Wow... a HUGE writers forum!

primem0ver · Mar 7, 2014

Arcadia Divine said:
Everyone has a dvd that enables you to bypass login passwords on a windows and linux computer. Just boot from the dvd and select an option and you're inside the computer. From there you can view any and all files on the hard drive whether you hid them or password protected them.

Yes. I am aware that this can be done. I know how to do it myself with a few specific drivers. But what I do find surprising is that you seem to be implying that the dvd can read encrypted files and decrypt them? Because files that are written in word and password protected are encrypted so that they cannot be opened in any old program and read without having the encryption key.

Everyone should be aware that any file that is only protected by an operating system's read/write permissions can be read if the operating system isn't loaded and the file is accessed some other way. An easily understood example of this is if you read windows "protected" files in linux.

Shaba said:
Welcome. Selling the first book of a trilogy is hard if it cannot stand alone. For any series you want to write (or thinking about writing, always make sure the first book can stand alone, then you can put the generic "book can stand alone but has series potential" in your query.

I thought as much. Which is why I have started a "stand-alone" novel.

Thanks for the feedback though.

Thanks for the welcomes everyone.

Arcadia Divine · Mar 7, 2014

primem0ver said:
Yes. I am aware that this can be done. I know how to do it myself with a few specific drivers. But what I do find surprising is that you seem to be implying that the dvd can read encrypted files and decrypt them? Because files that are written in word and password protected are encrypted so that they cannot be opened in any old program and read without having the encryption key.

I may be misunderstanding that but I've done it before with and without the dvd it's really not that hard. Then again, what's easy to me may be difficult to someone else.

primem0ver · Mar 7, 2014

Arcadia Divine said:
I may be misunderstanding that but I've done it before with and without the dvd it's really not that hard. Then again, what's easy to me may be difficult to someone else.

There is a difference between simply assigning a password to a file and having it encrypted using a password. The first is easily bypassed. The second requires some way of decrypting the file because the format and text of the file is scrambled using the encryption algorithm (and key). Your average everyday person will not choose the second option so getting around it is usually fairly easy. It is the second option I am wondering about.