Encrypted/compressed files/folders in colors

[tutils]

I know you are currently working on v1.3. I have downloaded the beta, but didn't see any mention of this feature yet... Can you *please* include it in this release? I will be very grateful if you do (and I'm sure fgagnon will join me).

BTW: If you want me to stop bugging you about it, just let me know and I'll stop.

[fgagnon]

 
and I will re-emphasize that it is not colors for colors' sake.
It is a persistent functional reminder of the files storage state.
Important for many, even if not a majority concern.

[nikos]

now this isn't easy
or rather it isn't easy to add custom coloring and maintain backward compatibility for win95 users.

[fgagnon]

I would think that would detectable at installation, much as you do for whether to install the _UC version or not.

[tutils]

now this isn't easy
or rather it isn't easy to add custom coloring and maintain backward compatibility for win95 users.

Windows 95 users can't use file compression/encryption anyhow...

[narayan]

I agree..

As such many features are available only for Win XP. So, if yet another feature is not available for an old particular Windows flavor, it's fine. At least the others can use this feature!

[nikos]

Windows 95 users can't use file compression/encryption anyhow...

this is a disarming argument but i think i've had enough programming  for a while... next version!

[quietbritishjim]

I think I should mention, this whole situation isn't as secure as people make it out to be. What I'm posting is certainly possible, but whether the tools are available I don't know (a few googles should tell you).

First of all, if someone has physical access to your machine, file permissions mean nothing... It's trivial boot up from a CD and have blanket access to all files (example) - note that this includes all registry keys (which also have a permissioning system).  

The essential thing about public/private key cryptography is that people can decrypt data if and only if they have the private key... so if (as is default in Windows) your private key is stored in the same place as your data, the encryption is useless! The fact that's it's somehow tied to your username is immaterial, your data is only as secure as the key to decrypt it.

The only way to properly secure your data is force Windows to store your private key on something physically secure (i.e. a floppy or CD-R that you can take away with you at the end of the day). I have no idea if it's possible to get Windows to do this, if not you're better off either using an encryption scheme that does let you do it (or just putting the data on the removable media of course, if there's not much of it).


As I said, file permissions mean nothing, so how can you read your data and someone else at the computer (who must have access to the same overall information) not be able to read it?

[pelesl]

Is this still not implemented?

I wish other posters wouldn't have clogged this thread with their opinions about whether or not colors are useful. The functionality is useful to some and, as a paying customer (and one who likes colors), I'd like to see it implemented. If done properly it is more efficient than an extra column showing attributes.

The colors in explorer can even be extended; i.e. colors for read-only files for example.

[Kilmatead]

Is this still not implemented?

Not certain if this is a spoof-post or not (necro-posting in 9-year-old threads is always suspicious), but for amusement's sake (and because life is short) we'll assume you're serious for exactly 23.7 seconds.

Colour-coding was implemented many years ago (see Customise -> Colour-Coding in the main menu); details of how a user may create bespoke rules to control it can be found on page 249 of the PDF manual.

If your query revolves around identifying Encrypted files by colour specifically (as in the OP), create a rule which seeks 'E' in the Attributes [S] column.

And users are always free to express their opinions in topical threads - there is a reason that during revolutions in small South-American or assorted African states, the Nurse-Rached technocrats of the world are usually the first ones put "up against the wall", and deservedly so. The world does not run on clarity, concision, or accuracy alone - those aspects of the human brain are largely illusions, slowly killing the people who suffer from them. The rest is heart and soul. Those aspects may be found on the reverse-sides of the pages in the PDF manual as well as in the seemingly off-topic comments of any thread which may actually be worth reading. Everything else (and anything less) is just tosh.

[quietbritishjim]

Oh my, I'm still subscribed to this thread. And oh dear, what a flawed post I made back in 2005 (almost a decade ago!). I'm glad Kilmatead has answered the main question, so now I'll disgress and correct 9-years-ago Jim. If only someone had done it at the time!

Yes, it's true that encryption is at most as secure as the key you use, and in Windows EFS the private key is stored right there on the harddrive. But, in turn, that key is also encrypted... with your Windows password. So in the end it's as secure as your Windows password, which could be very secure if you choose a strong one. In old versions of Windows (probably still current in 2005) there was a flaw that meant that your Windows password was not secure unless it was very long, but this has been fixed since at least as far back as Vista.

All this discussion is invalidated if you hibernate your computer while logged on with the relevant user account, since then the key is stored on your harddrive in plaintext.

[Kilmatead]

...then the key is stored on your harddrive in plaintext.

Methinks you just saved the NSA $79.7 million. Maybe they'll buy you a 9-year-old beer for saving them all the bother of doing it the hard way?

[quietbritishjim]

...then the key is stored on your harddrive in plaintext.

Methinks you just saved the NSA $79.7 million. Maybe they'll buy you a 9-year-old beer for saving them all the bother of doing it the hard way?

I'm sure you're joking, but just in case not: you need to be logged on when you hibernate for the key to be written, and to log on you need your Windows password, so the NSA might want to hold back on that beer.