What is the name of the program that hides. Applications that will help you hide personal information on your Android smartphone. How to hide a specific program from the Programs and Features list in Windows
Free program for hiding programs and active windows called, first of all, it will be very useful for office workers who do not like to work at work, as well as simply secretive people.
The thing is that HiddeX allows you to instantly, by pressing a button on the keyboard or mouse, hide (namely hide, and not minimize to the taskbar) certain items specified by you running programs or simply active Windows Explorer windows, and leave unspecified ones visible on the computer desktop. At the same time, she herself hides perfectly.
How to quickly hide programs and windows from the desktop
Eh, if this program had been installed on my work colleague’s computer, he wouldn’t be flying “on the ground” in any weather now, but would continue to shoot balls on the monitor while sitting in a warm office and his boss wouldn’t catch him doing this.
The official website of HiddeX has a very short guide to the program for hiding programs. I, in turn, will now try to describe it to you in more detail. So…
The program is portable (no need to install). Downloaded unzipped and let's launch...
We immediately click on “RU” and get the Russian program interface...
How to use HiddeX
In the upper section of the program for hiding programs we see all of our active windows. We find those that need to be hidden by pressing the magic hot button and by double-clicking on their lines we send them to the lower section of the HiddeX program...
Now we set the “panic button” on the keyboard for allocated active windows or programs...
...or on the mouse...
Now, when you press a specified button, the specified active windows or programs will instantly disappear. And they will not be minimized to the taskbar, but will be hidden completely.
If you check the “Hide in tray” checkbox in the advanced settings...
...then the HiddeX program itself will be completely hidden along with the windows.
You can return it from the other world (and send it there again) using a combination of keys on the keyboard (by pressing them in sequence, without the plus signs, without releasing the previous one) Ctrl+Shift+Alt+F12.
By unchecking the checkbox in the list of hidden windows, you can temporarily remove a specific program or active window from participating in this mess...
That's all the program for hiding programs and active windows HiddeX. I hope that it will be very useful to someone.
Until new useful ones computer programs And .
A program for hiding programs and windows running on the computer. Allows you to hide any open windows from your computer monitor by pressing predefined keys, and then restore them.
Screenshot gallery
At work, you need to work at the computer... However, often (especially towards the end of the work week) you want to send everything to hell and get a little distracted :).
However, in terms of hiding windows, this program is not as advanced as our highly specialized WinHide.SB. Therefore, I propose to take a closer look at the capabilities of the latter.
Preparing for work
There is also an option with an installer on the developer’s website, but for a number of reasons the portable version is still better.
Firstly, it runs from any media, which allows you to bypass restrictions on software installation.
Secondly, it leaves no traces of its activities in the registry.
Well, thirdly, even if they check the computer, they won’t find anything suspicious, since you will take the program with you on your flash drive, from which you launched it :).
Download the archive with the program, open the folder with its name and run the file WinHide.SB.exe. A language selection window will appear in front of us, in which the default is “Russian”:
Click “Ok” and an information window will appear in front of us, which will inform you that you can manage the program using the tray icon. This concludes the preparation for work and you can move on to the settings.
Program settings
Find the WinHide.SB icon in the tray and call up its context menu with the right mouse button:
Apart from the last item (“Close”), which is highlighted in a separate group, then in the menu we will see that all items are divided into two groups: the top one is used to control the visibility of windows, and the bottom one is for settings. Let's start with the last ones. To do this, activate the “Program Settings” item or left-click on the tray icon:
The settings window contains 4 tabs with their own parameters in each of them:
- “Basic settings” (see screenshot above). Here I advise you to disable “Startup at startup” (if you want to use the program as a portable application running from a flash drive), and also cancel checking for updates.
By default, WinHide.SB stores settings in its own folder, so you don’t need to change anything in the second section. Let's move on to the second tab:
- "Hotkeys". On this tab you can change the combinations of keyboard buttons responsible for quickly calling certain program functions.
In principle, everything here by default is configured quite well - the combination “WIN + H” is easy to remember and can be pressed even with one hand ( Windows users 8 will have to customize your shortcuts, since WIN+H is used by default by the system to open the dialog public access to files and folders).
If you plan to run WinHide.SB in completely hidden mode, then it would also be useful for you to activate the last function - “Main Menu”, so that if something happens, you will always have access to the settings. Let's move on to the third tab:
- "Program disguise". What I liked about WinHide.SB was the ability to visually disguise the tray icon as a harmless-looking icon :). Moreover, you can also add your own tooltip for this icon so that even if someone gets into your PC, they will see a rather harmless picture (for example, an Outlook Express icon with a tooltip of the same name in the tray :)).
Naturally, if a person clicks on a button disguised in this way, he will see the menu of our program, but for this he still needs to guess and press :). The only sad thing is the lack of ability to choose your own icons. All icons are pre-hardwired into the program and have an outdated look that was used in Windows XP... The last tab remains:
- "Task Manager". Here we have only two points that allow you to activate the hiding of processes in the WinHide.SB program itself and windows hidden with its help. And everything would be fine if not for two nuances... First - this function works only on 32-bit systems (the author promises to fix this inconvenience in the next new release).
