How can i encode a document making it accesible and readable by me alone?

Question

i opened a folder that was hidden on my PC, a pop-up appeared and asked me to choose an encoding to make the document readable. i randomly chose an encoding.the file opened but the Fonts where not readable. why is this so? And How can i make a document readable by only me?

Answer 1

Windows XP Professional includes an encryption system. The encryption system works only if the hard drive is formatted in NTFS. If your hard drive is formatted as FAT or FAT32, you can convert it.

To encrypt a folder: right-click its icon and select Properties. Click the Advanced button. Click “Encrypt contents to secure data” and then click OK. Click Apply and select your options. Click OK.

You should always encrypt folders, not just some of the files within that folder. If you insist, Windows will encrypt files only. BUT some programs delete and reinstall files when modifying them (e.g., when you modify and resave the file). In this case, the encryption could be removed. Encrypting the entire folder avoids this problem. If you encrypt a file only, Windows will warn you of this problem.

If a folder is encrypted, everything in it will be encrypted. Any file(s) added to the encrypted folder will also be encrypted.

The encrypted folder icons will display normally (unencrypted). If you wish to denote encrypted folders, Windows XP will let you turn the names green: click Start, Control Panel. In Classic view, double-click Folder Options. Select the View tab. Check the box for “Show encrypted or compressed NTFS files in color.”

To make encryption work, you must use a password when you boot up. Otherwise, anyone who boots the computer will be able to access the files.

If you password-protect your sensitive information on your computer, this sensitive information can still be accessed by experienced crooks. There are many products offered online (some for free) that recover or reset passwords for accounting programs, and even Windows and its applications. Therefore, those passwords are not secure!

You need to encrypt sensitive files in order to protect them.

An encryption program creates a key. A key is just a password, which you select. Keys are used to encrypt and decrypt the data—without the key, the data looks like gibberish.

When creating a key, construct a fairly long one using a combination of letters, numbers and symbols. Don’t use a key that can be guessed, like your pet’s name.

To encrypt a file or folder: right-click the file and select Properties. On the General tab, click the Advanced button. Select “Encrypt contents to secure data” and then click OK. Click Apply and select your options. Click OK.

Unfortunately, Windows stores the encryption key with your user account. This means that anyone who knows your Windows password can obtain your encryption key and, thus, access your encrypted files. As stated above, there are many tools available on the Internet that can be used to recover/break your Windows password. So, the Windows XP encryption is not as secure as you might think.

One obvious word of caution about encryption: DON’T FORGET YOUR PASSWORD!

To back up the encryption key: log into your user account. Click Start, Run. Enter "mmc" (minus quotes) and click OK.

Click File, Add/Remove Snap-in and click Add. Click Certificates under Available Standalone Snap-ins. Then Click Add. Click ‘My user account’ and then Finish. Click Close and OK.

Next, double-click Certificates – Current User, and double-click Personal. Then double-click Certificates.

Find the certificate that says File Recover in the Intended Purposes column. Right-click it and select All Tasks. Click Export (this opens the Export Wizard).

Click Next. Click ‘Yes, export the private key’ and click Next. Click Personal Information Exchange.

Important: Do not select ‘Delete the private key if the export is successful’—otherwise, you will not be able to decrypt documents on the computer.

Click Next and specify a password.
Click Next. Name the file and location where to export the certificate and key (I recommend a USB drive).

Click Next. Then click Finish.

At some point, you may need to restore the encryption key. To do this, log on to the computer with your account. Click Start, Run. Type ‘mmc’ (minus quotes) and click Enter. Click the Console menu and select Add/Remove Snap-In.

Click the Add button, and double-click the Certificates snap-in. Choose My User Account and click Finish. Click Close on the Add Standalone Snap-In dialog box and then click OK on the Add/Remove Snap-in dialog box.

Click Certificates, Current User, Personal and then Certificates. Right-click the folder and select All Tasks, Import (opens the Certificate Import Wizard).

Click Next. Browse to find your backup file. Enter your password. Make sure ‘Mark this key as exportable’ is checked.

Click Next. If prompted, select ‘Place all certificates in the following store.’

Click Next. Highlight the Personal store and click OK.

Click Next. Then click Finish.

Answer 2

you need to save your files with security files options and put a password