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You have to make a password protected disk image, rather than a password protected folder.

Open up disk utility, then choose file/new/new disk image. In the pop up window choose the size of the disk image, select "AES-128" for encryption and leave it as read/write disk image. It'll then ask you for a password.

A bit more cumbersome but the same results.

If you really want a password protected folder instead, I there are some third party apps available (mostly shareware). Here's a list of some such apps.
 
What about making a protected zip folder in a windows computer and then transferring it to osx? Then every time you open it, it will ask you for a PW... I'm confused. But I think it might work...
 
blaskillet4 said:
What about making a protected zip folder in a windows computer and then transferring it to osx? Then every time you open it, it will ask you for a PW... I'm confused. But I think it might work...
That's sort of a silly workaround, considering a password protected disk image is a much better idea. Also, you can't add files to a ZIP willy-nilly in OS X. So yeah, follow munkle's instructions.
 
Heart Break Kid said:
I too need a legitimate way to hide my vast collection of downloaded porn from my loved ones
Oh, well if THAT'S what you wanted to do, why password protect it in the first place? Why not give your loved ones a gift that just keeps on giving: A folder full of porn!
 
Heart Break Kid said:
I too need a legitimate way to hide my vast collection of downloaded porn from my loved ones

It's hard to take issue with such a valid reason. :)

I love some of the user reviews of shareware products designed to hide selected folders from prying eyes. I just read a comment that stated "sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't." Isn't that wonderful?

Important translation: There are times when your porn stash will remain private and other times when others will get to appreciate the essence of what really makes your adrenaline surge.
 
There isn't a way to make an AES-128 protected disk image that is read/write and also compressed, is there?

I like to leave my p0rn out in the open, but I have some files that I would leave on my computer if I could password protect them for HIPAA reasons.... :eek:
 
Why not create a hidden folder using terminal?

mkdir ~/.hidden

open ~/.hidden

You will need to use terminal to open the folder everytime, but nobody has anyway of knowing it's there.
 
colosodian said:
Why not create a hidden folder using terminal?

mkdir ~/.hidden

open ~/.hidden

You will need to use terminal to open the folder everytime, but nobody has anyway of knowing it's there.

Yeah, until 'nobody' tries an 'ls -a'
:rolleyes:
 
Cless said:
That's sort of a silly workaround, considering a password protected disk image is a much better idea. Also, you can't add files to a ZIP willy-nilly in OS X. So yeah, follow munkle's instructions.



hows a disk image better? you have to commit a certain amount of space to that image and once you exceed it you wont be able to write to it so you have to recreate it.
 
beatle888 said:
hows a disk image better? you have to commit a certain amount of space to that image and once you exceed it you wont be able to write to it so you have to recreate it.

because you can add/remove files as you wish, can't be done with a Zip file, if anything just err on the side of making the Disk Image bigger than you think you will need.
 
beatle888 said:
hows a disk image better? you have to commit a certain amount of space to that image and once you exceed it you wont be able to write to it so you have to recreate it.
Make a 16GB disk image. It only gets that big if you have that much in it. The size is a limit, not the state of the image from day one.
 
beatle888 said:
hows a disk image better? you have to commit a certain amount of space to that image and once you exceed it you wont be able to write to it so you have to recreate it.
Make it an encrypted sparse image. Like this. That will only take up whatever space of the stuff you put in it (and a little extra for administration, of course...)
 
Heart Break Kid said:
I too need a legitimate way to hide my vast collection of downloaded porn from my loved ones

Actually, no, thats not what I needed it for. And forget about, creating a dmg is just too stupid.
 
tikibangout said:
Actually, no, thats not what I needed it for. And forget about, creating a dmg is just too stupid.

if i may be so polite to ask, why is "creating a dmg just too stupid" as you put it?
 
tikibangout said:
Actually, no, thats not what I needed it for. And forget about, creating a dmg is just too stupid.

actually, it is the best way to do it. however, if you have a better way to do it, please code it yourself.
 
beatle888 said:
hows a disk image better? you have to commit a certain amount of space to that image and once you exceed it you wont be able to write to it so you have to recreate it.

Also, even if you use a tool that allows you to sort of treat the zip like a drive (like Winzip allows you to keep it open in a winzip window and easily add/remove files from it easily without de/re-compressing) it's pretty likely you're going to end up with files in temp folders somewhere that can easily be spotlighted.

Hmmm...another option, depending on what you want (since you seem to be happy to say that the suggestions you get are stupid, but unwilling to explain why or what you want to accomplish :rolleyes: ) is to create an account or group, give that account ownership and access to the folder and its subfiles (i.e. with chmod) and then sudo access to it. I think if you give root/admin ownership, then you can even do it graphically and get pop-up password requesters, although you might end up with unanticipated global root privileges, depending on how sudo is setup on your computer. (of course, this will prevent reading/writing but not visibility of the files)
 
mkrishnan said:
Also, even if you use a tool that allows you to sort of treat the zip like a drive (like Winzip allows you to keep it open in a winzip window and easily add/remove files from it easily without de/re-compressing) it's pretty likely you're going to end up with files in temp folders somewhere that can easily be spotlighted.

Hmmm...another option, depending on what you want (since you seem to be happy to say that the suggestions you get are stupid, but unwilling to explain why or what you want to accomplish :rolleyes: ) is to create an account or group, give that account ownership and access to the folder and its subfiles (i.e. with chmod) and then sudo access to it. I think if you give root/admin ownership, then you can even do it graphically and get pop-up password requesters, although you might end up with unanticipated global root privileges, depending on how sudo is setup on your computer. (of course, this will prevent reading/writing but not visibility of the files)


FOrget it - this is all too complicated - im just gonna burn all the porn to dvds and hide them between mattresses
 
lock a folder

Can't you lock a folder by getting it's info and then changing that folders permissions?? I just tried it by selecting no access to all the owner, group, others. And then applied to enclosed items. It asked for a password to lock it. Then when I reversed it it asked for the admin password.

Is this what you were looking for. You can use this as long as the person doesn't have your admin password.

I've also used a .dmg to lock files and it's great!

Nuc
 
beatle888 said:
hows a disk image better? you have to commit a certain amount of space to that image and once you exceed it you wont be able to write to it so you have to recreate it.
Make a 16GB disk image. It only gets that big if you have that much in it. The size is a limit, not the state of the image from day one.
 
superbovine said:
actually, it is the best way to do it. however, if you have a better way to do it, please code it yourself.

I'm just saying, it defeats the concept of a locked folder. I see that its not possible, so forget about it.
 
tikibangout said:
I'm just saying, it defeats the concept of a locked folder. I see that its not possible, so forget about it.

it essentially IS a locked folder though, i fail to see the difference between the two except you have to put a cap on the size when you create it.
 
tikibangout said:
I'm just saying, it defeats the concept of a locked folder. I see that its not possible, so forget about it.

ok, i cannot help it if you don't understand how encryption works or what you have to give up in order to have security without creating another user account.
 
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