Re: Password Protect Folders

Your login is your security regarding who can get at what files. NT-based versions of Windows rely on permissions, not passwords, so configure the permissions on your folders wherever they be so that only you can access them. However, admins can change those permissions and can even take ownership of your files. But then only you know the login credentials (i.e., password) for the Administrator account on your laptop.

You could also used EFS provided you have the Pro version and not the crippled Home version. EFS is the "protection" that you mention when looking at the properties of folder. It is only available under NTFS, so run "convert" to switch from FAT32 to NTFS.

Look into TrueCrypt if you are still needing something OUTSIDE the operating system to provide encryption and password-protection of your files. You create volumes or containers that get loaded when you specify the encrypt file that TrueCrypt loads (it looks like another drive). Anything you store in it gets encrypted. When you first open it, you are prompted for a password but you are not prompted thereafter while the container remains open. You need to close that container, like unloading the .tc file in which the files were saved, logging out, rebooting, or using their background utility that can be configured to unload the container after a certain period of inactivity within that container. TrueCrypt is free. I prefer it over EFS because I don't have to remember to export the EFS certificate to use it when I do a fresh install of the OS and then can't get into the EFS containers until I import that previously exported EFS certificate. With TrueCrypt, I only need to remember my password no matter where I transport the .tc file.


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Relevant Pages

  • Re: Lock Folder
    ... Using permissions can be obviated by moving the drive to another host where the SIDs for the accounts for the permissions are unknown under the other instance of Windows, so none of the permissions are enforced. ... You could use EFS but it is susceptible to password cracking. ... If you use an encrypted container, the encryption is based on the password. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.security_admin)
  • Re: Domain Users with 2003 adminpak can see AD!
    ... All AD objects have permissions to them somewhat like ntfs ... to access objects in that container via AD. ... > ADUC containers. ... > tool within the administrator tools console. ...
    (microsoft.public.win2000.security)
  • Re: EFS and IIS
    ... NTFS permissions should be as secure as EFS for this purpose, ... [unless the server was physically stolen]. ... Neither NTFS nor EFS necessarily protect against remote attacks such as IIS ... > We want to try and protect the source code (ASP files) as much as possible ...
    (microsoft.public.inetserver.iis.security)
  • Re: Passwords on Folders
    ... domain computer [there is also a recovery agent for a domain]. ... > Windows under which those permissions were defined. ... use NTFS on your hard drives so you can then EFS ...
    (microsoft.public.win2000.security)
  • Re: Want to stop sharing Outlook Today folders
    ... node, that's the container whose permissions you'll want to examine, as well ... I just never realized that a User Account profile is referred to ...
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