Copy protect a folder, I don't want someone to copy it.

[nav13eh]

I need some easy and completely free way to Copy protect (not read only, encrypted or password protected) a folder so no one can copy it. Does anyone have any ideas?

Help would be greatly appriciated!

[tehBoris]

zip archive with a password or truecrypt. This won't stop any one from been able to copy it, will make it (very) difficult for them to figure out what the data is.

[masherscf]

What OS do you use. Some version of Windows allow you to password protect your files. Others other allow you to make files only available to a specific user.

[davmoo]

Even though you apparently don't want to use it, encryption is your only real option. Anything else, on any OS, can be defeated so easily that its not really worth the bother.

[nav13eh]

I am using Windows Vista home premium, and i don't to encrypt or password protect because i still won't it to be accessible but don't want anyone to copy it. Kind of like a DVD.

[tehBoris]

If the data can be read, it can be copied. If the data is accessible in any way, it can be copied.

It's basically impossible to make data uncopyable, any operating system restrictions put in place would easily be circumvented.

[davmoo]

I am using Windows Vista home premium, and i don't to encrypt or password protect because i still won't it to be accessible but don't want anyone to copy it. Kind of like a DVD.

Then the answer is simple...what you want to do cannot be done on any OS.

[lavahot]

If it was Linux, I think there's a chmod for that, but you're kinda screwed on windows. If you want people to be able to read the data but not copy it, you'll have to put some sort of copy protection on the files contained in the folder. Depending on what type of files they are, that might be a bit difficult.

[tehBoris]

If it was Linux, I think there's a chmod for that, but you're kinda screwed on windows. If you want people to be able to read the data but not copy it, you'll have to put some sort of copy protection on the files contained in the folder. Depending on what type of files they are, that might be a bit difficult.

You could remove the read permission, but that makes it inaccessible.

The only realistic way to make this feasible would be to have a hardware platform where you control the hardware and the software and ensure that any way of copying the data is not implemented in to the operating system/software.

This would not stop some one from physically taking the device's storage and connecting it to a different computer and then copying the data. Nor would it stop some one from looking at the data and committing it to memory/writing it down on a piece of paper.

Come to think of it, there is a way you can copy protect a folder. Hire an IT technician that monitors the computers use 24 hours a day, and if some one tries to copy the data have him remotely disconnect the equipment and then call a security guard to escort the user away from the computer.

[davmoo]

If it was Linux, I think there's a chmod for that

And if the user has physical access to the machine, beating that chmod is trivial.

[tokenuser]

Get an online storage account somewhere and put your porn there - try the Amazon S3.

Mount the drive with a password that only you know, and don't keep it cached. Suddenly, the data (porn) is no longer stored locally to be stumbled upon, copied, and held for ransom.

NTFS is an option on a local drive - but the data is not copy protected, it is merely hidden from other users who log into the computer (provided they are not logged in as admin).

Final option is something like the Iron Key (http://www.amazon.com/IronKey-Secure-Hardware-Encrypted-Flash-D20402A/dp/B000RXYV5U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1252891675&sr=8-1). A military grade USB drive that is waterproof, and uses onboard software to lock the drive from other users - so no software to install on the PC. Good thing about this as opposed to something like a regular USB drive with a copy of TrueCrypt is that there is no additional software needed, and the thing is tamper resistant and waterproof. So, for the ultimate security, you could hide it somewhere that the sun don't shine (like under a mattress with the hardcopy porn you have stored).

[lavahot]

Maybe I'm not understanding the situation here. What are these files for? Who's looking at them? What type of files are these? Where is this machine located? Do you intend to distribute the contents of this folder?

[davmoo]

While Ironkey and S3 are both good ideas (and I use S3 for a lot of stuff myself), neither do what the OP wanted...he wants them to be usable by others but uncopyable. Maybe I'm reading his posts wrong, but that's what I got. And that simply cannot be done...if they can read it, they can rip it, period, no exceptions, end of line. He used DVDs as an example, and we all know how easy those are to rip.

[nav13eh]

OK, so lets change the Question. Can I password protect it without archiving or encrypting? I don't care if it is accessible in Linux or OS X, I just want the password for windows. And can the Password be portable (like on a flash drive(s))?

[tokenuser]

OK, so lets change the Question. Can I password protect it without archiving or encrypting? I don't care if it is accessible in Linux or OS X, I just want the password for windows. And can the Password be portable (like on a flash drive(s))?Adding a password to a directory IS encrypting - whether you realise it or not.

[davmoo]

OK, so lets change the Question. Can I password protect it without archiving or encrypting? I don't care if it is accessible in Linux or OS X, I just want the password for windows. And can the Password be portable (like on a flash drive(s))?

Yes, you can password protect files. But if the user has the password to use it, they can then copy it too. I was under the impression that you wanted to prevent copying while still allowing the file to be used.

[gadget_nut]

Is it your work? Copyright it and sue the shit out of anybody who uses it. That is your only option for protecting your work while allowing others to view it. Unenforced copyright becomes unenforcible.