Best way to protect a folder in XP?

Assign Permissions to the folder so that only your account can open it and use a strong password for your account.

No, you cannot just password-protect your folder, but you can, and always should password protect both your account and the administrator account on your computer.

It is possible to get around this kind of password protection if somebody has full access to the hardware of your computer, either by removing your hard drive and installing it on some other computer that the person seeking access to your data has full control over, or by using some special tools that allow you to unlock password-protected accounts (again, that requires full access to your hardware, in order to boot your machine from a special boot disk). However, if you encrypt your files, such a person will be unable to read the information contained in such files (unless that person has some very powerful facilities at his/her disposal, meaning a supercomputer and lots of time).

So, unless you are concerned that the FBI or CIA (or similarly well-equipped and well-funded outfits) might take an extraordinarily keen interest in your data, password protecting your account in conjunction with encrypting your files (only available in XP Pro) should let you rest in peace.

P.S.: Of course, as you suspected, simply password-protecting your account and restricting permissions on the pertinent folders provides next to no protection at all in case your computer is stolen. Also, some third-party programs allow you to password-protect individual files or groups of files and folders. As far as I know, WinZip, for example, lets you password-protect your archives.

Message Edited by Dietmar on 03-05-2004 05:29 PM

You can also Password protect a Zipped Folder by
right click on a Folder & select "Send To > Compressed (zipped) Folder
then open new Folder right click on a blank area of window & select "Add Password".
In future all users will have to know Password to open any of the files contained in Zipped Folder.
Of course you would then Delete the normal Folder.
Folder must contain a file to be Zipped.

Thank you.  I will encrypt the folders and password protect my User Group.

However, while I was searching Help, I found this and wonder what you think:

Why you should not run your computer as an administrator

Running Windows 2000 or Windows XP as an administrator makes the system vulnerable to Trojan Horses and other security risks. The simple act of visiting an Internet site can be extremely damaging to the system. An unfamiliar Internet site may have Trojan horse code that can be downloaded to the system and executed. If you are logged on with administrator privileges, a Trojan horse could do things like reformat your hard drive, delete all your files, create a new user account with administrative access, and so on

You should add yourself to the Users or Power Users group. When you log on as a member of the Users group, you can perform routine tasks, including running programs and visiting Internet sites, without exposing your computer to unnecessary risk. As a member of the Power Users group, you can perform routine tasks and you can also install programs, add printers, and use most Control Panel items. If you need to perform administrative tasks, such as upgrading the operating system or configuring system parameters, then log off and log back on as an administrator

I only use one User Group, which is set as administrator.  I have AOL and auto update my Norton's Anti-Virus.  Should I use a limited user group for the internet?

 

Thanks again!  Will do.

Yes, what you read is correct: you should never operate with administrative privileges, unless you really need them. In other words, for your normal, day-to-day work, always run as a limited user. You only log in with administrative rights in order to perform system maintenance work, or to install software.