Removing encryption from files and folders

If you later decide that you no longer want to encrypt a folder or file, you can remove
encryption by completing the following steps:
1. In Windows Explorer, right-click the file or folder you want to decrypt and then
select Properties.
2. On the General tab of the related property dialog box, click Advanced.
3. In the Advanced Attributes dialog box, clear the “Encrypt contents to secure data”
checkbox and then click OK twice.

Converting a Volume to NTFS

Windows 7 provides the Convert utility for converting FAT or FAT32 volumes to
NTFS. Convert is a command-line utility that requires administrator privileges to run.
When you convert a volume, Convert preserves the file and folder structure and no
data is lost.
Windows 7 does not provide a utility for converting NTFS to FAT or FAT32. The only
way to go from NTFS to FAT or FAT32 is to delete the volume and then recreate the
volume with FAT or FAT32 as the filesystem format.
You can convert any volume to NTFS, including the active, boot, and system volumes.
If you try to convert the boot or system volume, Windows 7 displays a prompt asking
whether you want to schedule the volume to be converted the next time you start your
computer. If you choose Yes, you can restart the system to begin the conversion process.
In most cases, it will take several restarts to convert the boot or system volume. Don’t
interrupt the conversion process and don’t attempt to shut down your computer during
the conversion process.
Convert needs a block of free space that’s approximately equal to 25 percent of the
total space used on the drive. For example, if the drive stores 5 GB of data, Conver


needs about 500 MB of free space. If there isn’t enough free space, Convert will not
convert the volume and will instead tell you that you need to free up disk space.
You can convert a volume by following these steps:
1. Click Start→All Programs→Accessories.
2. Right-click Command Prompt and then select Run As Administrator.
3. At the command prompt, use the following syntax to convert the volume:
convert volume/FS:NTFS
where volumeis the drive letter followed by a colon (:). For example, if you wanted
to convert the H volume to NTFS, you would use the following command:
convert H: /FS:NTFS
4. Type the volume name when prompted. This confirms that you are converting the
correct volume.

Creating and Attaching Virtual Hard Disks

Windows 7 also allows you to create and attach virtual hard disks (VHDs). You can
create a virtual hard disk by completing the following steps:
1. In Disk Management, select the Create VHD option on the Action menu.
2. In the “Create and Attach Virtual Hard Disk” dialog box, click Browse. Use the
Browse Virtual Disk Files dialog box to select the location where you want to create
the .vhdfile for the virtual hard disk, and then click Save.
3. In the “Virtual hard disk size” list, enter the size of the disk in MB, GB, or TB.
4. Specify whether the size of the VHD dynamically expands to its fixed maximum
size as data is saved to it or uses a fixed amount of space regardless of the amount
of data stored on it.
5. Click OK to create the VHD.
6. The VHD is attached automatically and added as a new disk in Disk Manager. To
initialize the disk for use, right-click the disk entry in the Graphical view and then
select Initialize Disk.
7. In the Initialize Disk dialog box, the disk is selected for initialization. By default,
the disk partition style is set to MBR (Master Boot Record) if the total disk size is
less than 2 TB. If you want to use the GPT (GUID Partition Table) style, select the
related option. Click OK.
8. After initializing the disk, right-click the unpartitioned space on the disk and create
a volume of the appropriate type. After you create the volume, the VHD is available
for use.
You can work with a VHD in much the same way as you work with other disks. Your
computer can boot off a VHD. You can write data to and read data from a VHD.
Additionally, you are able to take a VHD offline or put a VHD online by right-clicking
the disk entry in the Graphical view and selecting Offline or Online, respectively. You
can detach a VHD if you no longer want to use it by right-clicking the disk entry in the
Graphical view, selecting Detach VHD, and then clicking OK in the Detach Virtual
Hard Disk dialog box.
You can create VHDs using other programs. If you created a VHD using another pro-gram or have a detached VHD that you want to attach, you can do so by completing
the following steps:
1. In Disk Management, select the Attach VHD option on the Action menu.
2. In the Attach Virtual Hard Disk dialog box, click Browse. Use the Browse Virtual
Disk Files dialog box to select the location where you want to create the .vhdfile
for the virtual hard disk, and then click Open.
752 | Chapter 19: Managing Disks and Drives
Download at WoweBook.Com
3. If you want to attach the VHD in read-only mode, select Read-only.
4. Click OK to attach the VHD.