Password Protect folders

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Thread: Password Protect folders

  1. #1
    Expensive Sushi
    Join Date
    Jun 2001
    Location
    WI
    Posts
    36

    Question Password Protect folders

    Hello, I want to password protect certain folders on my computer. How can I go about doing this?? Is there anything built into XP Pro for doing such a thing? Thanks for any help, Jeff

  2. #2
    Reef Shark
    Join Date
    Nov 2000
    Location
    Scotland
    Posts
    313
    There are a couple of options that I can think of that might be suitable for you.

    First of all, check the filesystem type that the folders reside on. If it's FAT32 then you would have to get third party software to do any protection for you.

    If it's NTFS you have the option to change the security permissions on the folders and change the owners of the folders to get something like what you want. You wouldn't get password protection as such, but access to the folders would be denied unless you logged onto the computer as the relevant person (with permissions to access that folder).

    If you really really want password protection then this is one way I can think of doing it. What you could do is share that protected folder. Then from the same computer you could map it as a network drive. This allows you to provide new user credentials than the ones that you logged on with.

    For example, Assume your computer is called "computer" the protected folder is "C:\PROTECTED" and it is owned and can only be read/written by user "special". You share this folder as "\\computer\protected".

    When you log onto the computer as "chevyman" you will not be able to read/write that folder. However you can map a network drive, let's say "Y:" to \\computer\protected and provide new user credentials - the new credentials you supply would, of course, be "special" and whatever the password was for special.

    You will then be able to read and write to the "Y:" drive, which will, in fact, be C:\PROTECTED. Make sure that you do not check the "re-connect at logon" otherwise anybody that logs on as you will be able to access the folder.

    Of course there may be third party bits of software out there that give you password protection (you could encrypt the folder and make sure that you password protect the encryption) but I'm assuming that you don't want to spend any money.

    Hope that helps
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