There are a lot of ways we can help protect personal and sensitive data on our hard drives. If you have Windows XP Professional installed on your home computer, there are several features you can take advantage of that will encrypt your data on a home network.

Remember than encrypting files only works if you have more than one user account. Also remember than your user account is password-protected. It helps if your password includes some non-alphanumeric characters to prevent someone from successfully guessing your password. All other household members using your computer can access the desktop via there own account.

Next step is encrypting your folder contents. The files WILL remain viewable while on your account, but if someone is trying to access your data from their account via the shared folder, they will get an access denied message. Here is how you encrypt your folder. First, click and select the folder you want to encrypt. Then, right click on the folder and select Properties. Then, click on the Advanced tab. There, you will click on the check-box that reads 'Encrypt Contents to Secure Data'. Then click OK.

Many of you already know about this security feature, but here are some tips that will save you from losing your own data-

Once a folder is encrypted, it is given a certificate and a digital signature for that particular folder, and that information includes the computer name. Once the folder is moved from that location, or copied, its contents cannot be accessed. Say for instance you backup the folder on CD and delete the original from the hard drive. Your better off chunking the CD in the garbage, because it is no good. The same will result if you move the folder to another location on the hard drive, or another partition that is being used as a storage volume.

If you want to copy or move the folder, you must first decrypt the folder and then move or copy it to another location. Unless you are a mathematician that can manually decrypt relocated encrpyted folders, this is the step you will need to stick with.

To determine whether a folder has been successfully encrypted, just view the name of the folder. The name will be displayed in green letters instead of black letters.

Also, believe it or not, compressing your contents can also act as a security feature. Say, for instance, you had sensitive data stored on a partition (you can assign permissions to a volume, but that is another topic). You can right click on the partition icon after opening My Computer. Just simply check the checkbox that reads 'Compress drive to save disk space'. Anytime you compress a file, folder or partition, it must be decompressed before you can view the file, and that takes time. But it buys you time if someone is snooping around on your PC.

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Ive never considered trying this to be honest.
How likely is it files will be hacked/stolen if they arent encrypted?

This is often needed not for private home users, but for those with small businesses and small web hosting services. Like I have been taught as a computer science major, it's always safe to assume someone will hack your PC. Never take privacy on a PC for granted.

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Continue the Renaissance!!!
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