Second, to work on systems older than Windows XP you will need administrator rights (which we usually don’t have).
Thus, we can summarize that you can use WinHide.SB 100% only on Windows XP 32-bit. However, everything is not so sad, considering that on most computers in various offices this system is still one of the most popular :).
In other cases, we can also use the program, but taking into account the fact that it cannot be hidden in the Task Manager, that's all :).
Options for hiding windows
To best understand the principle of hiding windows with WinHide.SB, you need to activate the “Window Management” item in the main context menu:
At first glance, the interface of this window seems confusing, however, in fact, everything is quite logical and compact. The main controls here are concentrated at the bottom of the window (under the blue stripe).
The "Existing Windows (Visible)" list is displayed in the center, showing all open in this moment window. Below it is a similar list for programmatically hidden apps. Any active window will appear in this list if you press a predefined key combination (by default - “WIN + H”).
On the sides we see two more lists:
- "Hot List" To the left of the list of running windows is a list in which you can place those programs that should be automatically hidden when you press a keyboard shortcut to hide the active window. This way, you can hide even minimized windows that your bosses don’t want to see :).
- “Windows that are constantly hidden.” This list is to the right of the main one. You can also put any program from the list into it, and it will be closed by pressing hot keys. However, the specified applications will also automatically hide immediately after launch! Moreover, the window will be closed only if its title matches the title in the list.
To add a program to any of the lists, simply highlight its title in the central list of visible windows and press the activated button with an arrow in the appropriate direction. You can delete it by highlighting the entry in the side list and clicking the button with the “X” under the corresponding arrow.
In addition, if you select an entry in the side list, a number of parameters are activated in the top panel that can be changed. Firstly, these are the “Form title” and “Path to exe” fields (which can be edited manually to add any not yet open windows and files to the list).
Also, you can pay attention to the three checkboxes below, which allow you to activate Extra options filtering for hiding windows (remember that hiding from the Task Manager only works in XP).
The last thing you need to know about the hide settings window is the location of the button for refreshing the list of open windows. It is located in the upper left corner and allows you to reformat the list of running applications into already open window settings if you do not see the desired heading in it.
Hiding and showing windows using the context menu
So, we already know that you can hide the active window (and windows in the hide lists) by simply pressing the hotkeys assigned by us :). However, how can we get back what we have hidden?
In WinHide.SB, for this we will again have to go to the main menu. There, in the first group of items we have two additional sections: “Hide window” and “Show window”:
The first item opens up a list of all currently open windows (similar to the list from the “Window Management” section). To hide desired application just find its title in the “Hide window” list and click on it.
After this, the second item is activated - “Show window”, with which we can return all hidden programs to their original places (by the way, in Windows XP, as can be seen in the following screenshot, WinHide.SB actually hides entries about hidden windows from the Task Manager !):
Using hotkeys, we can avoid the need to go into the menu every time, calling up small windows with lists of open (ALT+WIN+H by default) and hidden (CTRL+WIN+H) programs. These combinations will also be useful to you if you decide to hide the WinHide.SB icon from the tray and manage the program in hidden mode.
In Windows 7 and 8, the “Fix visibility problems” option may also appear in the main program menu. It contains a list of all hidden windows and allows you to return them to their previous appearance if in a standard way The window cannot be restored.
Advantages and disadvantages of the program
- portability;
- the ability to hide and disguise the tray icon;
- the ability to reassign hot keys;
- hiding an unlimited number of windows;
- Setting up lists of windows to hide automatically.
- Hiding entries in the Task Manager only works on 32-bit systems;
- It’s not entirely convenient to add inactive windows to the auto-hide list;
- Some full-screen 3D games may not hide correctly.
conclusions
Despite its nondescript and even somewhat outdated appearance, WinHide.SB can give odds to any other modern application for hiding programs and windows!
Judge for yourself: portability, complete visual hiding (and in Windows XP also hiding from the Task Manager!) of both the program itself and the windows that we want to hide from prying eyes, as well as a unique way of disguising the tray icon, in my opinion. that's enough already.
But WinHide.SB also provides us with the function of auto-hiding a set of programs we have defined in advance, and also has no connection to the system registry or other Windows components, and even consumes 2-3 megabytes of memory, which is ridiculous by modern standards :). All this together gives us an almost ideal tool for a conspiracy theorist :).
Therefore, I hope that with WinHide.SB you can finally feel comfortable doing nonsense in the workplace :). But don’t relax too much - the boss doesn’t sleep ;).
P.S. Permission is granted to freely copy and quote this article, provided that an open active link to the source is indicated and the authorship of Ruslan Tertyshny is preserved.
P.P.S. If you want to get a tool for almost complete control over windows, then I advise you to use the following program:
Programs for hiding files and folders are easy to use. Some of them can also help in setting up access, for example, to folders with photos, as they allow you not only to hide files, but also to share them for viewing only. Thanks to this, we protect ourselves from accidentally deleting them from the disk.
The programs in this section work on the most popular file systems, such as FAT32 and NTFS. Many of them require, when launched for the first time, that we set a password to access the program. This is very good protection.
