The Windows file system is large and complex, featuring not only a huge number of essential files and folders for the Windows OS, your software and hardware, but also several different underlying file systems that manage and maintain file integrity on your disks. In this book you’ll learn how to navigate around the Windows file structure (up to Windows 8.1), with what does what and how essential everything is. Additionally we’ll show you how to effectively manage file, folder and security permissions to ensure users get what the access they need, and no more. We’ll also show you how to repair the underlying disk file system should something go horribly wrong.

What you’ll learn

1) The structure of the Windows OS file system

2) The differences between different disk file structures

3) How to manage and maintain file ownership, permissions and security

4) How to manage and maintain file system security and encryption

5) How to recover an unbootable file system

Who this book is for

IT Pros, Windows expert and power users and system administrators are the audience for this book.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introducing the Windows File System

Chapter Goal: A deep dive into the structure of Microsoft Windows and how it manages and arranges OS, update and software files and hardware drivers

1. The Windows File Structure
2. Critical Windows System Files and Folders
3. Managing software and apps
4. Windows hardware driver files and management
5. Managing updates in Windows

Chapter 2: Understanding NTFS, FAT and ReFS File Systems

Chapter Goal: The main Windows disk file systems and structures detailed

1. Introducing the Windows disk file systems
2. NTFS
3. FAT (FAT32 / exFAT)
4. ReFS

Chapter 3: Permissions, Ownership and Auditing

Chapter Goal: A common issue with Windows is managing correct file permissions and ownership, this chapter is a complete guide in managing these effectively

1. Managing file, folder and disk permissions
2. Managing file and folder ownership
3. Successfully auditing Windows files, folders and assets

Chapter 4: Managing File Security

Chapter Goal: Security is essential with PCs in the workplace and at home. This chapter will teach the reader how to effectively secure their Windows OS, software and files

1. Managing Windows, file, folder and disk security
2. Managing security for documents and both disk and network assets
3. Maintaining security best-practice in Windows

Chapter 5: Managing and Troubleshooting Encryption and Compression

Chapter Goal: This chapter will teach the reader how to effectively manage and deploy security and compression on their files, folders and disks

1. Using and managing Windows file compression
2. Using and managing EFS in Windows
3. Using and Managing Bitlocker and Bitlocker To Go

Chapter 6: Troubleshooting the Windows File System

Chapter Goal: The disk file system in Windows is also prone to errors, this chapter will get readers started in diagnosing and troubleshooting errors.

1. How disk file system errors occur
2. Common disk file system errors
3. Diagnosing and repairing common disk file system errors

Chapter 7: Booting the unbootable – Repairing the Windows Boot System

Chapter Goal: If a PC won’t start it’s likely that the boot system will need to be repaired. This chapter is a complete guide on how to automatically and manually fix this in Windows

1. Automatically repairing the Windows boot system
2. Effecting manual repair to the Windows boot system
3. Rebuilding a corrupt Windows boot system

Chapter 8: Restoring Files and Folder Security Settings

Chapter Goal: Sometimes it all goes horribly wrong and users can be locked out of just about everything. This chapter will teach readers how to manually reset the file and folder permissions on all files and documents in a safe and secure way.

1. When might you need to universally reset permissions?
2. Using ICACLS to reset file permissions and ownership

Chapter 9: Repairing the Windows File System using a Portable OS

Chapter Goal: If Windows is unbootable or the file system corrupt, a portable OS on USB Flash Drive or DVD can still be used to rescue the OS and your files

1. Linux, an operating system on a disk
2. Creating a bootable USB Windows installation
3. Repairing and rescuing documents using a portable OS
4. Manually repairing the Windows file system using a portable OS
5. Manually repairing the Windows boot system using a portable OS