Summary: There are a lot of software programs in Internet that can hide particular files or folders from other users. These programs offer an easy way for hiding files - by means of file system request filtering. But it does not mean the 100% data security. Actually the hidden files and folders can be seenthe other way. If you need a more effective security you should apply the robust cryptographic programs (total encryption).
 How to hide folder or restrict access to it for the other users.
It's reasonable that everyone wants to hide private documents, programs or other data from too curious persons, especially if your information is secret. You can use:
- Special programs for files\folders hiding. Such programs like Folder Lock, Hide Folders XP and others can hide your information.
- Windows settings: label folder\file as hidden . Another feature is named NTFS permissions. This feature is used to setup access rights to particular folders or files on NTFS volumes (disk).
Folders and files labeled in Windows as hidden:
Invisible in File Explorer to the other users, if the user has turned on the option Do not show hidden files and folders
Visible through FAR (command line utility), Total Commander and other programs, that don't use standard dialog to display folders and files.
It's convenient to use this method because no additional efforts are needed to hide information. One mouse click is enough to make folder or file invisible. But there is another side of this simplicity. "Which one?", – you may ask. Let's try to see what the problem is.
How to crack hidden folders (reveal them) ?
Not all the files hiding utilities will secure hide your data
Just a few of programs for folders/files hiding can allow secure hiding. And only a handful of them use encryption to hide private folders. Alot of such programs can hide files only for an operating system. But what happens if two or more OS are installed on the computer? Information will be hidden in one OS, and visible in another one.
Simple file and folder hiding or access control aren't efficient in he following cases:
Your computer was loaded in the other operating system (OS) or the other OS was loaded with CD-ROM, e.g. Linux BLin . All the files and folders will be displayed, according to other OS settings. In the other OS which will be linked up to your HDD disk, all the files will be visible because there will be no security and any limits.
Windows loading in Safe Mode . All the files and folders are visible in Safe Mode, even those ones that were hidden by hiding programs. While loading in Safe Mode Windows is loading the drivers necessary for system work, and leave out the driver-filters in order to prevent all possible soft faults.
To link up your HDD to the other computer
If you take away the HDD disk and link it up to the other computer, you can see and open all the hidden files and folders. You may also see the folders the access to which was prohibited (in NTFS).
There is the other way to see the files hidden by the hiding programs. You should have the Admin's rights (an account with admin's authorities). Thus, if you are a system administrator, you can deinstall (delete) the hiding programs, or to load the computer in safe mode. In that case all the hidden files will be visible.
Higher Data Security Through Total Encryption
How to avoid the difficulties aforesaid (to hide a folder and protect it from unauthorized access) ?
Encryption is one of the methods
of data security. You select the data and enter the password to its access. If you are the only password
keeper, only you will access the information!
Data can be encrypted for robuster security. By means of special encryption algorithms the data is changed so that even if the file is open, it will be
impossible to read it - it will look like a mess.
In order to see the original data, it must be decoded by the same
encryption algorithms.
Using disk encryption you can:
hide your sensitive files and folders;
protect your information from unauthorized access
Rohos Disk: Encrypts and hides
If you use several methods of security, your information will be stored more surely. This method was used in Rohos.
This is how Rohos works:
- All the data is stored on the disk which is created by the very program. The disk can be a virtual one, and can be created on different data storage devicу (HDD, CD-disk, DVD-disk, USB flash drive, etc.). The disk is being encrypted by speed encryption algorythms, i.e. while computer run. This disk is called encrypted virtual disk
- When you stop working with files, you just turn off the disk. The disk and all the data stored in it becomes inaccessible until you turn it on again. The disk is a file having the size of the same disk This file can be seen, but it can be encrypted, thus the data stored in it is inaccessible.
See also:
7 ways to use Rohos Disk -
Here you'll find how to:
protect your data from accidental loss if your kids use your computer,
hide or protect files and folders in multi-user environment; hide files downloaded while surfing the Web;
instantly encrypt sensitive MS Office documents;
How to increase password security with two-factor authentication.
Here's how to configure two-factor authentication for Rohos Disk and Windows login and how it affects your security?
Video guides Creating Rohos encrypted disk and using it through SaveAs/Open dialog, access to encrypted Rohos disk by USB flash drive and more...
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