First time poster - XP security / Secure files

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HD_Boy

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Hi ya'll - a quick intro - spent 20yrs in Hi-Tek - last 16 at Intel in HW R+D for desktop PCs - so I do know a bit about PCs. But last summer I hit the wall due to stress - health issues - and the complete insanity of upper management BS at Intel. So I resigned and am pursuing a 2yr career in the medical fields -- time to get back to real science and some normal reality :).

Intel is in a major thrash about power vs. actual user applications needs - acoustics - ease of use - battling with Microsoft for control of future directions. I could go on for hours - but I signed that 5yr non-disclosure thingy:rolleyes:

Lastly - being in the "know" I keep my PC buttoned down with upto date virus and spyware SW - pop-up blocker - HW firewall - and all the wonderful updates from microsoft:mad: .

My concern is protecting some of the files on my PC in case my PC or my external back-up HD get ripped off. Like files from Taxcut with my returns on them - ect. What are some easy to use encryption programs for protecting files locally on your HD. While I'm and ex-techno guy I have no patiece with confusing SW.

Thanks in advance
 
NTFS has native support for file encryption. Alternate (right) click the file and select properties. On windows 2000, click on the "advanced" buttom and select to encrypt the file. Then anyone with access to the disk will need to know your password to access the file. If you worked with Intel, you already know standard policy for choosing secure passwords. The procedure may be a little different on XP.
 
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lol....are you telling us what stuff you hav on your HDD? :p

Yeah...

In Windows XP, you can't encrypt files in Windows XP Home Edition...but you can in Windows XP Professional with an NTFS partition.
 
Hey !!!!!!!

Thanks for helping out an old hardware hack - I'll get an encryption program - then eventually nuke my HD and go to a NTFS build




Best news of the week !!!!!! Apple is going to split 2-1 on their stock Yeeeeee - Hawwwwww. I dumped every piece of Intel stock and options prior to leaving that pop stand and bought Apple stock. IMHO as an R+D guy trying to push the PC forward - I have to say Apple is the only outfit TRULY innovating anything interesting and/or finding the next wave to surf for $$$$

I wish Intel well - have lots of old friends there - but they have a long hard row to how to even get their stock above the $30s.

For those of you not blessed(cursed) about knowing how the PC industry really works and where its going - GET THIS WEEKS Newsweek and look at the techno page. This clearly illustrates one of the biggest issues to the PCs future ---- DELL Computer.

While Intel and MSFT along with HP (who I worked extensively with their R+D folks in the 90s) try to move the PC to a new better - easier-to-use space ..... DELLS dominance rejects any innovation that might add $0.50 to $5 to the platform. And with their clout Intel and MSFT must listen .. and either abandon the effort --- or get this --- give DELL preferential treatment via some contratual loop holes.

But DELL isn't stupid either - one of the last things I did for Intel was over see development of a radical new power supply - 250 to 350Watts that would fit in the palm of your hand 1" x 3"x6" and required no fan. Additional cost at intro would be $3-4 over the hi volume power supply cost and then meet the cost of traditional power supplies in 18-24months. Intel fretted -- hmms seems too expensive. DELL bought all rights to this technology when Intel declined to buy it for say $200k.

Result - instead of Intel being able to standardize this supply to all PC manufactures (which DELL hates ) so they could all innovate new smaller quieter PCs - now Dell owns this soley.

One of the many F'dup decisions I wittnesed at the senior managment level --- Blood pressure down ... stop rant ... ahhhh
 
Thanks for helping out an old hardware hack - I'll get an encryption program - then eventually nuke my HD and go to a NTFS build

Hey, no problem...and if you are willing to help out here any time, we wouldn't mind...know how is hard to come by. I understand non-disclosure but there are things you can help out with without disclosing specifics. Liz
 
Don't you love capitalism. BTW, Dell's shrewd business practices gave them the resources for developing the power supply. Of course they want exclusive rights. Other companies will take it apart and do a little reverse engineering - business as usual.

Also, a lot of consumers want cheap products over innovation. They can browse the internet just fine with 1998 technology but have been convinced by the marketing genius of modern PC's that they absolutely must have the latest hot new expensive technology to run their word processor. So what do they buy? A dell or an e-machine because they can't afford a $3000 word processor.

Speacking of marketing. I'm surprised again about a feature that MS removed from XP home (that was availabe on 2000) to force an XP pro purchase. Encryption is a pretty basic feature of NTFS and it took extra lines of code to blank out the option from XP home - XP home cost more to produce than Pro due to the extra code but costs less to purchase.
 
Please don't view my diatribe as a Dell bashing piece - they make great stuff and have the formula down. But more on a level of the state of the PC and near term technology for the masses

But a monopoly of power (be it in business or politics) does not serve the people well as a whole. Capitalism and democracy work best when its messy --- i.e. lots of competition + compromise over the directions we should take vs. "we have the most control and we know what is best"

And yes people will reverse engineer that power supply - but they'll go to Tiawan or China -- the lands of no Patent Protection.

Which means the AMERICAN company I worked with and patented their innovations - will get raped earlier than if they had larger protections afforded by broad standardization and support otf the PC community.

Its a devilish little industry
 
What is the solution? You can't really blame the companies. They aren't providing community service - they are in the business of make money for their shareholders. What apologies would be required if Intel announced at a stockholders meeting that they "gave to the world community".

Apple behaves because they were squashed like a bug by wintel and had no choice. If not for a cult following, they would no longer exist and we wouldn't have an ipod or other innovative products.

I am more surprised when companies actively participate in standardization. For some, it was a strategic choice that was driven by the very existence of a microsft and Intel (e.g. Sun and IBM's efforts). For others, it was just a mistake - not realizing the potential of a technology and giving it away (examples include Xerox's work on developing the GUI and internet and AT&T's development of Unix).
 
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