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    How to Password protect a folder?

    Discussion in 'Windows OS and Software' started by DarthWayne, Mar 21, 2010.

  1. DarthWayne

    DarthWayne Notebook Consultant

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    if a folder on my laptop has personal pics or documents i dont want anyone to see.

    is there a program which can create a password to access that folder?


    or what option do i have to protect access to certain locations on my laptop? (using windows 7)
     
    DarthWayne, Mar 21, 2010
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  2. M Kapral

    M Kapral Notebook Consultant

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    Well everything you user folder "C:\Users\<NAME>" is protected by Windows login. If the folder isn't in your user folder then you can also mess with the security settings of the folder by "right clicking" on it and going to "Properties". Then, go to the "Security" tab and change the settings as desired.

    As far as 3rd party software to encrypt files, you can try Truecrypt. It will encrypt the files with a password that you choose and will even encrypt the file/folder names.
     
    M Kapral, Mar 21, 2010
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  3. J&SinKTO

    J&SinKTO Notebook Deity

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    Look also at AxCrypt - file is there, visible like a regular file but requires your password to open/view.
    http://www.axantum.com/
    Even has a 64 bit version that works great so far.
     
    J&SinKTO, Mar 21, 2010
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  4. 6730b

    6730b Notebook Deity

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    (Have been picking up tons of good info from this forum, time to write something about it!)

    Must say AxCrypt is a great tip. Fast, low on resources, option for default pw, from download to immediate use. Excellent.
     
    6730b, Mar 22, 2010
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  5. DarthWayne

    DarthWayne Notebook Consultant

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    seems good..mite try it...thanks
     
    DarthWayne, Mar 23, 2010
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  6. grbac

    grbac Notebook Deity

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    AxCrypt is free therefore wins compared to Password Protect. IMO.
     
    grbac, Mar 25, 2010
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  7. newsposter

    newsposter Notebook Virtuoso

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    filesystem ownerships & permissions from an os-only point of view

    addon password managers don't do much more than that

    if you really want to hide the folder, you need to look at something like truecrypt and their hidden containers. Truecrypt is free and is considered to be the gold standard in this kind of work.
     
    newsposter, Mar 25, 2010
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  8. Nankuru

    Nankuru Notebook Evangelist

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    Very true. While there may be easier ways to encrypt a single folder, when you start think about backups, accessing your data from different machines or OSs, the time taken to get the hang of it is well spent.
     
    Nankuru, Mar 25, 2010
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