Sysprep.exe May Re-Enable the Encrypting File System

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This article was previously published under Q294844

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SYMPTOMS

When you disable Encrypting File System (EFS) on a Windows 2000-based computer, EFS may become re-enabled.

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Computers that are not a member of a domain may have EFS re-enabled if the Sysprep.exe tool has been run on the computer to prepare the computer for deployment. EFS may also be re-enabled if the computer joins a Windows 2000 domain and the domain group policy object (GPO) has specified Encrypted Data Recovery agents.

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RESOLUTION

Use the steps in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article to disable EFS on a stand-alone computer:

243035 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/243035/EN-US/ ) How to Disable/Enable EFS on a Stand-Alone Windows 2000 Computer

Use the steps in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article to disable EFS on a domain:

222022 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/222022/EN-US/ ) Disabling EFS for All Computers in a Windows 2000-Based Domain

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MORE INFORMATION

When Sysprep.exe is run on a stand-alone computer, it will automatically reset the default recovery policy during the mini-Setup wizard that makes the local administrator the default recovery agent for the computer.

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