Windows XP Password Protection Tips & Tricks
Password-protecting files can be an effective way of preventing sensitive information from being read or copied by people whom you don't wish to have access. This is especially true if you are sending a file over the Internet or if you travel a lot to places where your laptop has a higher risk of being stolen. Windows XP has password options for its folders and files, and instituting them is an easy process.
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Choosing Passwords
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Windows XP allows you to assign passwords that are case-sensitive and that can utilize numbers. Microsoft recommends picking passwords that are 14 characters or longer that involve numbers as well as uppercase and lowercase letters to achieve the highest level of security. This makes the password much harder to hack than simple word or number passwords that can be cracked with a computer program running different variables. Avoid using single words or phrases and jumble the password up into an indecipherable sequence to get the most reliable results. At the same time, make sure you can remember the password yourself.
Password-Protecting Shared Folders
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Windows XP doesn't have any obvious methods for password-protecting shared folders on a network, but there is a way of doing it. If you're logged in to the computer as an administrator, access User Accounts through the Control Panel and make sure Guest Account is turned on. Access the Run option in your Start menu and type "cmd" to bring up a command prompt. Type "Net user guest password" and then again select the Guest Account through the Control Panel. You can now enter a password for it, and it will take effect once you restart the computer.
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Other Tips
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Zipped files can be encrypted for sending somewhere else online, and they can also be password-protected through Windows XP for additional security. Once a file is zipped, click on it, and a menu box will open. Choose "File" from the menu and then click on "Add a Password." You can then set a password for each zipped file individually. You can also set up different accounts on a single computer using Windows XP so that when someone is logged in under one name, she can't access the files of the person with another username. Only an administrator would have access to all the files for both accounts.
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References
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