password protecting folders - is it possible???

i want to set passwords for individual folders so that only i can access the
contents of those folders.

is this possible with windows xp? how?

thanks.

Miha
Wed Aug 25 09:29:17 CDT 2004

Hi,

It is possible to protect your folder and its content as long as users logon
to computer with different usernames and passwords (each user has its own
username and password).

Procedure how to do it depends on version of Windows XP -- if you have
Windows XP Professional or Home Edition.

In either case you have to have file system formatted as NTFS. Under Windows
XP Pro you might want to disable Simple Sharing (Open Windows Explorer >
Tools > Folder Options > View > scroll all the way down and uncheck >Use
simpe file sharing<

Now you can go and right click and folder that you want to protect and
select Security tab. Remove any user that you don't want to have access to
the files in folder. Don't forget to add your account to grant access or you
will get locked out. If you do here is how to get access back:

How to take ownership of a file or folder in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;308421&Product=winxp

Mike

"philosophe" <philosophe@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:225A8DC9-663A-47AA-A673-770709DBC635@microsoft.com...
> i want to set passwords for individual folders so that only i can access
the
> contents of those folders.
>
> is this possible with windows xp? how?
>
> thanks.

prevident
Wed Aug 25 11:58:47 CDT 2004

What is the content of these folders that you feel the
need to protect (hide) these folders from others using a
password?

>-----Original Message-----
>i want to set passwords for individual folders so that
only i can access the
>contents of those folders.
>
>is this possible with windows xp? how?
>
>thanks.

Steven
Wed Aug 25 13:00:51 CDT 2004

Folders can not be password protected themselves but you can create user accounts and
then implement ntfs permissions on the hard drive to give only allowed users access
to the folder or files. This is explained in the link below,

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;308418

However you should know that any user who is a local administrator on the computer or
who is able to gain administrator access can take ownership and access folder/files
that they do not have ntfs permissions to. If you have XP Pro, you can use EFS file
encryption to protect your files which will restrict access of those files to just
you as long as no one can crack/guess your password or you have exported/deleted your
EFS private key from your computer [and any Recovery Agent that XP does not have by
default]. If your EFS private key is not on your computer, no one will be able to
access those files - even you if you lose your backup keys. See the link below for
more on EFS. --- Steve

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;223316

"philosophe" <philosophe@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:225A8DC9-663A-47AA-A673-770709DBC635@microsoft.com...
>i want to set passwords for individual folders so that only i can access the
> contents of those folders.
>
> is this possible with windows xp? how?
>
> thanks.

zoolancester
Sat Jan 08 06:57:34 CST 2005


philosophe wrote:
> *i want to set passwords for individual folders so that only i ca
> access the
> contents of those folders.
>
> is this possible with windows xp? how?
>
> thanks. *

The easiest way for doint that is using "MagySecure 2004"."MagySecur
2004" protects folders and does that very fast. It also has th
possibility to protect files and even compress them. I definitel
recommend it for you. You can get the program here
http://www.emagy.com/download.asp?product=magysecure200


-
zoolanceste
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted via http://www.mcse.m
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
View this thread: http://www.mcse.ms/message990892.htm

TOM
Sat Jan 08 20:13:00 CST 2005

If you have the NTFS (NT File System) you can mark any folders within your
user
profile as private. This prevents any other user or the network from
accessing them. I
*think* they are controlled based just on your login ID and that the
contents are
encrypted if made private.

FAT32 does not have the option. Many XP systems have a utility to convert
the file
system from FAT32 to NTFS, most new ones are NTFS already.

-- Tom


"zoolancester" <zoolancester.1ikey6@mail.mcse.ms> wrote in message
news:zoolancester.1ikey6@mail.mcse.ms...
>
> philosophe wrote:
>> *i want to set passwords for individual folders so that only i can
>> access the
>> contents of those folders.
>>
>> is this possible with windows xp? how?
>>
>> thanks. *
>
> The easiest way for doint that is using "MagySecure 2004"."MagySecure
> 2004" protects folders and does that very fast. It also has the
> possibility to protect files and even compress them. I definitely
> recommend it for you. You can get the program here:
> http://www.emagy.com/download.asp?product=magysecure2004
>
>
>
> --
> zoolancester
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Posted via http://www.mcse.ms
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> View this thread: http://www.mcse.ms/message990892.html
>

Steven
Sat Jan 08 20:38:24 CST 2005

I can't comment on Windows XP Home due to lack of experience with it but in
general with ntfs you restrict access by assigning permissions to
folders/files. If a user or a group that the user belongs to has no
permissions to a file they can not access the file "within the operating
system". Their is a big however in that any user who is also an
administrator or becomes an administrator [possibly maliciously] can always
access any non encrypted file on the computer. An administrator can always
take ownership to a folder and then grant themselves permissions.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;308418 --- NTFS and
Windows XP.

Configuring ntfs permissions alone will not encrypt folders or files. EFS
encryption is available in XP Pro, Windows 2000, and Windows 2003. You must
set encryption in the folder or file properties in the advanced section.
Folders themselves are not encrypted but if a folder is set for encryption,
files placed in that folder will be encrypted. Users should NOT use file
encryption unless they know the best practices for EFS [ including how to
backup your EFS private key to a .pfx file] as it is easy to find yourself
not able to decrypt your own files, particularly is the operating system has
been reinstalled or a user's password was "reset" on a Windows XP Pro
computer. Also as long as the EFS user's private key is on the computer, the
encrypted files are only as safe as the user's password. In Windows 2000 and
EFS file can also by default be decrypted by the built in administrator
account for all users on that computer. --- Steve


http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;223316 --- best
practices for EFS.

