how can i password protect a folder in Xp without a locking software....?

Answer 1

XP does not come with folder level password protection. Only My Documents comes with protection that too only if the user account password is enabled.
You can do one thing. Right click on the folder you created (the folder can be anywhere but must be created by you). Go to properties-security. In the security tab remove all the permissions except your own. Remove even the administrator permission but be careful to not remove even your permission. Then click ok. Make sure you have full control permission on the folder before you click ok. Now only you can open the folder. Noone can even see the contents of the folder or read it. To further protect it you can encrypt it. Right click - properties- advanced- encrypt folder. But you will still have to have a password for your account else whenever anyone logs in to your account he can see all information. The only advantage being that you can do this to any folder on the hard disk.

Answer 2

The only way to protect folders in XP is to password protect your user account. If you have a user account that several people also use, you cannot lock a folder without using a third-party piece of software.

There is an open-source program that will allow you to do what you're talking about, though. It's called Truecrypt and it has security features that are compatible with government-level standards for encryption.

Answer 3

You have to have a password on your User Account. Then right click on the folder, select Properties, then select Sharing, then click on Make This Folder Private. Then no one but you can access the folder. If you don't have a password, here's what to do:

To create a password for a user account
If you have a computer administrator account and you are creating your own password

Open User Accounts in Control Panel.
Click your user name.
Click Create a password.
In Type a new password and Type the new password again to confirm, type your password.
You can also enter descriptive or meaningful text in Type a word or phrase to use as a password hint to help you remember your password.

Click Create Password.

Answer 4

create another User Account with password to keep all your confidential files in.
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