Protecting Files

[dashiell]

Is there a way to protect an entire folder so all the contents are read-only and are password protected? I have a folder I want to distribute as locked read-only and I don't want to have to password protect each file in the folder. I am distributing the folders via CD-Rom if that is any help.
Thanks!

[StuartR]

I think you are going to have to tell us a little more about the problem you are trying to solve. A folder on a CD is pretty well protected against writes, so I suspect you mean something different!

Do you want to protect the files from being modified, even if the user copies them to another location? What sort of files are they? Any solution is likely to involve doing things to each file, possibly with digital signatures or other anti tampering technology.

StuartR

[dashiell]

That is correct. I want to make sure they can't copy them from the CD and modify them elsewhere. Most of the files are Word so I can pword protect against writing. However, one file is a Microsoft Binder file and protecting that file doesn't seem as easy. If I could keep the CD from being copied or modified, that would be great but I don't think that is possible.
Thanks!

[StuartR]

Even if you could prevent the CD from being copied, you would have to allow Word to open the files - and there is no way you could prevent Word from saving the file in another location.

What are these files? Do they need to be distributed as Word documents, maybe you would do better with digitally signed Acrobat documents. It still isn't clear whether a digital signature will do what you need, because we don't know what you are trying to protect yourself from.

StuartR

[dashiell]

Sorry if I'm being a bit vague. I want to publish the Word Documents so nobody can modify them in any way. I think you're right, Adobe would be the best way.

[R2]

MerC - you might want to look into this:
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[MerC]

Hi Rick
Thanks for that. Looks like another useful way of doing it. There are, in fact, several others, but all, apart from the one I describe, use advertizing to support their free versions. One I know of puts its advert (unobtrusively) at the foot of each document you print. I suppose the proper answer is to do it with Adobe Acrobat, but the part which produces *.pdf files is way beyond anything I want to pay.
As far as the original query goes, putting information on to a CD in PDF format would pretty much stop people editing such information. I know when I use the method, any amendments have to be made to the original doc files, then a new prn is made, followed by the pdf. Sounds long-winded, but it is remarkably quick and easy. I don't think many users would know (or want to know) how to get an editable text-file from a PDF. Without Adobe, I don't think I could either.
Rgds

[MerC]

Hi
I go along with that, but if you are going to make *.pdf files do not go the whole Adobe route. (Have you seen the cost of the writer part of the Adobe application?) You will still need the Acrobat reader, which is free. PDFs are not text files: they're more like graphics files and cannot be edited using the normal methods.

Basically this is the 2-step method (and, as you may know, the quality of pdfs is far higher than Word docs, and is well-worth doing):

1. Set up, on your system, a Virtual Printer for PostScript files - Windows has the drivers built in. Any (printer) driver whose name ends in PS will do.

2. Convert your docs to PostScript files (*.prn) by using this printer and ensuring that you 'Print to File'

3. Convert *.prn to *.pdf, online and free, by visiting this site

4. If you don't want to risk uploading your files to their site, you can get the conversion program free via a link they provide (AFPL Ghostscript) and do it in-house. However, I find it more convenient to do it on-line. ymmv.


Should you need more detail, I have written the instructions in full as a printable file (PDF or DOC) from my website.

Click My Sig : #13 or Index

[R2]

I just tried the PDF995 product -- and so far so good. On my Win98 box I had to install Apple LaserWriter drivers (for the PostScript drivers I believe). The advertisement in this case is a .htm file that opens just as the "printing" finishes. The .htm file is stored locally on your hard drive (so it is not difficult to imagine eliminating this). Since I rarely (never?) need to convert to PDF files, this is fine. If I did need to, well $9.95 really is not too bad -- and certainly better than the price of Acrobat Writer! Cheers.

[Cyberdance]

This is probably obsolete since you seem to have the problem solved. But for what it is worth, I found that all my documents saved to a new folder automatically took on the password protection password IF the very first document I saved to that new folder was password and/or read only protected. The following documents I saved to that folder would automatically assume the password and lock the document into read only mode. I thought it was a neat trick, considering up to that point I had been saving all password protect documents individually. Maybe worth a try.

[Phil Rabichow]

Hi Cyberdance:
I don't get the same results. Are you talking about Word documents? If I save a document to a new folder & save it password protected & read only, this has no affect on documents that I later save there. What steps are you taking to do this?
Cheers,

[Cyberdance]

Hi Phil, this was in my older machine O/S 98 SE, most of the documents were Word 97 and Excel 97. Perhaps is just a fluke, but all I did was create a NEW FOLDER on C drive, named it, then the Word doc I was completing and about to save (being the reason I created a new folder for it) I did the obvious FILE SAVE AS>file name>OPTIONS>FILE SHARING>PASSWORD TO OPEN, MODIFY OR READ ONLY. i entered my password twice, ticked READ ONLY, and saved. The next time i filed a document in this new folder, it automatically came up with SAVE AS>OPTIONS with the previous password already there, this has been the case ever since. Its very handy and protects the entire folder. Does this help at all?

[Phil Rabichow]

Hi Cyberdance:

<hr>Does this help at all?<hr>

Unfortunately, no. <img src=/S/sad.gif border=0 alt=sad width=15 height=15> I tried the steps a couple of times, using WinNT & Word 97. I will try it with Win98 SE & Word 2000 at home. Could you have had a FileSave macro that intercepted the Word command???

[Cyberdance]

Perhaps its just one of those combinations that has to be just right. I remember loading heaps of patches for MS Office 97 even with SR 2 loaded, my 98 O/S on my older machine (the one I am saying works perfectly relating to folder password protect) is the combination of these two, not NT, or word 2000. I tried this on a ME home edition O/S notebook loaded with the 97 SR 2, and had the same result, new folder-save first document using password protect, and the next document I went to SAVE AS automatically prompted the previous password. Perhaps the Microsoft Knowldedge Base might have an answer, or perhaps your Office 97 Word may need a patch. Wish I could help Phil. <img src=/S/hairout.gif border=0 alt=hairout width=31 height=23> Its enough to drive you nuts I know!