Privacy

Still waiting for my Graphics card to be installed I had a rare thought!

I have several folders on my PC that I want to keep private.
Is there a way that I can have them 'coded' so that they can be opened only

pmj...

Yes.
One of WinXP's main differences between it & the previous (w9x)
Operating Systems is that it uses (or can use) the NTFS Filing System
(as opposed to the earlier FAT32 or Fat16/12 Filing System) & NTFS
supports "Permissions" - in other words you can specify in (very great
detail) who & what can access various different Files (by using "ACLs"
- Access Control Lists)

They can also (as a separate step) be *Encrypted*, so even if someone
else does manage to get to Access them (which is possible, but not easy)
they won't be able to *Read* them.

RightClick on a Folder (in windoze Explorer) & switch to the "Sharing"
Tab. You will see (on most, but not all) Folders a Tick Box (Option)
[ ] Make this Folder Private

It would be a good idea to look up in the various Help Files (available
in the built-in WinXP "Help & Support Center" thingy & on the Web)
*before* doing that though, cos you need to make sure that you can
Access the stuff, when you need to.

You mentioned a "Code"?

Yes, that "Code" would be the (User) PassWord that you have Allocated
to the Account that you use to Log on to windoze.

So anybody who knows (or can work out) the PassWord for the Account
(or who knows how to use a Utility to Boot the PC from & Read the
PassWord Info from the Registry) will be able to either Log in to
your User Account on the Machine or &/or Access (& Read) the Files
from another Account.

by me and a code?

Edward J Milan...

Have a look at PGP.

web-search PGP there are various versions - some free.

PGP is simple to use once you have worked it out and as far as I know
is unbreakable.

I think our Government has slipped a law in under cover making it an
offence not to declare the key for any encrypted file!

Saxman...

This is what you might need. Very simple and free.

Ringfences files. Don't forget your password!

Wrinklie One =?iso-8859-1?Q?=A9?=...

Seems to be possible in xp

Open My Computer.
Double-click the drive where Windows is installed (usually drive (C:),
unless you have more than one drive on your computer).
If the contents of the drive are hidden, under System Tasks, click Show
the contents of this drive.

Double-click the Documents and Settings folder.
Double-click your user folder.
Right-click any folder in your user profile, and then click Properties.
On the Sharing tab, select the Make this folder private so that only I
have access to it check box.
Notes

jamps...

<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>

Many thanks WO!
Seems to be what I was looking for so have printed it out.
Before I start can you tell me if I have to put in a code somewhere along
the way
and
How will I know if my drive is formatted as NTFS?

Saxman...

My Computer. Right click on drive icon. Choose properties/look at file

jamps...

Thank you Saxman - my drive is formatted as NTFS

system.

To open My Computer, click Start, and then click My Computer.
This option is only available for folders included in your user profile.
Folders in your user profile include My Documents and its subfolders,
Desktop, Start Menu, Cookies, and Favorites. If you do not make these
folders private, they are available to everyone who uses your computer.
When you make a folder private, all of its subfolders are private as
well. For example, when you make My Documents private, you also make My
Music and My Pictures private. When you share a folder, you also share
all of its subfolders unless you make them private.
You cannot make your folders private if your drive is not formatted as
NTFS.

But note last sentence