G
Guest
can I password protect a single file on windows xp professional? If so how?
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M
Malke
captbob said:can I password protect a single file on windows xp professional? If so
how?
You would need to either zip it and assign a password to the zipped file
or find third-party software.
Malke
L
LVTravel
As Malke stated in not too plain language, you can't password protect a
single file with XP. Depending on the program you used to create the file
it may have a password feature (Word does.)
Many other programs allow you to password protect the file to prevent
changing or printing but not for viewing (PDF files created with Acrobat.)
WinZip has an excellent password feature built into it, but if you are using
it for security during transit and you use the latest version at its highest
security setting, make sure the receiving person has the same version or
they will not be able to unprotect it.
single file with XP. Depending on the program you used to create the file
it may have a password feature (Word does.)
Many other programs allow you to password protect the file to prevent
changing or printing but not for viewing (PDF files created with Acrobat.)
WinZip has an excellent password feature built into it, but if you are using
it for security during transit and you use the latest version at its highest
security setting, make sure the receiving person has the same version or
they will not be able to unprotect it.
D
Doug Knox MS-MVP
Assign permissions to the file. Be careful in using Deny. Instead, uncheck Allow for the various users/groups.
To do this, you must be running NTFS as your file system on the drive in question. If your hard disk/partition is not NTFS you will need to convert it. To do this, open a Command Prompt window and enter the following command:
CONVERT X: /FS:NTFS
Where X: is the drive letter you wish to convert. You may also want to see http://www.aumha.org/a/ntfscvt.htm to ensure that you're getting the optimal conversion.
After this step is completed and you've rebooted the computer, if necessary:
XP PRO: In Windows Explorer, go to Tools, Folder Options, View and uncheck Use Simple File Sharing. Now, when you right click on a drive, folder or file (on an NTFS partition) and select Properties, you'll see a Security tab. Here you can assign or deny permissions based on user name or user group membership.
XP Home: By default, you can only make files and folders under My Documents "private". This is done by right clicking a folder or file and selecting Properties, Sharing. To change the permissions on other folders, you need to boot the computer to Safe Mode and log in on the built in Administrator account. In this mode, you'll see the Security tab in Properties, and you can assign permissions based on user name or group membership.
How Do I Get the Security Tab in Properties - XP Home (makes the Security tab appear outside of Safe Mode)
http://www.dougknox.com, Win XP Tips section
HOW TO: Set, View, Change, or Remove File and Folder Permissions in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;308418
HOW TO: Set, View, Change, or Remove Special Permissions for Files and Folders
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;308419
HOW TO: Disable Simplified Sharing and Password-Protect a Shared Folder in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;307874
To do this, you must be running NTFS as your file system on the drive in question. If your hard disk/partition is not NTFS you will need to convert it. To do this, open a Command Prompt window and enter the following command:
CONVERT X: /FS:NTFS
Where X: is the drive letter you wish to convert. You may also want to see http://www.aumha.org/a/ntfscvt.htm to ensure that you're getting the optimal conversion.
After this step is completed and you've rebooted the computer, if necessary:
XP PRO: In Windows Explorer, go to Tools, Folder Options, View and uncheck Use Simple File Sharing. Now, when you right click on a drive, folder or file (on an NTFS partition) and select Properties, you'll see a Security tab. Here you can assign or deny permissions based on user name or user group membership.
XP Home: By default, you can only make files and folders under My Documents "private". This is done by right clicking a folder or file and selecting Properties, Sharing. To change the permissions on other folders, you need to boot the computer to Safe Mode and log in on the built in Administrator account. In this mode, you'll see the Security tab in Properties, and you can assign permissions based on user name or group membership.
How Do I Get the Security Tab in Properties - XP Home (makes the Security tab appear outside of Safe Mode)
http://www.dougknox.com, Win XP Tips section
HOW TO: Set, View, Change, or Remove File and Folder Permissions in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;308418
HOW TO: Set, View, Change, or Remove Special Permissions for Files and Folders
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;308419
HOW TO: Disable Simplified Sharing and Password-Protect a Shared Folder in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;307874