Windows Vista contain encryption technology file with a very identical look on the one that existed in Windows XP, but Vista makes it very easy to make a backup of the encryption key file. In XP, your encrypted files will be lost if you change your password. In Vista, the encryption key used to sign the encrypted files, which means that it can be backed up.

It is seriously important that you create a backup of your encryption key if you decide to use the encryption features. Thankfully Vista reminds you instantly once the first time you encrypt a file.

To make use of the Wizard to backing the encryption key, just click on the popup notice when it appears.

Select “Back up now” from the wizard screen.

click next…

You can as well choose all the possible information to back up, in case you contain multiple keys for a few reasons.

You will have to enter a password for the key. This password will be used if you try and restore the encryption key later. Make confident you type a good password, and make confident that it is also something you will remember. This is where a password safe application might help.

On the next screen, you can enter a filename, or you can click the Browse button and select a folder location. If the file name is not there type the filename and Click next and then finish and you must see that the export was successful.

Now it is extremely important to back that file up to where safe. A spare USB drive would not be a bad idea.

Click on the “Manage file encryption certificates” >> and after that again click on the next on the resultant dialog window.

You should see the screen is very simple, which allows you to easily create a backup copy of the encryption key in one step. Frankly, I think this way faster than the other master-and-error to me that they have two different screens to do the same.

Same as previous to decide a filename as well as password plus make use of the browse button to select the filename more simply.

Check the box for “I will update my encrypted files later”, because you are not really changing the certificate at this point, just backing it up.