Hiding files is all about security
Nothing makes you more angry than losing data due to someone else's or your own carelessness. And it happens that someone copies everything that is valuable to us.
Programs for hiding data will protect us from all this. They can be installed quickly, and after that we will feel more confident. We can easily protect files on USB drives too.
Secure Folders
A very good, small application that allows you to set the file read-only attribute or block the execution of an EXE file.
Advantages:
- Read-only setting
- Lock executable files
- Adds an icon to the Windows tray
Flaws:
- The password for accessing the application is disabled by default
Language: English
Distribution type: freeware
Price: for free
Wise Folder Hider
Tool for hiding folders. Allows you to hide USB drives and adds a shortcut to the context menu for easier operation.
Advantages:
- Creating a password on first launch
- Hiding USB
- Additional protection with a separate password before unlocking
Flaws:
- No express reverse blocking method
Language: English
Distribution type: freeware
Price: for free
WinMend Folder Hidden
A very easy to use program that allows you to quickly hide and restore files and directories that we have selected.
Advantages:
- Quickly hides entire folders
- Work with USB drives
- Program access password
Flaws:
- No password generation for specific files
Language: English
Distribution type: freeware
Price: for free
My Lockbox
The only program that allows you to recover a forgotten access password after entering your email address.
Advantages:
- Very fast hiding time
- Automatic updates
- Possibility of automatic blocking when user is inactive
Flaws:
- Protect only one folder
Language: Russian
Distribution type: freeware
Price: for free
Hide Folders
A very interesting program that allows us to manage locked folders remotely via the Internet.
Advantages:
- Locking Read-Only Files
- Creating keyboard shortcuts
- Password recovery via e-mail
Flaws:
- Password is disabled by default
- After the trial expires, if we have hidden folders, we have to pay to unlock them!
Language: English
Distribution type: trial
Additional programs
Easy File Locker
The smallest file hiding program. Occupies approximately 0.7 MB of free hard disk space. Very in a simple way we can set to display, record, delete or access the file and folder.
- Language: English
- Distribution type: freeware
- Price: for free
Private Folder
Does not support adding files and folders by drag and drop. Allows you to hide data and block access to it with a password. If we unlock the files, after 2 minutes of inactivity the program will hide them again.
- Language: English
- Distribution type: freeware
- Price: for free
Wise Folder Hider is a free program that is designed to hide folders and files on your computer. When using Wise Folder Hider you can hide files, folders or USB drives, and if necessary, you can block access to hidden data with a password. This way, hidden data will not be visible and will be password protected.
Many people have files or folders on their computer that are not intended for public viewing. Private videos or photos, confidential information, simply important data that can be lost by mistake. This is especially true if multiple users have access to the same computer.
IN operating system Windows can make folders or files hidden, but anyone on the computer can make them visible again. Therefore, to hide folders and files use special programs, with which you can hide folders or files and make them invisible.
You can use an archiver to protect a folder or file with a password. You can also set a password for a Word document using the program's built-in tools.
In this review we will look at free program Wise Folder Hider Free, which can be used to hide and protect data on your computer. The manufacturer also has a paid version of the program - Wise Folder Hider Pro.
On the download page of the official website, you should pay attention to the links where you can download this program to your computer.
To download a portable version of the program, click on the “Portable Version” link.
To download the installer for the regular version of Wise Folder Hider, you will need to click on the “for direct download” link. Do not click on the “Download” button so as not to download the program installer from another site. In this case, when installing the program on your computer, you will be asked to install other programs that are not related to the Wise Folder Hider program.
Although the Wise Folder Hider program has support for the Russian language, the program will be installed on English language.
After completing the installation of the program on your computer, run the Wise Folder Hider Free program. The portable version of the program does not require installation on your computer. It is launched from the folder in which the Wise Folder Hider program is located.
After launching the Wise Folder Hider program, a window will open for entering a password for the program. Using this password you will open the program. To do this, enter your password, confirm it in the lower field, and then click on the “OK” button.
The first time this window will be opened in English, then, after turning on the Russian language, the window for entering the password will be displayed in Russian.
Attention! Remember the password well, save it in another place, you will need it to enter the program. Without this password, you will not be able to open the program and access hidden data.
Enable Russian language in Wise Folder Hider
To enable the Russian language, you will need to left-click on the “Menu” menu button, which is located in the upper right corner of the main program window. In the context menu that opens, select “Languares” and then “Russian”.
After this, the Wise Folder Hider program interface will be switched to Russian.
Changing your Wise Folder Hider password
If for some reason you need to change your password to access the Wise Folder Hider program, you can change the password using the main program window. To do this, click on the “Menu” menu button, and in the context menu select the “Change password” item.
Next, the “Change Password” window will open. In this window, you will need to first enter the old password, then enter the new password, and after that you will need to confirm the new password. After completing the password change, click on the “OK” button.
How to Hide a File in Wise Folder Hider
In order to hide a folder or file, you can simply drag this file or folder into the program window. For some reason this method did not work on my computer.
After installation, Wise Folder Hider will be integrated into the context menu. You can hide any folder or file immediately from context menu.
You can also hide folders or files using the “Hide File” and “Hide Folder” buttons.
