Is it possible to password protect some files on the pc ?

I have some files which I would prefer others who use my pc not to be able to open (for example, financial information etc...)
and upon clicking 'open' would like to have to enter a password to open that file

is it possible - and how ?

Paul wrote:Is it possible to password protect some files on the pc ?

I have some files which I would prefer others who use my pc not to be able to open (for example, financial information etc...)
and upon clicking 'open' would like to have to enter a password to open that file

is it possible - and how ?

Try this. Its freeware:

http://www.cypherix.com/password_protec ... dv=ppc_sp1

These are for Microsoft Word & Excel files (copied from Help function):

Caution - instructions may vary on different versions of Word & Excel, these are from the XP version.

For Microsoft Word

Require a password to open or modify a file.

When you create a password, write it down and keep it in a secure place. If you lose the password, you cannot open or gain access to the password-protected document.

1. Open the file.

2. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click Security.

3. Do one of the following:


Create a password to open
1. In the Password to open box, type a password, and then click OK.

2. In the Reenter password to open box, type the password again, and then click OK.

Create a password to modify
3. In the Password to modify box, type a password, and then click OK.

4. In the Reenter password to modify box, type the password again, and then click OK.

For Microsoft Excel

Protect a workbook file from viewing or editing
[list]1. On the File menu, click Save As.

2. On the Tools menu, click General Options.

3. Do either or both of the following:
[list]

In addition to the password protection provided for documents made with programs like those in Microsoft Office and Acrobat, you can use PKZIP to compress files and folders with a password. Then, the file or folder can only be unzipped with the same password. I suspect that Winzip does this as well.

On the Macintosh, Stuffit provides this capability.

or use a better operating system that allows you to set folder rights based on users

I certainly would not recommend Paragon Encrypted disk. It set up a virtual drive and you move your files there and it encrypts them requiring a password to open. It worked for me for a while then it took a mood and refused to open. I un-installed and installed then had to give up and lost everything... Paragon have a forum but it should be called Marie-Celeste.com as there is no sign of life there!

If they're Word and/or Excel documents JimboPSM has the perfect answer.
I have many financial spreadsheets and documents password protected on a PC used by others.

you can move the file to the windows OS section, and change the last part of the file, like: financial.doc to financial.ini

to view the file, change the ini back to doc

jnland wrote:

Paul wrote:Is it possible to password protect some files on the pc ?

I have some files which I would prefer others who use my pc not to be able to open (for example, financial information etc...)
and upon clicking 'open' would like to have to enter a password to open that file

is it possible - and how ?

Try this. Its freeware:

http://www.cypherix.com/password_protec ... dv=ppc_sp1

Went with this in the end - seems to work well.
It creates a password protected section on your hard drive where you can put anything into it and need a password to see whats inside.
I have a back up just in case though (on a usb drive) - as it states that if you forget your password - there is absolutely no way of retrieving the information (or as stated above - it might get moody one day)

It is good enough for me for the time being though - thanks for the replies

Cryptainer LE does look like a pretty good solution. Being free and not a Microsoft product, there might be an increased chance of an OS update "breaking" the Cryptainer someday, at which time, you will be very glad to have the USB backup.