Can you password a windows folder?

Brains · 21 Feb 2007 at 18:23

Can anyone reccommend a method or some freeware so i can password some of the folders on my computer?

Or something you pay for?

Many thanks.

DavidMarq · 21 Feb 2007 at 19:17

Have a search for 7zip or winrar. Both will allow passwords. 7zip is free.

t31os · 21 Feb 2007 at 19:19

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=password+protect+xp+folder&btnG=Google+Search&meta=

I've tried this one before...

http://www.everstrike.com/lock_folder.htm

Worked quite well for my USB Pen, unless of course someone formatted it, but that defeats the point of trying to access a file.

Goberpiles316 · 21 Feb 2007 at 19:23

http://fileforum.betanews.com/detail/Microsoft_Private_Folder/1152200243/1

This was something I found last week from a link microsoft released it and withdrew it for some reason.

Energize · 21 Feb 2007 at 19:25

Truecrypt can encrypt files. Still baffles me that after 20 years of windows password protected folders still isn't a standard feature.

t31os · 21 Feb 2007 at 19:31

Goberpiles316 said:
http://fileforum.betanews.com/detail/Microsoft_Private_Folder/1152200243/1

This was something I found last week from a link microsoft released it and withdrew it for some reason.

Thats handy i'll take a peak at that...

NathanE · 21 Feb 2007 at 19:31

Energize said:
Still baffles me that after 20 years of windows password protected folders still isn't a standard feature.

Eh? It is. Right-click folder->Properties->Security tab - add and remove users/groups as desired. Works on any NTFS partition.

I don't know any decent OS where you enter a directory and up pops a "Enter password" dialog before it lets you continue. That's just ******-up and massively insecure.

joffy · 21 Feb 2007 at 19:36

This does a good job...
http://instantlock.net/

romulus06 · 21 Feb 2007 at 19:38

Try this freebie

http://www.newsoftwares.net/folderlock/

NathanE · 21 Feb 2007 at 19:39

t31os said:
Thats handy i'll take a peak at that...

They withdrew it because it was a heap of crap. It's just an Explorer shell hook (like all these silly little folder passwording utilities) that offer no real security at all. Load up a Command Prompt and you'll get access to the folder no problem. Some Microsoft intern probably wrote it and convinced his manager to let him release it - then higher management spotted the mistake.

A user of the withdrawn Private Folder utility said:
I use it every single day 3 days a week for storing the passwords for almost 550 hundred of servers our company, HP, supports.

It has been pretty useful and straight to the point. It just does what you need it to do. Simple, easy to use.

That is rather worrying. He somehow got the impression that these sorts of utilities are worth risking your job over. He would do better using NTFS security and encryption for that type of task.

Energize · 21 Feb 2007 at 19:40

NathanE said:
Eh? It is. Right-click folder->Properties->Security tab - add and remove users/groups as desired. Works on any NTFS partition.

I don't know any decent OS where you enter a directory and up pops a "Enter password" dialog before it lets you continue. That's just ******-up and massively insecure.

The whole point in wanting a password protected folder is so that if you are logged on as the user you still can't access it without the password and so that you can give a file to someone without having to know their own username for the pc they are going to use it on. What would be the point in allowing access to certain users if there is only 1 account on the pc?

The average user just wants to add a password to a folder, not setup multiple accounts and permissions for them.

NathanE · 21 Feb 2007 at 19:46

Simple solution to that is to create multiple accounts... I.e. use the OS how it is meant to be used.

Don't you see the utter stupidity of logging onto your PC then browsing to a folder and it asking you to retype your password again? That is ridiculous. It's the UNIX way of doing things - no integrated authentication. It's just doubled the chance of your password being successfully snooped by prying eyes or a keyboard sniffer. At the official logon prompt there are a whole bunch of security measures that prevent keyboard sniffing (at least there in the standard Windows GINA) but under some third party utility running outside the context of Winlogon.exe none of that protection is present.

sirlemonhead · 21 Feb 2007 at 20:01

Your folder password doesnt have to be your login password, surely?

touch · 21 Feb 2007 at 20:05

NathanE said:
Simple solution to that is to create multiple accounts...

I think the simple solution is just not to worry about it, EVERYONE has a secret pr0n folder, so what?

NathanE · 21 Feb 2007 at 20:06

sirlemonhead said:
Your folder password doesnt have to be your login password, surely?

That's beside the point

The fact is you've already authenticated your identity to the PC once and you shouldn't have to do it again. Obviously web sites are big exception to this but Microsoft aims to solve that with CardSpace - an open identity management platform. Kind of a "Microsoft Passport" take 2 - this time using open standards.

touch said:
I think the simple solution is just not to worry about it, EVERYONE has a secret pr0n folder, so what?

t31os · 21 Feb 2007 at 20:13

The little aps are fine, just from stopping a novice family member browsing to the folder, cmd is far from their knowledge, however i have a quibble already, it sits on my C:\ , which is Windows only for me, so i want it elsewhere (no option for that) .....

Which lead me to look into how to move the Documents and Settings folder, wow what a long google that turned out to be....

OT i know but has anyone ever moved the Documents and Settings folder?.... and i don't just mean My Doc's, thats easy, and no TweakUI can't do it... from what i can see, i think its as simple as copying the folder, complete copy, re-writing about 4 registry entries (anywhere ' %SystemDrive%\Documents and Settings ' is present) and its job done.... I've just not been brave enough to try yet.

Scort · 21 Feb 2007 at 20:36

Nlite will allow you to specify a different location for the documents and settings, I haven't used it personally, but I wouldn't fancy doing it on a 'live' Windows install tbh.

Scort.

bitslice · 21 Feb 2007 at 20:57

Energize said:
Still baffles me that after 20 years of windows password protected folders still isn't a standard feature.

because some users are a PITA.

there is always one that is obsessed with hiding stuff, and given a toy like this as standard would create chaos.
This is why MS withdrew their password folder app for XP, the IT admins kicked up a fuss...

t31os · 21 Feb 2007 at 21:13

Scort said:
Nlite will allow you to specify a different location for the documents and settings, I haven't used it personally, but I wouldn't fancy doing it on a 'live' Windows install tbh.

Scort.

Perhaps i'll test it when i get a new hdd, make 2 partitions and clone my current OS install, then plonk the documents and settings onto the other partition and re-write the registry values.

If that gets screwed up it'll just be a copy and not matter.....

I love having my stuff on seperate drives, its definately faster, and if this works, it means i don't have to worry about zillions of screenshots from various games filling up my OS drive along with those extra folders from other aps.

This is something i don't want to risk on my current install though, takes too long to get things back the way they were.....

Shame they didnt put this in as an option with the other enviroment variables, such as C:\TMP, C:\TEMP etc....

toString · 21 Feb 2007 at 21:30

touch said:
I think the simple solution is just not to worry about it, EVERYONE has a secret pr0n folder, so what?

Haha, first thing I thought after the first post was that.