Making a folder private

[shore pot]

Hi everybody
I think I've read most of the basic stuff on 'Make this folder
private' but I'm still puzzled.
I use Windows XP Home Edition.
1) I've put my more confidential-type files in a folder within My
Documents and I've 'made it private'. So far so good. But if I log
back into the computer as a Guest I can't see *any* of the My
Documents of the main user. There's lots of folders there that aren't
marked private and they are just as invisible to the guest user.
So can you tell me what difference it makes marking that one folder
private?
2) If my computer was stolen how easy would it be to get into the
confidential documents? If my hard drive was taken out and put as a
secondary drive in another computer would my My Documents still be
hidden? Would my private folder still be hidden?
Any advice would be very welcome!
shorepot15 - UK

 

[John John]

Hi everybody
I think I've read most of the basic stuff on 'Make this folder
private' but I'm still puzzled.
I use Windows XP Home Edition.
1) I've put my more confidential-type files in a folder within My
Documents and I've 'made it private'. So far so good. But if I log
back into the computer as a Guest I can't see *any* of the My
Documents of the main user. There's lots of folders there that aren't
marked private and they are just as invisible to the guest user.
So can you tell me what difference it makes marking that one folder
private?

When you make a folder private all its subfolders also become private.

2) If my computer was stolen how easy would it be to get into the
confidential documents? If my hard drive was taken out and put as a
secondary drive in another computer would my My Documents still be
hidden? Would my private folder still be hidden?
Any advice would be very welcome!

Anyone with a modest amount of Windows NT/2000/XP knowledge and a basic
understanding of NTFS permissions can access these private folders.
Making folders private is a small deterrent to would be snoopers but it
is by no means a very secure way to protect sensitive documents.

John