Password protect files/folders - Make files/folders invisible

[eliezer]

Hi

Is it possible to password protect files or folders in OS X. If so, how?
Is it possible to make files or folders invisible in OS X. If so, how?

PS - I only want to use free software. I don't want ANYTHING that I have to pay for.

Cheers

[BjarneDM]

The only way I can think of is to turn the whole section of the computer you want to protect into a webdav server. You've got everyting you need already installed: the Apache webserver, !BUT! it'll require some heavy configuration and manipulation of file permissions to get it to work.

[ElDiabloConCaca]

Password protection isn't needed if you use Mac OS X as it's intended -- with separate user accounts.

Simply place the files in your home folder, and bam! They're protected -- no other user can get to your files.

If you share your user account with others, then you're using Mac OS X counter-intuitively and security becomes a huge headache. Having separate user accounts solves this easily.

[eliezer]

ok. dont worry about that.

i have my own user account and so does every1 in my family. we started off using them, but it just doesn't work, its such a hastle. for some reason i can't access half the applications, there's always some errror message, and also sharing files is difficult. for example all my itunes music is on admin, and all always get a problem opening it on my account. also, i have my folder with all my stuff in, in admin on the desktop and i cant have that same folder on my account desktop. i tried putting an alias in public, but when i go on my account, it doesn't update anything that i have done on admin.

any answers? altogether i just found it hard to use. i can't remember all the reasons, the last tym i tried to use my account was ages ago. but i dont have good memories

[ElDiabloConCaca]

Well, if it's your music, it should be in your user account's folder... if that's where you listen to music the most.

If you use your admin account for administering the computer only (like for installing updates or new applications, etc.), then it's counter-intuitive to store the music there if you're not going to listen to it very much while logged in a admin.

User's folders were designed to keep other users out, so trying to access the admin home folder while logged in as a different user is just going to cause you headaches. You could try placing the iTunes Music Folder in the Public folder under the admin account... AFAIK, that folder can be read by anyone else, and is the intended use for that folder.

[BjarneDM]

1) sharing files generally:
You've got two options:
a) placing the files themselves or links to them in your 'Public' folder
b) placing the files in the 'Shared' folder in 'Users'
Look, Mac OS X is *nix based. It's *supposed* to be hard to access stuff stored in other accounts

2) sharing iTunes music:
If everybody should have access to the music, place everything in the 'Users/Shared' folder and modify the settings accordingly for each user account. For the excisting music you can just move the whole 'iTunes Music' folder in your 'Music/iTunes' folder to 'Shared'. For each user account you'll then have to make their iTunes aware of the excisting files in that folder. You do that by dragging the folder into the main window pane in iTunes. You'll still have some permission problems as to who is able to modify the library, but that can be resolved from the admin account by allowing everybody to read/write to everything in that folder and applying the setting to all enclosed items. When somebody has modifyed the music folder, everybody has to do the drag thing again to update their local settings.

3) accessing applications
a) which applications ? - be specific
b) when you are logged in as admin or a normal user ?
If a normal user can't access some applications - in particular those in 'Applications/Utilities' it might have something to do with how the account has been set up. If you go the 'System Preferences' 'Accounts' pane you'll see users with limits on them having 'administered' below their name/picture. Otherwise, try to use 'Disk Utility' in 'Applications/Utilities' and repair the permissions on the startup drive.

Good Luck

[eliezer]

Ok. i'll give it another go.

thanks 4 ur help guys

[sudont]

If others are having trouble accessing apps in the Applications folder, it's probably because these apps are in sub-folders. Some apps have to reside in the same folder with their accompanying files. Try dragging an alias of the app out of it's sub-folder, up to the root level of the Applications folder. When at all possible, apps should reside at the root level of the Applications folder.
Prior to OS X, I always had my apps divided into sub-folders for the sake of neatness, but found it doesn't work well in OS X due to the kinds of permission problems you desribe. Now I use LaunchBar, and never really go digging in folders much anymore, so neatness isn't really much of an issue. Utilities can stay in a sub-folder.