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Password Protecting Folders?

H

huesmann

Diamond Member
I'm looking for a utility that will let me password protect folders on my computer. Windows XP Pro, I don't bother with separate logins because 99.9% of the time it's just me using the 'puters and logging myself in each time is a hassle. However, occasionally I will have a guest use one of the computers who I don't want snooping around private folders. Is there something (preferably free) that I can use to password protect these folders?

TIA!
 
Well there's nothing built into windows that'll allow you to do this. The best I can suggest would be to put the sensitive files into a zip file (www.winzip.com) and password protect the zip file. Alternativley buy an apple computer (www.apple.com) which allow you to password protect and encript all your user files on the fly.

Hope this helps
 
I wasn't expecting something built into XP, but was hoping for some share- or free-ware. Putting the files into zips isn't practical, unfortunately.
 
I'm sure there's lots of utils out there that will help you do this, but I use PGP. Just create a PGP file, and mount it as a drive. That way you just keep all sensitive docs inside that file, and you can manually mount/unmount it, or you can have it automatically unmount aftera certain amount of time. I'm pretty happy with that solution.
 
May be I don't understand what you need.
But, if I do, you can just use XP pro and do what you want.

Create another user account on the PC for yourself. Use this account for accessing anything that you want to be apssword protected. You will need to type this account name and the password for it when you want to access (read or write) that data.
Normally you would use your regular account that does not need a password. You just have to click on the account name on bootup.


To display the Security tab:

1. Open Folder Options in Control Panel.
Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
Click Appearance and Themes, and then click Folder Options.
2. On the View tab, under Advanced settings, clear Use simple file sharing [Recommended].

When you create the folder in the other account, don't give read permission to anyone (not even your regular account).
 
Originally posted by: Navid
May be I don't understand what you need.
But, if I do, you can just use XP pro and do what you want.

Create another user account on the PC for yourself. Use this account for accessing anything that you want to be apssword protected. You will need to type this account name and the password for it when you want to access (read or write) that data.
Normally you would use your regular account that does not need a password. You just have to click on the account name on bootup.


To display the Security tab:

1. Open Folder Options in Control Panel.
Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
Click Appearance and Themes, and then click Folder Options.
2. On the View tab, under Advanced settings, clear Use simple file sharing [Recommended].

When you create the folder in the other account, don't give read permission to anyone (not even your regular account).
Click to expand...

Did you read his question??

"I don't bother with separate logins because 99.9% of the time it's just me using the 'puters and logging myself in each time is a hassle"

Another vote for PGP
 
Yeah Codewiz, that's the idea. I just use the admin login to log directly on to the PC, no hassling with accounts.

Will the PGP method described above handle folders containing several gigs of data?
 
Originally posted by: Codewiz

Did you read his question??

"I don't bother with separate logins because 99.9% of the time it's just me using the 'puters and logging myself in each time is a hassle"
Click to expand...

He does not have to type a password for his regular account. He does not have to "log in".

He only has to type a password when he wants to access the data that he wants to be protected, which he has to do anyway regardless of what utility he uses. Doesn't he have to type a password for PGP?
So, you can consider logging into the other account as accessing the utility. Except that this utility is already included with XP.

Just an option!
 
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