individual file protection-password protect
ajziii
only my files and pictures areas so that people using my pc can't
access them?
alandgri
Yes, but the answer depends on your configuration.
The first question is how powerful of a security mechanism do you need
it to be? Are we talking nuclear secrets here or plans for a surprise
birthday party? In general, anyone who has physical access to a
machine has the ability to defeat almost any security mechanism
employed on it. By adding layers of security, you just make it take
longer, but there is not really a guaranteed way to completely secure
it.
Second question: Do other people use your PC using the same login
user ID that you use?
1. If no, then they are using a different ID, then you can right
click on the "My Documents" folder and select properties, and then
check Advanced, and then check "Encrypt contents to secure data". You
may have to navigate to the My Documents folder through the "C:
\Documents and Settings\Your User ID\" to get to the correct menu.
2. If the answer is Yes, then stop doing that and go back to answer
#1. The security you ask for is built into the operating system. Use
it by defining separate logins for each user.
3. If the answer is still Yes, then it gets trickier, because you are
disabling the most powerful security mechanisms that are built in.
You can secure individual office files within each of those programs
so that a password is required to read or write them. With pictures,
there isn't anything built in that I know of. You may have to use a
3rd party encryption program to encrypt the contents. PGP is an
example, but I personally haven't used it for this purpose.
Post a clarifying question if you have any trouble.
PM
<peter.montr...@gmail.com> wrote:
> There are a few ways to do this:
> -- If your account has admin rights (or is the admin account) keep all
> your "work files" in your My Documents folder; other accounts on your
> machine that are lower (not admin: user or power user accounts) won't
> be able to access your data. So one possibility is to create a
> second, or third, account and give it lower privileges than your main
> account - when ppl use your machine have then use these alternate
> accounts.
>
> -- Option 2: everyone has an admin account on your machine: use this
> MS article to create folders that can only be opened by your account:
> How to encrypt a file in Windows XP
> "This article describes how to use the Windows XP Encrypting File
> System (EFS) feature to store files in an encrypted format on your
> hard disk. "http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307877
>
> -- Option 3: they use your account (which creates multiple problems) -
> then use a PGP style program (paid or free) to encrypt folders and
> files of your choice: however with this option if the encryption key
> is damaged, or you forget the password, it is very unlikely you will
> get your data back.
>
> The Leader in File Encryption Software, Hard Drive Encryption, and
> Enterprise Security - PGP Corporationhttp://www.pgp.com/
>
> "Gpg4win is an installer package for Windows (2000/XP/2003/Vista) with
> computer programs and handbooks for email and file encryption."http://www.gpg4win.org/
>
> OpenPGP.org - The OpenPGP Alliance Home Pagehttp://www.openpgp.org/
>
> Freeware versions for Windowshttp://www.pgpi.org/products/pgp/versions/freeware/winxp/
> --
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