After clicking on the appropriate button, you will need to select the file or folder that you want to hide. In the “Browse for Folder” window, select a folder or file, and then click on the “OK” button.
After this, the file or folder will be hidden and will disappear from view. They will not be visible through Explorer either.
Hidden files and folders will be displayed in the main window of the Wise Folder Hider program.
- “Name” section - the file name and its location on the computer are displayed here.
- The “Blocked” section displays information about the access status - “No” or “Yes”.
- The “Status” section displays the status of a file, folder or USB drive - “Hidden” or “Show”.
- The “Action” section opens context menu commands for controlling the program.
You can look at hidden files, if in the “Action” section you select the “Open” context menu command. The “Status” section will display the “Show” option.
In order to hide the file again, you will need to close the Wise Folder Hider program window. Immediately after this, the folder or file will be hidden again.
How to Password Protect a Folder in Wise Folder Hider
Files or folders are hidden from view, but access to them is not blocked. For greater security, access to hidden files or folders can be blocked with a password.
You can set your own password for each hidden file or folder. To do this, you will need to select the corresponding file or folder in the program window, and in the “Action” section, select the “Set password” context menu item.
After this, the “Set Password” window will open. You will need to enter the password and its confirmation in the appropriate fields, and then click on the “OK” button.
In the main window of the program, in the “Locked” section, an image of a lock and confirmation - “Yes” will appear.
If you need to, you can open a temporarily blocked file or folder.
To do this, in the “Actions” section, select the “Open” context menu item. In the window that opens, you will need to enter a password.
After this, the file or folder begins to appear in Explorer, you will have access to the necessary data. Immediately after closing the program window, files and folders will become hidden again.
How to Remove Hidden Folders from Wise Folder Hider
To delete a folder or file from the program window, in the “Action” section, in the context menu, click on the “Show folder” item. After this, the folder or file is deleted from the program window. The file or folder becomes available for further use.
How to hide a flash drive in Wise Folder Hider
Wise Folder Hider can hide a USB drive. The principle of operation of the program when hiding the contents of a flash drive is exactly the same as for folders and files.
In the main program window, click on the “Hide USB drive” button. In the “Select USB drive” window, select the flash drive that was connected to the computer via the appropriate USB connector. If only one flash drive is connected to your computer, it will be automatically selected in this window.
After USB selection disk, click on the “OK” button.
In the next Confirmation window, you can choose whether to lock this flash drive with a password or simply hide it.
If you click on the “No” button, then the flash drive will simply be hidden, without blocking access to the contents with a password. The flash drive itself will be visible from Explorer, but its contents will not be viewable.
After clicking on the “Yes” button, in a new window you will need to enter a password to block access to the flash drive. After entering the password, access to the disk will be denied. It will be possible to access the content located on the flash drive only after entering the password.
Viewing the contents of a USB drive and deleting it from the program occurs exactly as described earlier.
After clicking on the “Open” context menu item, the flash drive will be open for a while. After restarting the Wise Folder Hider program, the USB drive will be hidden again. If you select the “Show folder” context menu item, then blocking access to the contents of the flash drive will be disabled.
Password recovery in Wise Folder Hider
Once again, I draw your attention to the need to store passwords that you used to block access to the program, files, folders or disks. If you lose your password, you will not be able to access hidden files. The best way to store passwords is to use a password manager.
In the Wise Folder Hider program, it is possible to recover passwords for accessing the program or locked files. In this case, restore lost passwords It will be possible for payment.
To do this, in the window for entering your password, you will need to click on the “Forgot your password” link. After this, you will be redirected to the program website. You can translate the page content using the built-in translator, or any online translator.
After payment and carrying out some actions, you will receive forgotten passwords to access the program and blocked files.
You can also try the free option - boot your computer from LiveCD or Windows PE. After downloading, find the locked files and copy them to another drive. Then they will be available to you again.
The free Wise Folder Hider program hides folders, files and USB drives, and also protects hidden data with a password.
Wise Folder Hider - a program for hiding folders and files
Every user has their own confidential folders and files on their computer that they would like to protect from prying eyes. For example, at home it is necessary to protect a child from information not intended for him, and at work, for one reason or another, it may be undesirable to show other employees some of your work materials. Well, besides, tell me, hand on heart, do you always calmly allow your colleagues to use your work computer or your household members to use your home computer? Hardly... And the reason here lies not only in the desire to limit access to confidential information, but also in the subconscious fear of losing one’s own materials due to the illiterate actions of other users - that is, for example, when one’s own child actively begins to master the art of working with files and folders with all the ensuing sad consequences for you. It is worth noting that the need to protect confidential information from prying eyes is relevant not only if such data is constantly stored at work or home computer, but also when transferring them to other users via e-mail or on various media (CD/DVD disks, USB drives, floppy disks, etc.). It often makes sense to also think about protecting folders and files of the operating system and applications from changes, deletion or movement in an unknown direction, which is often managed by insufficiently prepared users. If this is your case, then it is wiser to hide such folders altogether, say, from the eyes of household members, and this action alone can significantly extend the performance of your computer, since hidden folders can be used in the usual way (for example, by launching application programs from the Start menu). , but you won’t be able to delete them, rename them or move them. As for confidential information, it is better to block it - blocked folders will be inaccessible either for viewing or editing, and therefore the documents contained in them will be reliably protected from any changes. If you don’t want other users to be aware that some information is being hidden from them, then you should combine blocking with hiding. Well, if this doesn’t seem enough to you, then no one forbids you to also encrypt the most secret materials.
