can anybody help me please. can i password protect individual files on my memory stick with different passwords.each file would have a different password assigned to it.

many thanks.

It would be useful to know why you want to do this as there could be a better way.

It's nearly always useful to know what operating system you are using.

Are you expecting the OS to do this or using (or intending to use) an encryption utility?

Do you intend the files to be decrypted on the same or on different machines?

If answer to last question is different machines are these machines on the same private network?

On a pratical note: How do you propose to remember all these passwords?

And.. any question touching on security needs to consider how strong that security is expected, or needs, to be.

P.S. I'd like to place money on the moderator moving this thread into the Computer Answers forum.

It would be useful to know why you want to do this as there could be a better way.

It's nearly always useful to know what operating system you are using.

Are you expecting the OS to do this or using (or intending to use) an encryption utility?

Do you intend the files to be decrypted on the same or on different machines?

If answer to last question is different machines are these machines on the same private network?

On a pratical note: How do you propose to remember all these passwords?

And.. any question touching on security needs to consider how strong that security is expected, or needs, to be.

P.S. I'd like to place money on the moderator moving this thread into the Computer Answers forum.

sorry threegee my mistake for placing this in the wrong place.

i am running WINDOWS XP

no encryption only a simple password that only i know.

i have a cunning plan to remember passwords

sorry threegee my mistake for placing this in the wrong place.

i am running WINDOWS XP

no encryption only a simple password that only i know.

i have a cunning plan to remember passwords

A misunderstanding here: If you are removing the data from the machine it will have to be encrypted *somehow* else someone else will be able to get at it. Password protecting access to a machine or access to a file system subdirectory doesn't automatically protect the data the in files.

i.e. In this context password protection = encryption.

If you are remembering these passwords they must have a simple scheme that won't be very secure. Hope these files aren't your bank account details!

One of the principals of security is that you build the biggest strongest safe for everything, and not hide things in lots of lightweight safes. It's a more effective use of available resources.

A misunderstanding here: If you are removing the data from the machine it will have to be encrypted *somehow* else someone else will be able to get at it. Password protecting access to a machine or access to a file system subdirectory doesn't automatically protect the data the in files.

i.e. In this context password protection = encryption.

If you are remembering these passwords they must have a simple scheme that won't be very secure. Hope these files aren't your bank account details!

One of the principals of security is that you build the biggest strongest safe for everything, and not hide things in lots of lightweight safes. It's a more effective use of available resources.

is it possible to have different passwords for each file or is it not advisable?

there are programs out there that will allow individual folders to be encrypted and passworded.

this program must be on each computer that the files will be needed on.

one that i use is AxCrypt. its free and does what i want it to do.

in responce to threegee... i have a simple method for remembering passwords, yet my passwords are regarded very secure by sites that use security meters.

in a simpler form, i take 2 5 digit words i'll remember, and a phone number.

i type the first in caps, then return to the start, type the second in lowercase, inbetween each capital, then i insert the phone number inbetween each letter, so:

apple, grape and 01670821234 becomes

0A1g6P7r0P8a2L1p2E3e4

via :

"APPLE"

back to the start and type grape, using the right arrow key between each letter:

AgPrPaLpEe

back to the start and type 01670821234, using the right arrow key between each letter:

0A1g6P7r0P8a2L1p2E3e4

Appologies to the user of tel no 821234... i just made it up!

there are programs out there that will allow individual folders to be encrypted and passworded.

this program must be on each computer that the files will be needed on.

one that i use is AxCrypt. its free and does what i want it to do.

in responce to threegee... i have a simple method for remembering passwords, yet my passwords are regarded very secure by sites that use security meters.

in a simpler form, i take 2 5 digit words i'll remember, and a phone number.

i type the first in caps, then return to the start, type the second in lowercase, inbetween each capital, then i insert the phone number inbetween each letter, so:

apple, grape and 01670821234 becomes

0A1g6P7r0P8a2L1p2E3e4

via :

"APPLE"

back to the start and type grape, using the right arrow key between each letter:

AgPrPaLpEe

back to the start and type 01670821234, using the right arrow key between each letter:

0A1g6P7r0P8a2L1p2E3e4

Appologies to the user of tel no 821234... i just made it up!

thank you mr darn for your help sir. that tel no is the one for the box outside the bank lol

in responce to threegee... i have a simple method for remembering passwords, yet my passwords are regarded very secure by sites that use security meters.

How many security meters do a dictionary word lookup? The ones that do will probably just do a plain one. Any pattern in a password is fatal, a good p/w needs to be randomised as much as possible. This is why multiple passwords using a similar "system" are far less secure. Crack one and you've a key to them all. Hence my point about one good safe being better than lots of lightweight ones. But, we are still not told if there's another reason behind multiple passwords here.

You can never give definitive general answers about security. Amongst other things you need to know what you are protecting and the third-party value of that information.

If there are lots of computers involved here it would probably be better to carry the encryption utility on the USB key itself. This is the sort of thing U3 is designed for.

How many security meters do a dictionary word lookup?

not a clue, but the That online auction site that is in no way as good as Free Bedlington.co.uk Classifieds and windows live ones are hard to convince...

Any pattern in a password is fatal,

Passwords are fatal full stop. anyone who wants your password bad enough will find it. regardless of how random it is.

You can never give definitive general answers about security. Amongst other things you need to know what you are protecting and the third-party value of that information.

If there are lots of computers involved here it would probably be better to carry the encryption utility on the USB key itself. This is the sort of thing U3 is designed for.

Agreed.

Simple facts, if someone wants to be in bad enough, and another person has access, they'll get in.

same with cars, you can have the best security system available, but lose your keys and your history.

Simply putting a value on the information, and protecting it with whats available in a price range you can afford, is about the best you can do.

however, people with passwords such as 'password' 'god' and 'mrdarn' (ie your username) obviously dont value the information behind the password. My method makes it VERY hard to guess, as these words can simply be anything, with any number, even a series of letters that means something to you, but noone else, is a start. Whatever you'll remember. and it can be a mix of 5, 6 or even 10 words, depending on the end resulting password length!