Sometimes, we have a special folder where we don’t want anyone except us see what’s inside or even change it. There’s many option you can choose to hide this kind of folder.
First, you can use applications such as Folder Guard, Folder Hide Pro or other applications in this kind. Although sometimes, the price for this kind of software is very expensive, maybe you can choose this option, because what you hide in your special folder is very expensive. Alternatively, you can use freeware, but, as freeware, of course there’s many limitation.
Well, with any arbitrary sophisticated folder hide application you use, the password still can be steal by keylogging techniques, which is the intruder insert a small program to record any keystroke you type in your computer. To put this kind of program, the intruder use social engineering methods, for example by borrowing your computer, or asking you to install a program which contain a trojan (a spy program). As I said earlier, any difficult password can be break with this method, because they actually not break the code, they just steal your password.
What is the Simplest Way?
There always ways to do something. You can use one of 3 ways I proposed below:
1. Folder Redirecting
The heart of this system lies on the concept to redirect any attempt to open our folder to another folder or application we like. To clarify this technique, you can try this one:
- Choose a folder you want to protect
- Then, rename that folder, by adding text such as below.
- Ex : SecretFolder.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-089002B30309D}
- Where SecretFolder is folder you want to hide
- Now, try to open this folder by double clicking the icon!
- You will be redirecting to Control Panel!.
- Simple, and free, right?
Now, how to Unprotect this folder. That’s easy as 1,2,3. Just rename the folder by removing text added, and your folder will be act as usual folder.
Here’s a short list of folder redirecting you can choose. The possibility actually is unlimited if you can read the computer registry
> Redirect to control panel
folder.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}
> Redirect to Drive
folder.{00020420-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}
> Redirect to printer
folder.{2227A280-3AEA-1069-A2DE-08002B30309D}
> Redirect to Favorite URL
folder.{D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF}
> Redirect to Temporary internet files
folder .{88C6C381-2E85-11D0-94DE-444553540000}
> Redirect To Schedule task
folder.{D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF}
> Redirect to Network
folder.{7007ACC7-3202-11D1-AAD2-00805FC1270E}
2. Folder Hidden
In this method, we try to remove folder icon as well as folder name. Try this steps:
- Make a text file, name it desktop.ini. And copy paste into this file, this string
[.ShellClassInfo]
IconFile=%SystemRoot%/system32/SHELL32.dll
IconIndex=51
- Save and copy desktop.ini to folder you want to hide.
- Check again your folder. The folder icon will be disappear. But still, your folder name still exist.
- To remove folder name, rename the folder, and press key combination “Alt+255” and push enter
- Now, your folder name should disappear. This is because Alt+255 is an empty character, so there’s no text in folder name.
To unprotect this kind of protection, you can drag around your explorer, and your empty folder will be visible (see the picture below.
Then, you can rename and delete desktop.ini inside the folder to make the folder appear as usual.
3. Folder Hiding in Windows File
As we know, people seldom open Windows folder, because that’s a system folder. In addition, by default windows give a warning when someone try to open this folder. So, by putting our secret folder between this windows file, people will wrongly think that our folder is windows default folder.
So, easy isn’t it?. You can combine that three method to make your folder even more secure. Any other method in hiding folder is welcome, please give a suggestion.
Abs.Net web Page 