Protect folders and files with built-in Windows tools
Theoretically, you can hide your folders and files using the built-in Windows features- to do this, just enable the “Hidden” attribute in the properties of the corresponding objects. Folders and files hidden in this way will not be visible in Explorer to other system users, but only if the “Do not show hidden files and folders” checkbox is enabled in the properties of the parent folders containing them. In principle, this may be enough to protect your data from the most unprepared audience. However, objects hidden in this way will be visible in applications that do not use the standard dialog for displaying files and folders (FAR, Total Commander etc.), therefore such protection is more than unreliable.A more reliable option for data protection built-in using Windows is the use of the Encrypting File System (EFS), which allows you to encrypt files by enabling the “Encrypt contents to protect data” option in Explorer (Properties > General > Advanced). It is impossible to read files encrypted in this way without knowing the password, but the EFS system allows you to protect folders and files only in file system NTFS.
Therefore, to protect personal folders and files, it is much better to use specialized utilities. These solutions will allow you to more securely hide folders and files (they will not be visible if you disable the "Do not show hidden files and folders" checkbox), as well as block access to them and even encrypt the data itself.
Programs for hiding, blocking and encrypting folders and files
There are a lot of programs on the market for hiding/encrypting folders and files, and the level of protection implemented in them differs markedly. Some solutions only provide for hiding folders and files and/or blocking them (it happens that similar features are also available for disks). Others additionally support full file encryption (Table 1), which ensures data protection even when booted in another operating system or the disk is installed on another computer. We do not set a goal to identify the best of existing solutions, since everything here depends on the tasks facing the user, but simply as examples we will give the most attractive, in our (obviously subjective) opinion, diverse tools. Here, by the way, it is immediately worth noting several nuances. Firstly, it is quite possible that by default protected data will be inaccessible to other users only during normal OS loading, and when booting Windows V safe mode(SafeMode) access to them will be open. This can be explained very simply: in a safe Windows mode loads only the drivers necessary for the system to operate, and skips all additional ones (including those responsible for hiding data), which leads to a similar result. So it is possible that to protect data in SafeMode, you will need to make some settings in the utilities (usually just enable the corresponding checkbox). Secondly, other users will be able to access hidden or blocked data by booting into another operating system if several are installed on the computer, but the protection program is configured in only one. There is another way - rearrange HDD with protected information to another computer as an additional one, boot into it, after which you can easily access the data. With external media (USB, flash, CD-RW, etc.) it’s even easier - just install them on another computer - and the protection is gone. However, in real life Quite often, such protection (if, for example, we are talking about a hard drive, there is only one OS on the computer, and you know for sure that other users will not be able to connect it to another computer) may be quite sufficient. In addition, if you accidentally forget the password to your data (we are all guilty of this), you will always have a reliable way to access it on another computer. Well, if you have top-secret materials stored in your arsenal, and the attackers who are eager to get to them are professionals, then you can’t limit yourself to just hiding or blocking the data - you need to encrypt it. Encrypted data cannot be read either when booted in SafeMode or when booted into another OS or on another computer. But if you manage to forget the password to the data, then you can safely “give up” on these top-secret materials - no one, including you personally, will be able to get to them.Table 1. Functionality of solutions for hiding, blocking and encrypting folders and files (click to enlarge)
Universal Shield 4.3
Developer: Everstrike SoftwareDistribution size: 1.86 MB
Spreading: shareware Universal Shield - very handy tool to protect personal files, folders and drives (including network drives) by hiding and encrypting them (seven encryption algorithms are supported, including AES with a 256-bit key). It is possible to hide files that match a specific mask (say, C:*.doc). It is possible to set different access rules (read, write, visibility and delete), which allows you to choose a variety of combinations of parameters - for example, you can make files accessible for reading and writing and prohibit their deletion. This access option allows you not only to prevent the deletion of personal data, but also application files, which is often no less important. If no activity has been performed on the computer for a certain period, the data can be blocked automatically. For greater security, it is possible to use a special Stealth Mode, which hides all user-visible information about the installation of Universal Shield - the program shortcut on the desktop and in the Start menu, as well as the corresponding folder in Program Files. Access to the program in this mode is possible only by pressing a pre-agreed key combination. There is support for "trusted processes", which allows you to backup files, checking them for viruses and similar operations in a protected state. Access to program settings requires entering a master password. The demo version of the program is fully functional for 30 days, price commercial version- $34.95 You can protect your data in two ways - using the wizard that automatically starts when you first load the program (then it can be activated by the File > Universal Shield Wizard command or the Wizard button) or manually. If the choice is made in favor of the master, you will have to perform several operations sequentially. First, select a protection option - that is, indicate to the program whether the data will be hidden or encrypted, or whether it will have limited access options. And then, in two steps, the data to be protected is selected, during which you can not only explicitly specify it, but also use file masks. Protecting data manually is no more difficult - the Protect button and the File > Protect Object command are responsible for this operation. For example, by clicking on the Protect button, you will have to define the data type (disk, folder, file or mask) on the left side of the window that opens, and on the right side, specify the protected object itself on the disk and configure its protection parameters. Adjustment established type protection is performed through the properties of the object (Properties button), and refusal of protection is done by simply deleting the object from the program window. Temporary removal of protection is carried out from the utility itself by pressing the Locked button or using hot keys (the latter is much faster and more convenient).
