password protect folders in XP

Is it possible to password protect folders in XP without the use of separate user accounts?

On the pc in question only 1 account is used (and I like to keep it that way) and I would like some certain folders to be inaccessible to other people that use the computer.

The folders I want to protect are NOT on the Windows partition.

 

OK, to make sure I understand correctly.

You have at least two partions on your hard drive. One windows (FAT32, NTFS) and one non-windows (ext2, ext3, ReiserFS, such as Linux). Which means you have a dual boot configuration of Windows/Linux.

If that is the case then Windows XP can not read the Non-Windows partition.

If Win XP is reading the partion then it is a windows partion, just not your primary partition, as in a second partion maped as drive D, G, H, I or whatever. If this is the case, which I am assuming to be, here is a nice tool for encrypting files AxCrypt.

 

I do actually have a dual boot system, but it's ME/XP and it wouldn't matter in this case since the folders I want to hide are on another NTFS partition (so when ME is loaded, they can't be accessed anyway). All my partiotions are either FAT32 or NTFS.

My question was if it's possible to do this in XP without the use of separate users (and thus also without the use of third-party software - especially encrypting software, since I want folders of large sizes to be protected and unprotected with the click of a mouse).

When there are more than 1 user in windows XP, the first user could, for instance, move the My Documents folder to a folder on a different NTFS partition and then making it "private" so that when the other user logs in, he doesn't have access to that folder.
So I want to know if this is also possible somehow with just 1 user on the system.

At my old school they had NT on the computers and I remember that there was a folder on every computer's C drive that wasn't accessible. It gave the message "access is denied", like when you try to open the "System Volume Information" folder in the root of the drive where Windows XP is installed.
So it is technically possible, but is it just controlled only by windows or is there some registry/poledit tweak or whatever that enables the user (with system administrator rights, of course) to make any folder "access denied"?

 

You could use the built in Zip program in XP and password protect it...not sure if this is what you are looking for but it is a start.
To password protect a zip folder click file and add a password.

 

What you are trying to do is exactly why XP has UserID and GroupID. Having only 1 User Account on your system that anyone can use is never a good idea. By creating User Accounts for everyone using the system you can grant permmissions based on the Group they belong to, "Computer Administrator" or "Limited". Users who are in the "Limited" group cannot access anything on the hard drive other than their own data and the programs you have placed the shortcuts to in the Start Menu of "All Users". By having 1 User Account it by default is set to "Computer Administrator", for that matter all accounts by default are "Computer Administrator" you have to change the Account to "Limited".