Private Files

[answer348]

Can I make some files and folders password protected so that you need the administrator password to open them? If so, how can I do that? Thanks!

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

Not without 3rd party software...

but, what you can do is use Disk Utility to make a read/write disk image at the desired size and choose the option to encrypt it... set the password long enough and your files should be safe... ;)

[Linkjeniero]

Can I make some files and folders password protected so that you need the administrator password to open them? If so, how can I do that? Thanks!

This can be done very easily by using UNIX (you know, what's under the hood in Mac OS X :)). All you have to do is:
1.- Make those files property of the admin
2.- Change the permissions of the files so only the owner (in this case, the admin) can read, write and execute them
To do this, open terminal, and as the admin do the following (assuming your admin login is pete, and you want to protect the folder "private" and its contents):
chown -R pete private
chmod -R go-rwx private

Hope it helps

EDIT: Found a more user-friendly way to do it, although it only works for only one file or folder at a time (it's not recursive):
Right-click on the file
Choose the second choice (Get Info)
Expand the last tab (Permits and owner), and expand the details
Change them so only the owner can read, write and execute (do not make it executable if it wasn't before, though)

[answer348]

I tried the more user friendly way, but any time I try to open the folder, it never asks me for a password, it just lets me right in. Am I doing something wrong?

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

Try entering those files/folders from another login account... You should just se something like this: