Is there a free way to lock folders on your pc?

[usregimechange]

That will bring up a little box that requires a password? They all cost $ at downloads.com w/ a trial period.

[RoyGBiv]

1. Depends ...

If you run XP Home, no, not really, not anything that actually works anyway. (And the commercial stuff for XP Home is not secure at all.)

If you run XP Professional, it's a built-in feature you can use *if* and only if you set up your computer for multiple users and develop a coherent permissions policy, i.e. not everyone that uses the PC is an admin.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/security/learnmore/accesscontrol.mspx

Note that anyone with physical access to your machine can bypass this entirely if they know what they're doing and really want access to those files.

Now, if you were running Linux and encrypted the drive, this would be much easier.

OnEdit: Having said that, you might try asking in the Computer Help and Support group. I base this on prior attempts at trying this and failing completely to set up anything that couldn't be broken by an inquisitive 6 year old, and I don't use Windoze any more. But, it's always possible I missed something.

[gkdmaths]

2. And...

IIRC on Win95/98/ME/perhaps Win2000 that if you create and name a folder in a DOS shell you can "hide" them with a prefixed underscore.

*disclaimer: its been years since Ive done it so I may be wrong. Its how I used to hide pron from the GF, when I still had hormones, that is. you just have to remember the filder is there, because it will never show up if you just *look* for it.

hints?