Securing your files by encrypting them requires a little more time and effort. First, in the same way as discussed above, the basic protection parameters are configured (the Protect button). And then the protected object that appears in the utility window is additionally encrypted (Encrypt button) indicating the encryption algorithm and password. Decryption is performed by clicking on the Decrypt button, and, of course, is impossible without knowing the password.
Additionally, Universal Shield allows you to restrict access to special Windows folders (My Documents, Favorites, Control Panel, etc.), protect the desktop from changes (so that users cannot delete, add or change shortcuts and icons on the desktop), restrict access the control panel and prevent the date and time on your computer from being changed. This can be done through the wizard, or by using the File > Security tricks command.
There is a cheaper, simplified version of Universal Shield, Lock Folder XP (1.38 MB; $24.95), which limits the ability to protect drives, folders and files to hiding them. In addition, this utility does not support trusted processes and the use of hot keys is limited (however, the main function of quickly enabling/disabling protection is present), as well as limited functionality in terms of regulating access to special Windows folders and system settings. Setting up data protection in Lock Folder XP is possible through a wizard or manually - in both cases you will need to determine the type of data to be hidden and indicate which, for example, folders you want to hide. The Locked/Unlocked button or pressing the Ctrl + Win key combination is used to temporarily enable/disable protection.
Folder Guard 8.1
Developer: WinAbility Software CorporationDistribution size: 3.29 MB
Spreading: shareware Folder Guard - simple and convenient solution to restrict access to folders and files, as well as prevent access to a number of Windows settings. Restricting access to personal data is carried out by hiding it, setting read-only access, or blocking it. Hiding is implemented in two options - you can make folders and files hidden or assign folders as empty (Empty). In the second case, the folders will be externally visible, but when opened they will look empty, although in reality they will contain information - this option protection is reasonable in relation to standard Windows folders, the complete hiding of which will tell other users that the information on the computer is blocked, which is undesirable. Protected folders will not be accessible to other users of the system even when Windows boots in safe mode, however, for this you will need to enable the corresponding checkbox in the settings. Access to the settings of the program itself is provided only by entering the master password; in case you forget this password, there is a function for restoring it using the free Emergency Recovery utility. The ability to operate the program in Stealth Mode has also been implemented, in which its own shortcuts and files will be hidden. The demo version of the program is fully functional for 30 days, the cost of the commercial version depends on the license type: personal license - $29.95, business license - $59.95.
You can protect your data using a wizard that starts automatically when you load the program (of course, it’s easy to disable the wizard from starting), or manually. When working with the wizard, specify a folder with documents, determine whether to set a password for access to the folder, set the visibility option for the folder (visible, hidden or empty) and determine the level of access to it ( full access, no access, "read only"). To control the level of access to files of a certain type, the use of file masks is additionally allowed. When protecting manually, the procedure will be the same, with the exception that you will have to perform them yourself - first select the folder of interest in the program window, and then set all the required settings by clicking on the corresponding buttons in the program window (Read-Only, No Access, Visible, etc.) or by selecting the desired commands in the context menu. To remove the protection, you will have to perform the same set of actions, but in reverse order.
It is possible to set different restrictions for different users (the corresponding users will first have to be added using the Protect > User List command) - this is very convenient, since there will be no need to regularly remove protection in case of manual work on the computer. It is possible to configure a list of “trusted programs” (Protect > Trusted Programs) - that is, an antivirus, backup program, etc., which will allow you to carry out the corresponding operations without removing protection. The key combination Ctrl+G and the Toggle Protection button are responsible for switching from protected mode to normal mode. In addition to protecting folders and files, Folder Guard can also protect basic settings OS from adjustment (command Protect > Permissions). In particular, block access to the properties of the taskbar, Start menu and a number of other windows, prohibit saving display properties (if they have been changed), block changes to folder properties and settings Internet Explorer, do not show icons on the desktop. And also prevent changes in parameters critical to the operation of the system by closing access to the control panel and setting a series of bans: on access to system registry, adding/removing printers, using the Run command, etc. You can also hide it in My Computer, Explorer, and standard dialog boxes Open/Save certain drives and block burning of CD/DVD discs. Different users may have different sets of such restrictions.
There is a cheaper version of Folder Guard - MySecretFolder (1.35 MB; personal license - $24.95, business license - $3.95). This utility easier to use than Folder Guard, but its capabilities are limited to hiding and locking folders, and installed settings protection will be the same for all users. Setting up data protection in MySecretFolder is quite simple - you just need to specify a folder, select a protection option for it (hiding or blocking) and click on the Protect button. Temporary disabling of protection is carried out using the Unprotect button.