"TOM" <noname@noprovider.nodomain> wrote in message
news:uCya9Cf9EHA.2156@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...
> If you have the NTFS (NT File System) you can mark any folders within
> your user
> profile as private. This prevents any other user or the network from
> accessing them. I
> *think* they are controlled based just on your login ID and that the
> contents are
> encrypted if made private.
>
> FAT32 does not have the option. Many XP systems have a utility to convert
> the file
> system from FAT32 to NTFS, most new ones are NTFS already.
>
> -- Tom
>
>
> "zoolancester" <zoolancester.1ikey6@mail.mcse.ms> wrote in message
> news:zoolancester.1ikey6@mail.mcse.ms...
>>
>> philosophe wrote:
>>> *i want to set passwords for individual folders so that only i can
>>> access the
>>> contents of those folders.
>>>
>>> is this possible with windows xp? how?
>>>
>>> thanks. *
>>
>> The easiest way for doint that is using "MagySecure 2004"."MagySecure
>> 2004" protects folders and does that very fast. It also has the
>> possibility to protect files and even compress them. I definitely
>> recommend it for you. You can get the program here:
>> http://www.emagy.com/download.asp?product=magysecure2004
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> zoolancester
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> Posted via http://www.mcse.ms
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> View this thread: http://www.mcse.ms/message990892.html
>>
>
>

jtgh
Sun Jan 23 13:40:27 CST 2005

Hello:
I can't find the proper forum, but I have a question in the same vain.
system: XP pro ( and friends using win2k).
The operating system files are all wide open to attack from any
virus,worm or malware.
As we all know ( especially us, linux users).

now my question:?
Does anyone know of a company our product (software) that will protect
the system
folders. The files in c:\windows\ and \windows\sysetm and
\windows\system32 , or winnt, as applicable.

I am looking for base line protection , Not ,NAV, AVG , McAfee, Trend,
etc.
Something tightly integrated to the OS .
I suspect the answer is no, and that if someone was to pull this off,
he /she would be a very rich person.

You see the millions of money and people wasting their time , fighting
this problem ( treating the symptoms only) and not going for the core
issue,
Kernal protection ,etc.
Anyone with any ideas or a direction to persons that do?

jopa66
Sun Jan 23 13:45:06 CST 2005

Run system as Restricted User, not as Administrator.

Hmmm.... don't think I'm any richer.

--
~john aka: jopa



"jtgh" <posdmr@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1106509227.865515.133060@c13g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> Hello:
> I can't find the proper forum, but I have a question in the same vain.
> system: XP pro ( and friends using win2k).
> The operating system files are all wide open to attack from any
> virus,worm or malware.
> As we all know ( especially us, linux users).
>
> now my question:?
> Does anyone know of a company our product (software) that will protect
> the system
> folders. The files in c:\windows\ and \windows\sysetm and
> \windows\system32 , or winnt, as applicable.
>
> I am looking for base line protection , Not ,NAV, AVG , McAfee, Trend,
> etc.
> Something tightly integrated to the OS .
> I suspect the answer is no, and that if someone was to pull this off,
> he /she would be a very rich person.
>
> You see the millions of money and people wasting their time , fighting
> this problem ( treating the symptoms only) and not going for the core
> issue,
> Kernal protection ,etc.
> Anyone with any ideas or a direction to persons that do?
>

jtgh
Sun Jan 23 16:29:09 CST 2005


jopa66 wrote:
> Run system as Restricted User, not as Administrator.
>
> Hmmm.... don't think I'm any richer.
>
> --
> ~john aka: jopa
> do you mean USER ,or Guest ?
or do you mean a custom group.?

then I will test your theory.
I believe only the profiles are protected.
and the os is still naked to any machine code running in this user
login , session.
I do know NTFS is required.

I will report back, thanks for you input.
thanks very much for your help

jtgh
Sun Jan 23 19:53:04 CST 2005

yes, it works.
I tried to attack Windows , in this mode and it was safe.
I tried, rename, delete , copy and was blocked from even looking.
this is very good.
Thanks again.
PS:
FAT32 , provides zero protection in this regard. something not stated
in my
classes, they only said, less protection. Hey , the OS is wide open in
FAT32.
The devil is in the details. As always.

jopa66
Mon Jan 24 01:11:21 CST 2005

Thanks for your input. Yes, NTFS is very much more secure than FAT32. I
didn't think to mention this. Sometimes I guess I just assume that Windows
XP = NTFS

--
~john aka: jopa



"jtgh" <posdmr@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1106531584.127955.13450@c13g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> yes, it works.
> I tried to attack Windows , in this mode and it was safe.
> I tried, rename, delete , copy and was blocked from even looking.
> this is very good.
> Thanks again.
> PS:
> FAT32 , provides zero protection in this regard. something not stated
> in my
> classes, they only said, less protection. Hey , the OS is wide open in
> FAT32.
> The devil is in the details. As always.
>

jtgh
Mon Jan 31 18:11:45 CST 2005

I am at it again, on a new machine.
100% new hardware.
new xp+sp2 pro

two accounts: admin and nobody
admin is normal install admin.
nobody is group USERs only.( no other groups assigned)

I have this working on another system but this one is a fight.

On my other system if I login as nobody (users) I can not access the
other persons
profiles and I can not open the windows folder.
On this system I can edit anything, ( delete, rename, etc)

I can see that I am USERS because I can not access most things in the
control panel ,as is normal.
But the system folders are wide open unprotected.

Any clue as to where to look? Local , group profile manager looks ok.

Print and file sharing is off, fire wall Sp2 is fully active and
default.

Thanks for any help.

My goal is to protect folders from other users and to protect the
windows folders from all by admin.