14 DAY TRIAL // Protecting the folders and files on your computer can be pretty difficult when several accounts are used on your machine and several people are using your PC. There are several methods to hide the folders and the files and even to lock them under a password, but few of them are foolproof.
Easy File and Folder Protector is one application that claims to protect the data on your computer from unwanted eyes and hands. It comes as a shareware on our website and the price for the full version is $34. I could not find any limitation to this version except for the nagging registration screen that is displayed whenever you launch the application.
The software works on almost all Windows editions: 98/ME/2000/XP.
The program's purpose, as it is stated in the Help file is controlling the access to files and folders on the local media at Windows kernel level. Using Easy File and Folder Protector you will be able to deny the access to the desired files and folders or to hide them from view or search. This it does indeed, and at our test the application proved to be doing a good job. We used classic search operations and the folders we had under the influence of Easy File and Folder Protector were nowhere to be found.
The interface of the application is in desperate need of a facelift as it looks as if it were freshly dug up from prehistoric times. Anyway, this aspect is not too important so let's not get stuck in this kind of details.
There are three sections composing the software's interface: the List of Users, the Timetable and the Panel with Restricted Files. The List of users will display all the available accounts on the computer. The current user will have a key included in the icon. You can enable or disable restrictions for certain users. Each user can have his/her own list of restricted files.
The Timetable part of the application screen is designed to help you control the availability of restricted files according to the time periods of the timetable. This means that you can program a file or folder to stay hidden for a certain period of time and for a certain user. After that time expires, the file or folder will miraculously reappear out of nowhere.
Not to allow other persons to mess with your file and folder protecting settings you can apply a password for opening the application. The operation is simple to do and takes little of your time. Click the Password icon in the toolbar and type in the desired countersign. This way, at every launch of the software you will be asked to type in the assigned keyword.
For a better management of the timetable feature the software will display the internal computer clock in the right upper corner of the window. I did not quite understand how the Timetable functions with more than one file or folder as you cannot assign a certain time for each item in the Restriction Files window.
In order to apply the restrictions to the files the user simply has to press the green Activate button. The reversing of the process is done by pressing the red Deactivate button. Adding the files to the restriction area can be done in two ways: either by dragging and dropping them in the Restriction Files section (the function is available for both single files and folders) or by using the Add Folders and Add Files buttons.
Adding multiple files or folders can be done by simply selecting the desired items and dragging and dropping them in the Restricted Files window. When adding them, besides the name the application, the type of file will also be displayed.
The Good
The application does a good job at hiding the files and folders. Of course it is not infallible, but the average skilled computer will not find the files.
The handling is easy and the Help menu is comprehensive enough.
The feature I most liked was the Timetable; it allows you to set the file hiding starting and ending time. One moment the file is available and ready for use and the other it vanishes into thin air.
The Bad
For one thing, it looks terrible. When I first launched the application, I was under the impression that it was made to work on Windows 98 only.
The registration screen bothers you every time you launch the application.
Despite the fact that the software does a good job, the money is too much.
The Truth
The application is good and does a good job, but it is too expensive for my pockets.
Here are some snapshots of the application in action:
