RE: Identifying Win2K/XP Encrypted Files

From: George M. Garner Jr. (gmgarnerat_private)
Date: Thu Jan 30 2003 - 12:48:14 PST

  • Next message: Christopher Howell: "Re: Identifying Win2K/XP Encrypted Files"

    Brian,
    
    >> In terms of disk state, yanking the plug likely creates a better
    image
    >> than doing a live acquisition (which I guess really isn't saying
    >> much). <<
    
    Many (if not most) modern file systems delayed writes with large
    in-memory write caches to improve performance.  Any time a disk image is
    acquired without flushing the write cache, the resultant image is likely
    to be in an inconsistent state.  This is because file system operations
    are not atomic and some component of a given operation may still be in
    the cache at the time the image is acquired.  I do not see any
    difference in this regard between the two methods mentioned above (live
    acquisition vs. pulling the plug).  Either method acquires a particular
    slice-in-time of a given file system.  
    
    Regards,
    
    George.   
    
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