How to password protect computer files?

balmersmith · Dec 7, 2010

due to issues that i'm not gonna get into, my computer has one functioning user account which is me : the administrator. i have certain files and folders on my computer that are personal but five other people use my computer and i'm tired of hearing my brother say "look at this document I found on your computer! it's a list of what you're getting us all for christmas!" (because i make lists for everything) or my sister plugging in her MP3 player and saying "I found a weird song on your computer, so I put it on my MP3!" (when it is not appropriate for her age) or, even better, my dad says "your recycle bin was full so emptied it" after i said for no one to empty it cuz i didn't want the stuff deleted - it was in there becasue i was experimenting with something and was going to restore them later! Or even my mom saying "i found a video you'd made in the zune program and the title was not apropriate so i deleted it" if she'd watched the video it would have been clear that out of context the title was wierd but it was meant as a joke! Argh! Anyone know how i can password protect these things individually (i already have a password for the user account as a whole, but that's no good in this situation)? and please no smart aleck ideas like 'buy them all their own computer' or 'tell them not to delete stuff' (duh - that's the first thing i did) or 'make them their own user accounts' (my vista

sholzy · Dec 7, 2010

With the only usable account being the admin account you will not be able to do it with Vista or XP. I don't know about Windows 7. The best way to protect your files in this situation is to put them on a USB stick.

mp3deviant721 · Dec 7, 2010

Put your files on a external hdd that you can carry around. 'Nuff said. Otherwise, you should get your own computer or laptop.

srteach · Dec 7, 2010

truecrypt is a free and easy program which will allow you to encrypt any file folder or entire drives. Make sure you read instructions first. Don't lose the password or it will be unreadable forever.

This great program is very powerful. Google is your friend.

I would:

Move (by cut/paste) any files you want secure to a sub-folder of the My Documents folder.
Encrypt that folder only
Erase any other copies of those files you have

You will have to enter the password any time you want to see those files. Other than that method, good luck keeping them out.

AllanD · Dec 7, 2010

People messing with my computer without my permission OR without me present are likely to either wind up missing body parts or simply wind up missing altogether.

As for people doing administrative stuff (emptying my recycling bin) on my computer

How old are you that your MOTHER is browsing "your" computer and deleting things she deems to be inappropriate?

BlackBII · Dec 7, 2010

There is a way to 'hide' folders.

http://topaix.blogspot.com/2007/03/how-to-hide-and-unhide-folder-in.html

Mark_88 · Dec 7, 2010

If it is your computer...set up user accounts for them and give them limited access to your personal files...you can partition the disk and lock them out...if you need information on how to do any of those things it's freely available on the internet...just search on things like "setting up user accounts in XP" or whatever OS you are using...

I found about ten links through google that are useful...such as this one...http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/winxp/accounts.mspx

Ranger Sport Honduras · Dec 7, 2010

folder lock. nuff said

makes a locker folder, where u can store everything u want, once u set a password no one will open it. u can even hide the folder lock icon and acces it via ctrl+F.

u can even enable an option to block your computer if someone tries to acces the password a certain amount of times

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

AllanD · Dec 18, 2010

Mark_88 said:
If it is your computer...set up user accounts for them and give them limited access to your personal files...you can partition the disk and lock them out...if you need information on how to do any of those things it's freely available on the internet...just search on things like "setting up user accounts in XP" or whatever OS you are using...

I found about ten links through google that are useful...such as this one...http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/winxp/accounts.mspx

make your accound the only administrator account and password protect it.

then create all the other accounts as "user" where they don't have admin priviledges
to install/delete/change things and where it would take a certain ammount of artistry to even access everything.

Then there is the unwritten rule about data files:
Any data file you only have one copy of is a data file you are proving you don't care about by not having multiple backup or backupS.

Like I posted above NOBODY touches my computer without my express permission.
If you are visiting me and need to check e-mail or something I have a specific "guest" COMPUTER you can use on my computer work bench.
If the bench is tied up (For example working on your computer?) AND
I also have a "Guest notebook" and "N" WiFi that can be used...

someone deleting any files would need a voice recognition system to use computer ever afterwards (or type while holding a pencil in their teeth),

And I have at minimum triplicate backups of everything

I redundantly back up EVERYTHING at the time of creation
AND weekly (every sunday).

But things like system setup are a bit harder to protect with backups.
You essentially need to clone your system drive periodically
(to keep it current) to protect those things...

years ago while my parents were visiting with a friend of my father's
who happens to be a "button poker" who changed some video settings on my computer,
(he did something similar to my Sister-in-law's computer while visiting them).
I've since looked him in the eye with my father present
and told him if I THINK he is reaching for my keyboard.
I'd spend 15minutes pounding on his hands (and that's fifteen
minutes on EACH hand) with a 48ounce ball-peen hammer.

I absolutely meant it.

I still do.

AD

JohnnyO · Dec 30, 2010

Is there a simple way to password protect folders on a thumb drive? I do a data backup every day at work and take it with me (in case the building burns down or whatever). The program files have passwords already but there is sensitive info on some of it and I'd feel better if I could put a password on it.

Mark_88 · Dec 31, 2010

JohnnyO said:
Is there a simple way to password protect folders on a thumb drive? I do a data backup every day at work and take it with me (in case the building burns down or whatever). The program files have passwords already but there is sensitive info on some of it and I'd feel better if I could put a password on it.

Depends on the drive...or you may be able to download a security package...but I had a USB drive that had a "protected" section that was set up for a password...the software came on the drive...can't remember what it was because I no sooner set the password then I lost the freaking thing...

swynx · Jan 5, 2011

this is what i use. just like my own little safety deposit box = ]

http://www.iobit.com/password-folder.html

How to password protect computer files?

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