Microsoft Private Folder 1.0

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Microsoft Private Folder 1.0

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Microsoft Private Folder is a useful tool for you to protect your private data when your friends, colleagues, kids or other people share your PC or account. With this tool, you will get one password protected folder called My Private Folder in your account to save your personal files.

Download Link: Download Microsoft Private Folder (Softpedia)
 
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The contents of the private folder can be accessed in safe mode but the files themselves are encrypted.
More on that here
Source Tgdaily
Microsoft's Private Folder application may not be so private [printer-friendly] | TG Daily
Westlake Village (CA) - Yesterday we wrote about Microsoft's free Private Folder 1.0 application that encrypts and password protects a folder on a desktop. Thanks to the astute eyes of one of our readers and according to a closer look into the application, the contents of the folder may not be so private.

Reader Johnny Granlund emailed us this morning saying that he was able to access the folder simply by rebooting into Safe Mode. The question however remained - are the contents in the private folder still protected?

TG Daily had a closer look. We created a test.txt file with the words "Wakka Wakka" and placed it inside the My Private Folder, then we booted into Safe Mode (with Command Prompt) by pressing F8 just before the Windows boot up screen appears. Sure enough, just like Mr. Granlund said, we were able to see the My Private Folder and all of its contents.

Unfortunately - or gladly, depending on your view - the contents of test.txt were an encrypted jumbled mess. We tried starting and stopping various services by entering "start services.msc", but that didn't unscramble the files. So, while your private folder and its file names aren't so private, your data is somewhat protected on what could be considered a consumer level.

Interestingly, uninstalling the application does not remove all files. Using the proper uninstallation process through the Add/Remove Programs in the Windows Control Panel caused the desktop shortcut to dispapper, but the folder at C:\Documents and Settings\USERNAME\My Private Folder stayed. The contents of the folder also survived, but remained encrypted. There were also two extra files, test.txt.$e_ and prvflder.dat that we had not seen before the uninstall.

While the files remained scrambled, it's fairly trivial to look into and extract the contents of the files - albeit in encrypted form. We are sure that there are some enterprising individuals already hard at work examining the files with a hex editor. After all, the Black Hat and Defcon computer security conventions are just around the corner.
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Microsoft Removes Private Folder 1.0 App
In a quick turn-around for the company, Microsoft has removed its newly released Private Folder 1.0 application. Private Folder 1.0 allowed customers to encrypt files within a password-protected folder called "My Private Folder" and share those files with friends and colleagues.
Many people and business customers expressed concern over how the application would be used. "Private Folder 1.0 was designed as a benefit for customers running genuine Windows. However, we received feedback about concerns around manageability, data recovery and encryption, and based on that feedback, we are removing the application today. This change will take effect shortly," said a representative for Microsoft to CNET News. While the application was good in thought, the implementation and lackluster documentation of the application left many people wanting more.

It's good to hear that Microsoft took such swift action in removing the application in response to customer complaints. Our own readers expressed their issues with the application when DailyTech's initial article went live. For those who want Microsoft-sponsored user-level file and folder encryption, there's always Windows Vista.
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DailyTech

Original Source
News.com.com
Following an outcry from corporate customers, Microsoft is removing an add-on feature to Windows that allowed users to create password-protected folders.

The feature was introduced as a free download last week. Almost immediately, people raised questions over how businesses would grapple with the ability of individual workers to encrypt their data.

"Private Folder 1.0 was designed as a benefit for customers running genuine Windows," Microsoft said in a statement to CNET News.com on Friday. "However, we received feedback about concerns around manageability, data recovery and encryption, and based on that feedback, we are removing the application today. This change will take effect shortly."

When it added the feature, Microsoft touted it as "a useful tool...to protect your private data when friends, colleagues, kids or other people share your PC or account."

However, others spotted potential problems.

"Oh great, have they even thought about the impact this could have on enterprises. I'm already trying to frantically find information on this product so that A) I can block to all our desktops and B) figure out how we then support it when users inevitably lose files. I can see the benefit in this product for home users, but it's a bit of a sloppy release by Microsoft," Stuart Graham said in a posting on Windows Server-related site MSBlog.
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hey is there any chance i can get a link to this file or a torrent? the site seems to have gone down, and reading from above it doesnt sound likes it getting back up and running anytime soon. thanks
 
try using Folder Lock XP for better results.... it looks like it costs but u can get away if u know the ways ;)
 
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