Folder Lock 6.2.1
Developer: NewSoftwares, LLCDistribution size: 2.78 MB
Spreading: shareware Folder Lock is an effective and reliable solution for protecting personal files, folders and disks by blocking, hiding and/or encrypting (AES algorithm with 256-bit key). For greater security, blocking and encryption can be used simultaneously. The original data that needs to be protected may be located not only on the hard drive, but also on USB flash- drives, memory cards, CD-RW disks, floppy disks and laptops. All protected data is placed in a kind of closed lockers (Lockers), access to which is possible only after entering the master password. If necessary, there can be many such lockers, which allows several users to use the same version of the program to protect their own data. The functionally limited demo version of the program can be used completely free of charge for 30 days; it limits the size of protected areas (Lockers) and the number of files allowed to be placed in one area, and it is also impossible to protect data on USB drives and external drives. The commercial version costs $29.95.
The technology for working with Folder Lock is as follows - first, for each set of folders and files, its own protected area is created (a locker in the interpretation of the developers of this program) - Locker, protected by a password and placed by default in the "My Documents" folder. When entering a password for the locker being created, the program evaluates the level of its reliability and informs the user in color: red, yellow or green (the most high level security passwords are green). To protect against keyloggers, password entry can be done using the built-in virtual keyboard.
Then the tab with the desired type of data protection is activated - Encrypt or Lock - and folders and files are added to the created locker. To do this, for example, in case of blocking, click on the Lock files & folders button, indicate a folder or file on the disk and click on the Add button. If necessary, you can also block access to exe files in this way. To complete the operation, click on the Lock Now button, and specified files and the folders are locked. After this, you will be able to access your protected folders and files only if you know the path to the locker and password (of course, if the locker is on a removable drive, you will also have to insert this medium). Encryption of folders/files is carried out according to the exact same scheme. It is worth noting that in this program the protected data is actually moved to the protected area, and this can be done using guaranteed data destruction technology.
The process of installing the provided protection can be carried out automatically if the computer is inactive after a specified period of time. In special Stealth mode Mode program knows how to hide all traces indicating that data protection is installed on the computer. In particular, it prevents the display of its own shortcuts on the desktop and in the Start menu, as well as its folder in Program Files, hides installation/uninstallation data in the corresponding section of the control panel, etc. There are also tools for clearing the clipboard, startup histories, searching for documents, etc. In addition, for greater security, the program keeps a record of all unsuccessfully entered passwords to remove protection, which allows the user to timely detect the manifestation of unhealthy interest in his own computer on the part of other users.
File Lock 6.1.4
Developer: TopLang softwareDistribution size: 917 kb
Spreading: shareware File Lock is a compact utility for ensuring the security of confidential information by blocking or hiding drives, folders or individual files on hard drives, floppy and CD/DVD drives. Please note that hiding drives means hiding all folders and files on them - the drives themselves will remain visible. It is possible to protect files in accordance with the specified masks and encrypt files. If desired, this or that restriction can be tied to time, which makes sense when using the program on home computers, for example, to set the time interval allotted to the child for games and other entertainment. It is possible to operate the utility in hidden mode, in which the utility will not be displayed in the Start menu, on the desktop, or in the Add/Remove Programs module - in this mode, you can open the utility window only by hotkey. It is possible to configure permissions for trusted processes. In addition, File Lock allows you to create numerous custom settings- specific for each user, which is important if several users work on a computer. With appropriate settings, each user will be able to fully manage only their own folders and files, while a user with administrator rights will have access to all items. The demo version of the program can be downloaded and used without any restrictions for 15 days, the cost of the commercial version is $29.95.
To protect a file, folder or disk, just click on the Lock button (in the case of a file or folder, you can simply drag this object from Windows Explorer to the utility window or use the corresponding command from the Explorer context menu; however, in the latter case, you must first enable the corresponding option in the utility). And then select the type of protection (that is, block or hide) and, if necessary, to automate the process, also set up a schedule. Temporarily disabling/enabling data protection is done using the Deactivate File Lock and Activate File Lock commands from the Tools menu or by pressing the provided keyboard shortcuts (the latter is much more convenient).
Encrypting a file is also easy (the Encrypt File button is responsible for this) - specify the file, click on the Encrypt button and enter the key. As a result, a copy of the original file will be created, but in encrypted form, which cannot be read without knowing the key. The decryption process is performed according to the exact same scheme, only you have to click on the Decrypt button.
Hide Folders 2009 (3.1)
Developer: FSPro LabsDistribution size: 1.39 MB
Spreading: shareware Hide Folders 2009 is a simple utility for protecting folders and files from unauthorized access by hiding and/or blocking them or setting read-only access. Protected folders will not be accessible to other users, including the system administrator, even when Windows starts in safe mode. And to prevent other users from guessing that there is protected data on the computer, the program can remove traces of the installation of protection and can hide itself. For example, it may not appear in the list of frequently downloaded programs, may not show the uninstallation line in the control panel, hide itself in the list running processes and your icon in the system tray, etc. The program also includes support for “trusted processes”. Without knowing the master password, it is impossible to access the utility settings. The demo version of the program (there is a Russian localization) can be downloaded and used without any restrictions for 30 days, the cost of the commercial version is 500 rubles.
