Windows Encrypting File System

[CJWertz]

I just installed XAMPP 1.7.7 on an up to date Windows 7 Professional system. I unzipped the files to an appropriate folder rather than run the install. I then made sure I could start apache. I also put a couple html, php, css, and jpg files in the appropriate places and verified they would run. Then, I shut everything down.

Then I noticed an icon I'd never seen before in the Windows System Tray. I clicked on it and it turned out Windows was advising me to back up the key for the Windows Encrypting File System.

I've never intentionally encrypted any files on this system. I think that installing and running XAMPP is the only thing I've done this morning that might have brought this on. I'll repeat that I copied the files from the zip file, added some html, php, css, and jpg, then accessed two pages.

I did run the backup to a usb drive to be safe.

Can anyone offer any information on this?

[CJWertz]

OK, I've sort of figured out what happened. Anyone who reads my original post probably thinks I'm crazy. The files I moved into the xampp directory to test my installation came from a zip file download that goes with a php book I purchased. Some of these become encrypted when I extract them from the zip file. You may still think I'm crazy, but I just did an extract to a different folder and that is what happened again. I didn't know there was such a feature. There you have it.

[JonB]

Wow - I didn't either - may the author was also out to lunch on this... err ... feature.

Have you got a 'workable copy' now?

Good Luck

[CJWertz]

Thanks, Jon. Yeah I'm OK. Right now, I just immediately unencrypt the files I extract and all seems fine. I do remain puzzled. I don't think I inadvertently did anything to cause this. Maybe I did. I need to research it further.

[CJWertz]

This is likely as far as I can go with this. I've posted the following on O'Reilly's support and errata sites.

This is not really errata but it is an issue. I downloaded the latest version of the missing cd for this book on February 13; I wanted to be sure I have the latest. After extracting some files from the zip on a Windows 7 Professional system, I was surprised to have Windows advise me to back up my encryption key. By reading Windows help, I learned that Windows Explorer will display encrypted file names in green, and, sure enough the files I extracted had the names in green. I unencrypted them and backed up the key to be safe. Then I found this is repeatable. I extracted all the files, decrypted them and backed up the key again. Then I did some research. I find a few other people in the world reporting this sort of thing. I find one report saying this happens when the zip has been created on a Macintosh computer as this one has been. I think I also read that it only happens on a higher level Windows version such as my Professional.

(See http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=1132273)

Kind of wild!