted files on NTFS file system volumes.

18. EFS allows users to encrypt files and folders on an NTFS volume. Files remain encrypted if you move or rename.


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7.6 EXERCISES

True or False 1. Disk management is a system utility that let you to inspect

and manage hard disk. 2. Dynamic is a physical disk with primary and extended

partitions or logical drives. 3. Only dynamic disk can contain any combination of FAT16,

FAT32, or NTFS partitions or volumes. 4. Disk Defragmentor attempt to recover readable information

from the bad sectors. 5. File system is a method for storing and organizing

computer files. 6. You can simply convert the NTFS to FAT or FAT32. 7. A file or folder cannot be both encrypted and compressed at

the same time. 8. Users can actively decrypt a file by clearing the Encryption

check box on the file's Properties dialog box. 9. By spanning a volume across multiple disks, you can create

a larger volume than what a single disk can hold. 10. You can encrypt or decrypt files and folders located on a

remote computer that has been enabled for remote encryption.

True □

True □

True □

True □

True □

True □

True □

True □

True □

True □

False □

False □

False □

False □

False □

False □

False □

False □

False □

False □


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Fill in the Blanks 1. Disk management supports two types of hard disk storage on a computer:

_________________________________. 2. ________________ allows you to span a single volume across multiple dynamic disks. 3. ____________________ is a process of finding and consolidating fragmented files and

folders by moving them to one location on the hard disk. 4. Partitions and logical drives on basic disks are known as ______________. 5. Only files and folders on ________________ can be encrypted. Multiple Choice Questions 1. Which of the following files and folders does allow you to encrypt? Choose all that apply,

A. A file on an NTFS volume. B. A folder on a FAT32 volume. C. A file stored on USB flash drive. D. A folder on an NTFS volume.

2. What is the purpose of Check Disk utility?

A. To allocate disk space usage to users. B. To take ownership of files and folders on the volume C. To track the disk quotas for each volume. D. To compress files, folders or entire volume.

3. Which of following describe on EFS?

A. To allocate disk space usage to users. B. To encrypt data in NTFS file stored in hard disk. C. To track the disk error for each volume. D. To compress files, folders or entire volume.

4. Based on your opinions, which of following are the advantages of the NTFS volume

compare to FAT 32? Choose all that apply.

A. It includes features required for hosting Active Directory and security features. B. It is easy to track the disk error for each volume. C. It can maintain the access control on files and folders and support limited

accounts. D. It is easy to convert partitions to NTFS.


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5. Based on your opinions, what information should you know when you work with the

encrypted files and folders? Choose all that apply.

A. Only files and folders on NTFS volume can be encrypted. B. Encrypted files can become decrypted if you copy or move the file to a volume

that is not an NTFS volume. C. Files marked with the System attribute can be encrypted. D. Encrypting a folder or file does not protect against deletion or listing files or

directories. Subjective Questions 1. What is the purpose of disk management? Give types of disk? 2. Can you convert from NTFS to FAT32? What will happen if you revert back the FAT32

to NTFS volume? 3. What actions must you take to maintain your hard disk. Explain them. 4. What is encryption and what is the EFS? 5. How do you encrypt a folder?