Tom's Hardware Forums » Windows XP » Folder password
 

Folder password




Word :   Username :  
 
Bottom
Author
 Thread : Folder password
 
More Information

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.security_admin (More info?)

 

I know you can protect indivual files (like a Word doc or Excel spreadsheet,
etc) with a password. But is there a way to make an entire folder (like My
Documents or My Pictures, etc) password protected?

Anyone know how to do that?

Related Product

Register or log in to remove.

More Information

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.security_admin (More info?)

 

You cannot password protect individual folders in XP. You restrict access by assigning permissions to drives, folders and files.

To do this, you must be running NTFS as your file system on the drive in question. If your hard disk/partition is not NTFS you will need to convert it. To do this, open a Command Prompt window and enter the following command:

CONVERT X: /FS:NTFS

Where X: is the drive letter you wish to convert. You may also want to see http://www.aumha.org/a/ntfscvt.htm to ensure that you're getting the optimal conversion.

After this step is completed and you've rebooted the computer, if necessary:

XP PRO: In Windows Explorer, go to Tools, Folder Options, View and uncheck Use Simple File Sharing. Now, when you right click on a drive, folder or file (on an NTFS partition) and select Properties, you'll see a Security tab. Here you can assign or deny permissions based on user name or user group membership.

XP Home: By default, you can only make files and folders under My Documents "private". This is done by right clicking a folder or file and selecting Properties, Sharing. To change the permissions on other folders, you need to boot the computer to Safe Mode and log in on the built in Administrator account. In this mode, you'll see the Security tab in Properties, and you can assign permissions based on user name or group membership.

How Do I Get the Security Tab in Properties - XP Home (makes the Security tab appear outside of Safe Mode)
http://www.dougknox.com, Win XP Tips section

HOW TO: Set, View, Change, or Remove File and Folder Permissions in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/defau [...] -us;308418

HOW TO: Set, View, Change, or Remove Special Permissions for Files and Folders
http://support.microsoft.com/defau [...] -US;308419

HOW TO: Disable Simplified Sharing and Password-Protect a Shared Folder in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/defau [...] -US;307874


--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows Media Center\Windows Powered Smart Display\Security
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Per user Group Policy Restrictions for XP Home and XP Pro
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/x [...] onsole.htm
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Danello" <Danello@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:7992BB19-1BC5-4358-9719-03A3C2ED2620@microsoft.com...
>I know you can protect indivual files (like a Word doc or Excel spreadsheet,
> etc) with a password. But is there a way to make an entire folder (like My
> Documents or My Pictures, etc) password protected?
>
> Anyone know how to do that?
>
>


  Tom's Hardware Forums » Windows XP » Folder password

Go to:
 

Google Ads
Ad
News

Microsoft releases free encrypted folder app

Published on July 10, 2006

Microsoft has released a free application that allows users to create an encrypted and password-protected folder. Microsoft Private Folder 1.0 works on Windows XP and Media Center Editions with Service Pack 2 and is meant to provide a consumer-level of protection. Read more

Microsoft's Private Folder application may not be so private

Published on July 11, 2006

Yesterday we wrote about Microsoft's free Private Folder 1.0 application that encrypts and password protects a folder on a desktop. According to our research and the astute eyes of one of our readers, the contents of the folder may not be so private. Johnny Granlund emailed us saying that he was able to access the folder simply by rebooting into Safe Mode. However upon further inspection, we found that files inside of the folder were still encrypted. Read more

Finally, there are password-protected bullets

Published on June 27, 2006

Safety catches do not always prevent firearm accidents and even newfangled biometric guns, which check the identity of a user by their fingerprint, cannot stop thieves from using stolen ammunition in other weapons. Read more

Fujitsu's DynaMo 1300 drive receives data encryption tech

Published on January 03, 2005

Fujitsu announced that its DynaMO 1300 Pocket Magneto-Optical (MO) drive now comes with password-protected data storage and the ability to encrypt stored data. Read more

Latest Reviews & Articles

Atom, Athlon, or Nano? Energy-Savers Compared

Published on October 03, 2008

We compared Intel’s Atom 230 and VIA’s Nano L2100 processors hoping to find the best product for low-power applications. VIA is in the vanguard of performance. Is this enough to beat Atom? Read more

Interview: Bigfoot's Killer NIC, Exposed

Published on October 02, 2008

Since its release, the Killer NIC has garnered a reputation for being an extravagant and largely unnecessary add-on for the do-it-yourselfer. Seeking additional insight, we approached the card's designer. Read more

Seagate's 1.5TB Barracuda: Bigger And Better?

Published on October 02, 2008

Seagate is the first hard drive vendor to offer a 1.5 TB drive in the 3.5” form factor. Meanwhile, WD sent us its RAID Edition 3 (RE3) drive. We tell you which is the best HDD choice today. Read more

Updated CPU Charts 2008: AMD Versus Intel

Published on October 01, 2008

The processor is the heart of your PC, and our updated charts for Q3 2008 show 54 of them competing in terms of performance. Using our updated suite of benchmarks, compare your favorite AMD and Intel CPUs after reading this introduction. Read more