Securing your PC can be a difficult task, especially if you are running Windows XP. If you do not treat your sensitive data with the necessary respect, an intruder can have unhindered access to all your files. Archiving and protecting your files and folders with a password is good security, but not for an intruder that knows what tools to put to work.

Although there is a myriad of file encrypting applications on the market a restricted number of them are put to use as the price tag is a limit few home users are willing to cross. For those not amenable to pay the cost to be the boss of their own computer, there is a free alternative that provides on-the-fly encryption of files, folders and even entire drives.

But if you are just searching for a program that provides you with a safe spot for your files, give Folder Vault a try. The application is true to its name and will lock all your files into a safe location, away from prying eyes.

The design of the interface is out of the ordinary as it is sophisticatedly simple. It leaves the impression of security and safe keeping of the files. The main options are placed right in the middle of the lock looking interface. The four of them allow you access to the vault folder, enter the application into stealth mode, hide/lock folders and drives and changing of the password.

When starting the application for the first time, setting a protecting password is mandatory. You have to enter it twice, for confirmation. This being done you can proceed to evaluating the application for a period of 15 days, with minor limitations (stealth mode is available only for registered users, but it works).

In the lower part of the interface there is a safety option (password recovery) that gives a door open for retrieving your countersign in case you forget it. If you are a bit forgetful I suggest enabling this option and going to Advanced settings for a proper configuration (Password Recovery tab) where you can set your safety net (type in a question and an answer and Folder Vault). As soon as you type in the wrong password you will be able to retrieve it by providing the right answer to the question you set up.

As I said before (and the name of the application suggests), Folder Vault will create a safe directory preserving all the sensitive data you place in it away from prying eyes. The folder is located in the program's installation folder but can be accessed only when the software is running. Otherwise, it stays invisible and unavailable. The downside is that this can function only in the application's installation directory. Moving it to a different location together with its contents leaves it unprotected.

Advanced settings starts with General configuration tab. This explains how Stealth Mode functions and lets you define the hotkey to toggle it. The user can also turn Folder Vault portable with a single click of the button. "Send to portable drive" button automatically creates a copy of the application (places it in the root directory) on a portable drive and you can employ it just like the regular version.

Safety measures have not been overlooked by the developers of Folder Vault as the only way to get rid of the program is from the interface. Uninstallation can be executed only from the Advanced options of the software and there is no trace of it in Windows Add/Remove Programs. And if you are thinking of manually removing the program, the uninstaller in the installation folder will not work either.

Vault folder can protect your files in three different ways, each of them involving hiding. You can hide and lock them, hides/locks and scrambles the names of files and folders or it can hide/lock, scramble the names and encrypt the data. The encryption algorithm used for the job is AES 256-bit standard so it is quite strong. I suggest using the third option for the sensitive data as if the intruder manages to discover the Vault, there's going to be a bit more sweat with unscrabling and then un-encrypting the files and that's quite discouraging.

To leave no trace of your activity on the computer, Folder Vault offers to clean recent documents list, empty Recycle Bin, erase IE history and address bar as well as IE temporary files and cookies on exit. The trouble here is that only Internet Explorer is supported and though it has a big chunk of market share many users prefer other web browsers.

Hack Prevention is the fourth tab of Advanced Options window and as much as I like software, this is not one of its strong points. The two options available (action to be taken after three failed logins (lock or shutdown computer) and logging password hack attempts) did not show the slightest sign during our testing, neither in the evaluation version nor in the fully registered one.

The last option in the settings panel is Automation. It is also a safety measure and enables you to configure the software to take a certain action after some time of inactivity. The user can set Folder Vault to self lock (close), lock the computer, logoff, enter hibernate state, restart shutdown or emerge into stealth mode after 5, 15, 30 minutes, one or two hours of either inactivity or the moment of the setting. This setting can be executed one time only or each time parameters converge. The Bad news is that this option does not work either. After setting it to close the application after five minutes, when the time came there was absolutely no response.

Folder Vault is not at all a difficult to configure application and the included help file will provide all the assistance you could need. The price is very good ($9.99) and the downsides are almost minimum. On the other hand, I could not make it work on Vista. On one machine, I could not access Advanced Options menu and on the other, I could not start it at all as it could not connect to the mothership and retrieve a trial license. In both cases, the application had to go manually by deleting all its traces from the computer.

The Good

Easy to configure and use, Folder Vault comes with an appealing price tag for the set of options it makes available. The help file is explanatory enough for any user to learn what each setting does.

The Bad

Making Hack Prevention and Automation work would really make the application complete. Also, keeping it in a Vista ready stage seems to be a wrong approach and with more and more users making the step towards Microsoft's WOW making it fully Vista compatible is more like the option to go for.

The Truth

The price is good, most of the options work, there is enough time to properly test the application, and it offers good protection for your sensitive data. This is how Folder Vault brings on XP in a nutshell. On Vista there are still problems, to say the least.

The application is not giving 100% but hopefully, all the glitches will be eliminated in time.

Here are some snapshots of the application in action: