[accesscomp] Fw: , dan's tip for November 14 2013
- From: "Bob Acosta" <boacosta@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "tektalk discussion" <tektalkdiscussion@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "access comp" <accesscomp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 14 Nov 2013 06:43:13 -0800
----- Original Message -----
From: dan Thompson
To: dan Thompson
Sent: Thursday, November 14, 2013 5:57 AM
Subject: , dan's tip for November 14 2013
How to Hide a Windows Folder
http://www.techsupportalert.com/how_to_hide_a_windows_folder.htm
by gizmo.richards
Folder hiding is a simple way of keeping prying eyes away from your private
documents.
From a human point of view it's a good solution; what you can't see, you don't
know you want.
Encrypting a folder can have the opposite effect. The folder is visible and if
access is attempted, the need to enter a password positively shouts the message
that someone is trying to hide something.
This probably explains why there are so many commercial utilities that claim
they can securely hide folders.
I use the word "claim" deliberately. It's actually quite difficult to securely
hide a folder in Windows without risking creating problems in the operating
system itself.
And there can be all sorts of practical problems. For example, what happens to
the hidden folder when you delete a visible folder above it in the folder tree?
Will the hidden folder be backed up? Will it be scanned by your AV program? Can
the files in the folder be recovered in an emergency such as a system crash?
These are not theoretical problems; they are real and need to be seriously
considered.
I've used a number of commercial folder hiding programs over the years and have
ended up un-installing them all. They were simply not worth the trouble.
Instead of using complicated and expensive security utilities, I suggest you
stealth your folders using a far simpler method using the Windows "hidden"
attribute. And once you have hidden your folders you can then protect them
using free open source encryption programs.
The Windows hidden attribute works similarly to the more familiar "read only"
attribute. It's a property of every file and folder that can be turned on or
off. Let's try it.
Create a folder in My Documents and call it "test." Now copy a couple of
unimportant files to the folder.
To turn on the hidden attribute
1. right click on the folder icon, or arrow down to the folder and press the
application key.
2. Using the mouse, select Properties, or from the keyboard, press the letter
r.
3. Using the mouse, move to the the General Tab.
From the keyboard, press control plus tab until reaching the "general tab
sheet."
4. If using mouse, check the Hidden box.
From the keyboard, tab once to "hidden." By default this is unchecked. Press
the spacebar to check the box.
5. The folder should disappear from My Documents. If it doesn't then you have
Windows Explorer configured to display hidden files.
To change this,
1. Press alt plus t when in "windows explorer" or in this instance in "my
documents." select
Mouse users should click on "tools."
2. Press the letter o for "folder options" ior click on the same option.
3.
4. Press control plus tab until reaching "view" tab sheet. Mousers, move into
the "view" tab sheet.
5. From the keyboard, tab three times to "advanced settings."
Mouse users, move to the "advanced settings" treeview.
6. From the keyboard, press the letter h once.
Mouse users, move down to "hidden files and folders.
7. Arrow down once to "do not show hidden files and folders" and hit enter.
Mouse users, check the "Do not show hidden files and folders" box.
8. Now the test folder should disappear. To make it re-appear Go through the
same above steps and choose the "Show hidden files and folders" option.
So now you have a way of hiding a folder and revealing it again using your
folder settings.
Now I'll show you a simple trick that allows you access to your hidden folder
without constantly changing the folder settings. However, before I can
demonstrate this we have to make the folder hidden but the files within it
not-hidden.
Go to My Documents and make sure your folder "test" is visible. Open "test" and
select all the files by using Control A. Now right click anywhere on the
selected files and select Properties / General and uncheck the Hidden
attribute.
From the keyboard, after selecting all the files with control plus the letter a:
Press the application key.
Press the letter r.
Press control plus tab until reaching "general."
Tab once and uncheck the "hidden" attribute box as you did above when hiding a
file.
Now your folder is hidden but the files are not.
Go back to My Documents and hide the folder by changing the folder settings.
Your test folder should disappear from My Documents.
Now here's the trick. Windows allows you to navigate to a hidden folder. So
while in the My Documents folder, type into the address bar "\test" immediately
after "My Documents" with no spaces between and hit enter.
Voila you are now in your secret "test" folder and all your documents are
visible!
Of course locating your private folder in My Documents is not a great idea as
it will be immediately revealed should another user enable the display of
hidden files. Better to stash your folder in some obscure location well away
from prying eyes but easy to navigate to. Additionally, name the folder to be
as uninteresting as possible.
Hiding your folder like this is fine if you only want to keep information from
prying eyes but if you really want to properly protect your hidden folder you
should encrypt it.
Luckily that's easy; simply use the free open source program AxCrypt:
http://axcrypt.axantum.com/
Using AxCrypt is dead simple so I won't explain how. AxCrypt is also
near-unbreakable so make sure you don't forget your password. If you do, your
data is lost forever.
Using this technique you can hide and protect your folders without spending a
cent and, unlike commercial folder hiding utilities, this technique is not
going to potentially create a whole set of other problems.
Verse and Thought:
The Work Of god
Acclesiastes 11:5
As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a
mother's womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all
things. (NIV)
Inspiring Thought: The Work of God
I love this verse because it's one of those plain and simple reminders that God
is God, and we are not. I don't know about you, but I often need to be reminded
of this.
We don't (and we cannot) always understand everything that God is doing, both
in our own lives and in this world we live in. When horrible tragedies strike,
such as hurricanes and earthquakes, we want to know why, and when a tragedy
hits home, we ask, "Why Me?"
We'll never know the future, we oftentimes won't understand the past, and our
present circumstances can be just as confounding. The one and only thing we can
be certain of is this: we can trust our heavenly Father. God, the Maker of all
things, is in control. This is the essense of faith.
If close enough, You are invited to a time of praise and prayer from 5:00 to
6:00 every Tuesday held in the lounge at First Presbyterian Church 870 W.
College Jacksonville, Il. Come in the double glass doors by day care off of
West Minster. Turn right at the first set of double doors across from the coat
closets. Go up these stairs and turn left at the top.
The lounge door will be opened and welcoming you in to God's open house of
praise and prayer!
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