Who wants to protect her/his own private files ? These files may be diaries, stories or even files contain passwords or credit card information. The security software usually doesn’t help us to protect these, we have to do it by ourselves. This is a list of ways and applications which can be used to protect our secret files.
7-Zip
Using 7-Zip or other compressors may be the simplest way to password protect files. Although this way is quite simple, it is pretty easy and efficient to password protect a file or folder. Just compress what you want with a password, then delete the source files so that when you want to open that file, you must enter a right password in order to use. You may use the password compressed file to send your friends without any worries that someone can open it. Of course, the recipient must have the right password to open it. If you are afraid that there is no compressor already installed on the recipient’s computer, instead of compressing to the usual format, you should use the self-extract type which can be run on any computers.
Androsa FileProtector
Androsa FileProtector is a free and exclusive for password protecting files. The usage is quite easy and straightforward. You just simply add files or folder using its file manager, then set a password and the algorithm to protect them. The algorithm may be DES 64 bits to Rijdael (AES) 256 bits (the longer, the better). Androsa FileProtector will then encrypt and change the extension of selected files to .afp. Once you open these files, you must enter a right password in order to open them. This feature is only available on computers which have already installed Androsa FileProtector. So when you send the afp files to others and are not sure whether the software has been installed on their computers, you may use the Self-Decrypting archive instead of the .afp.
Empathy
Empathy is an ideal utility to password protect executable files from being run by others. Once you set a password to protect, the executable file would ask for a right password to be able to run. Empathy is free, portable, simple and straightforward utility. However, there’s a weird thing that you just can set password with a letter in unregistered version. To remove this limitation, you must send the author a postcard includes your email, and then he’ll send you the registration code.
My Lockbox
My Lockbox is a free and small utility to password protect your folders in Windows. This is handy and useful when you just want to hide files and folders from others. The protected folder will be hidden from any user and application of your system, including Administrator and System itself. However, the protected folder will be easily caught by folks who boot your computer from a Live Linux CD.
PixelCryptor
Not like others, PixelCryptor uses an image as the key to encrypt and decrypt secret package. PixelCryptor lets you choose a picture and use it combine your files into a package. All we know that images are always easier to remember than a bunch of letters of a password. The usage is quite easy although there are more steps than others. In the main window, simply add files or folders you want to password protect, next add an image as the key for encryption. You do the same to decrypt the package, just enter the path of your image instead of a password and click Next to decrypt.