Protect folders

[wan_amri]

How do I protect my folders from being opened/accessed by other users?

There are few users using my computer and I don't want others access my folders.

Although we have to log in to my computer by using our own account, but sometimes my colleagues need to access my work when I'm on leave. There are few personal folders that I don't want anybody access them because they are personal to me, not related to work stuff.

[ryepie]

Microsoft released a product earlier this year called My Private Folder, which provided a password-protected, encrypted foler for each user. However, they quickly withdrew it after complaints from sys admins of companies who said it would prove a support nightmare, because if the users installed it on their work computers and then forgot their password there would no way to recover the data.

I use it and it's a great product, as it integrates nicely into windows explorer. And although it's not officially available anymore, you can still get it from naughty 3rd parties, such as here: http://www.softpedia.com/get/Security/Lockdown /Microsoft-Private-Folder.shtml

[Ethel]

If you are using windows xp, right click on the folder you want to make private, and choose ' Sharing and Security'.

Click the sharing tab, and tick 'make this folder private'.

Repeat for each folder.

[fo3nix]

How secure do you want it? You can easily password protect a folder as ethel says, but if you want more protection (password protection isn't that safe), then get TrueCrypt (it's free):

http://www.truecrypt.org/

[fo3nix]

BTW, I'd strongly suggest you don't go by ryepie's suggestion and use microsoft private folder.

[brooklyn77]

Or try
http://www.handybits.com/easycrypto.htm

Its free for personal use, easy to use and works and is well known, so no addvert issues or spyware issues.

Once downloaded and installed Just right click the folder you want to protect, click 'Encrypt' and it will prompt you to create a password, click finish and hey presto its protected. To unprotect it again, just right click the folder and click, 'decrypt' and input the password and its open again. Easy

[wan_amri]

Thanks Ethel. I went to try your adive, unfortunately "make this folder private" is inactive (grey) so I can't click it. Do you know why is that?