Hi, this is a way to protect files on your Mac to keep them away from prying eyes. Use it on your laptop to ensure that, if you lose it, then no one can gain access to the files within the protected area without the password. You may also wish to keep files hidden from children and their friends if you have a shared computer.
If you think that a simple login screen at boot time is enough to protect your files, then be aware that it is possible to circumvent the admin (user) password via an OS disk and the reset password utility, so that is not a suitable protection to use to "hide" files. And how many people log out or shut down the laptop/computer during the day?
There are a few software utilities that will protect a folder but these either use the unix method of hiding folders by adding a period or dot before the folder name, which can be found by anyone who knows how to look for them, or it may corrupt the folder trying to implement encryption. I prefer to trust Apple's in-built features to protect files/folders.
Apple recommend this suggested method and it can be found on their knowledge base here:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1578
Please read ALL of it before you use it and understand the points below.
It uses software that is on all Macs from OS X 10.3 and later.
Three things to remember if you choose to try this:
1- If you forget the password you cannot recover the data - ever!
2- If you save the password in your keychain at the password dialogue option then it can be used by anyone logged in as you. However it is remembered for you by the system, should you forget what it is many months later. .
3- This method creates a disk image, as such, this can be copied and e-mailed. Use this to create a backup!
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