puter savvy peoples pls

[historian]

I want to lock a file wiht a password and cant find a way of doing it. Itve tried through properties and attributes etc...still nothing. Some comfort would be happily received

[Seldona]

1. Here is what I use.

It is freeware too.

http://freeware.brothersoft.com/Utilities/Security/WinGuard_Pro_Free_13447.html

[tkmorris]

2. Might use Winzip

It has the ability to password protect any file you want, and chances are that you already have it.

[sendero]

5. be aware....

.... that the password protection in WinZip is trivial. It will keep your kids from opening the archive but not someone who knows what they are doing.

[DS1]

10. Sure, you can download crackers, but in order to run through

the entire character set, you'll need quite the machine.

[sendero]

11. I have it on good authority....

... that cracking a zip password is easy, and does not require a brute-force method. The encryption used to save the password in the file is trivial.

I have no personal experience in this area, but this is what I have read from credible sources.

[salvorhardin]

3. Depends on your OS and version

Here's a How-To for Windows XP Home Edition:
http://www.techtv.com/screensavers/print/0,23102,3450750,00.html

[gandalf]

4. Really strong encryption: Pretty good privacy (PGP)

http://www.pgp.com/products/freeware.html

or, even better, the open source solution:
http://www.gnupg.org/

[salvorhardin]

7. I second that recommendation and add

Windows Privacy Tools (WinPT).
http://www.winpt.org

WinPT is a Windows frontend to gnupg.

[gandalf]

8. Thanks. That front-end was unknown to me. nt

[NJmaverick]

6. What operating system does your computer have?

?

[toddzilla]

9. this should be in the lounge