Re: Sharing Folders using EFS in XP Pro

From: Drew Cooper [MSFT] (dcoop_at_online.microsoft.com)
Date: 01/21/04 

Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2004 16:57:15 -0800

The other Microsoftie was telling the truth - through the UI you have to add
users one file at a time. It would be possible to write a tool that called
the AddUsersToEncryptedFile API to automate the process if you're a coder.

And it works the same way on Server 2003.

As far as 3rd-party file encryption goes, I can't recommend any but maybe
someone else (who isn't a Microsoft employee) on the newsgroup can. 

-- 
Drew Cooper [MSFT]
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
"Shenan Stanley" <news_helper@hushmail.com> wrote in message
news:%23PUvabx3DHA.1948@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...
> Douglas Pribyl wrote:
> > I am stumped and I hope that someone can help me.  I have
> > a customer with a Windows XP Pro computer that has two
> > users.  These two users have placed all of their shared
> > files in the "Shared Documents" folder.
> >
> > They have very confidential information stored in this
> > folder and have tried to encrypt the folder using the
> > built in Encrypted File System software.  It is very easy
> > to encrypt the folder, but only the user that encrypts it
> > has access to the files making it useless.
> >
> > There are currently thousands of files in this shared
> > folder, and I am told by Microsoft that I have to click
> > on each indvidual file and add the second user's account
> > for shared access to these encrypted files.  This is
> > absolutely absurd and impossible.
> >
> > I need to find out if there is a patch or a workaround
> > that allows you to add more than one user to an encrypted
> > folder and thus give them access to all encrypted files
> > in that folder and all subfolders as well.  If
> > Microsoft's EFS product can't do this, is there a product
> > that integrates with Microsoft's File Explorer so that I
> > can still right click on a folder, have the option to
> > encrypt it, and then designate the users that can access
> > it??  Being able to only share individual files makes no
> > sense to me at all.  Any help with this matter would be
> > greatly appreciated.
>
> As far as I understand it, you can only grant access to a specific file -
> one at a time - as you have stated.  I do not believe there is a way to do
a
> folder in Windows XP.
>
> I do believe this was "remedied" in Windows 2003:
> http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=324897#22
>
> (As you can see, If you have these files stored on a Windows 2003 server
and
> shared among the two - you MAY be able to do what you wish..)
>
> -- 
> <- Shenan ->
> -- 
>
>

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