Protecting your documents is a snap with Hide Folders 2009. Just click on the "Add" button and specify the desired folder and select the desired protection mode. In this case, it is possible to use file masks to protect certain types of files. There is another way to protect folders and files - by dragging them from Windows Explorer onto the program window. A list of all protected folders is visible in the program window; deleting any folder from this list will remove protection from this folder. Switching from protected mode to normal mode is carried out using hot keys or by pressing the corresponding buttons from the program itself. If necessary, it is also easy to configure the program to automatic switching on protection when starting the screensaver, entering standby/sleep mode and/or after several minutes of inactivity.
My Lockbox 1.3
Developer: FSPro LabsDistribution size: 1.33 MB
Spreading: free My Lockbox - free utility to protect personal folders by hiding them. Hidden folders are not available without knowing the password when booting into Windows normal and safe modes. To hide a specific folder, you should specify it in the utility window or drag it onto this window from Explorer and click on the Lock button, and to return visibility, select and click on the Unlock button. To gain access to the utility, you must enter a master password, and activating the master password request is possible not only through the Start menu, but also via a hotkey, which is somewhat faster. Hiding options are limited by the lack of display of the program icon in the system tray.
Hide Folders 2.2
Developer: GPLDistribution size: 1.2 MB
Spreading: free Hide Folders is a simple free utility for hiding folders with confidential information that will be invisible to other users even when booting into Windows safe mode. Installing protection is extremely simple - you need to specify the folder to hide on the disk (Add Folder button) and click on the Hide button to hide it. Temporary removal of protection is performed by clicking the Unhide button, and its complete removal by clicking the Remove button.
Free Hide Folder 2.1
Developer: Cleanersoft.comDistribution size: 743 kb
Spreading: free Free Hide Folder is a simple free utility for protecting personal folders by hiding them. Hidden folders are inaccessible without knowing the password, even when booting into Windows Safe Mode. Hiding folders is easy - just select a folder and click on the Hide button. The technology for returning visibility to a folder is similar, but you will have to use the Unhide folder. Access to the utility itself is possible only after entering the master password.
File encryption programs
File encryption programs are indispensable when it is necessary to transfer confidential information by mail and on various media (CD/DVD disks, USB drives, floppy disks, etc.), since some of these programs allow the recipient to decrypt data without installing it on his computer. This is convenient, since the sender can, for example, send an encrypted document by email (having previously agreed on a password with the recipient) and not worry about the fact that the recipient does not have the appropriate encryption/decryption software - the latter will still be able to decrypt the document simply by specifying the password . As examples of such solutions, we will focus on two programs Max File Encryption and Animabilis RS File Encryption, of which the first is more functional, as it allows you not only to encrypt documents, but also to hide them using steganography (Table 2).table 2. Hiding solutions functionality,
blocking and encrypting folders and files
Max File Encryption 1.8
Developer: Softeza.comDistribution size: 1.09 MB
Spreading: shareware Max File Encryption - convenient program to encrypt files of any type (including Word documents, Excel and PowerPoint) using the Blowfish algorithm. It can be used to encrypt multiple files at once and allows you to encrypt even very large files(up to 4 GB). Encrypted files are saved in the program's own format or in EXE format - the latter option allows you to decrypt files if Max File Encryption is not installed on your computer. In addition, encrypted files can be hidden in ordinary files (so-called media) - graphic, audio and video files, and even in applications and dll files, and the media files of encrypted information remain fully functional. The program can be downloaded and used completely free of charge for 15 days, after which residents Russian Federation and CIS countries you will need to pay 300 rubles. The encryption technology is simple - just create a list of source files by sequentially selecting them in the left panel of the utility window and clicking on the Add button, and then encrypt by clicking on the Encrypt button and selecting the encryption method, entering the password and specifying the source file. When finished, the program will ask whether the source files need to be deleted from the disk. To decrypt in the utility environment, select the encrypted file and click on the Decrypt button, followed by entering the password. And if the encrypted file was saved in EXE format, then you just need to run it and enter the password.
Animabilis RS File Encryption 1.3
Developer: AES SoftwareDistribution size: 1.1 MB
Spreading: shareware Animabilis RS File Encryption is a simple tool for encrypting files of any type, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents using the Blowfish algorithm. Encrypted files are written in the program's own format or converted to a self-extracting EXE format, which allows you to decrypt files if Animabilis RS File Encryption is not installed on your computer. After encryption, the program can ensure the deletion of the original files by writing a random set of characters to the appropriate area of the disk a specified number of times. The program (there is a Russian version) can be downloaded and used completely free for 30 days, after which you will need to pay 300 rubles. The encryption technology is approximately the same as in the utility discussed above - select the file, click on the "Encrypt" button, enter the password and indicate the source file. You can also enable the corresponding checkbox to delete the source file. Decryption is possible both in the utility environment and without it (if we are talking about an encrypted file in EXE format).