Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!unmvax!ncar!ames!oliveb!felix!arcturus!mitch
From: mitch@arcturus.UUCP (Mitchell S. Gorman)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Protecting directories from peeping eyes (how???)
Summary: This can be VERY dangerous!!  NOT for the novice!!!
Keywords: PROTECT DIRECTORIES
Message-ID: <2961@arcturus>
Date: 7 Dec 88 19:05:10 GMT
References: <46@VAX1.CC.UAKRON.EDU> <44916@yale-celray.yale.UUCP>
Distribution: na
Organization: Rockwell International, Anaheim, CA
Lines: 46

In article <44916@yale-celray.yale.UUCP>, spolsky-joel@CS.YALE.EDU (Joel Spolsky) writes:
> In article <46@VAX1.CC.UAKRON.EDU> greggt@VAX1.CC.UAKRON.EDU (Gregg Thompson) writes:
> >
> >	I am in need of protecting directories from being read by "normal"
> >means.  I need it so that ncd and other dos directory utility programs
> >won't acknowledge the directory.  Or something that will password the
> >directory so that nothing can get to it unless some sort of password is
> >given to unprotect it.


	Ok, here's something I discovered while playing around with
Norton Utilities.  It's got a lot of holes in it, and if you do this 
and then run CHKDSK, you WILL lose whatever was stored in the 
directory you are hiding, but here goes:

	First, make sure that you have a volume label for the disk, and
	that it's directory entry comes BEFORE the entry for the sub-
	directory.  (Use Norton, or some similar program which shows 
	directory as is exists on the disk, displaying all attributes
	for all entries.)

	Next, to hide the directory, simply turn on the Volume Label
	bit.  That's it.  The directory is completely sealed.  Any 
	files within the directory cannot now be found, by Norton's FF,
	or by any other program I wot of.  

	To unhide it, RE-set the bit - there's that pesky directory
	again, with all the files intact.  

	The danger with this method of hiding a directory is that the
FAT must be treated very gingerly, else you'll lose the hidden 
directory and all its files.  When you make a directory into a volume 
label, the FAT still has the allocations for the hidden files, but a 
program like CHKDSK will not be able to find the files that the FAT 
says it knows about, and poof!  scads and scads of FILExxxx.CHK!!

	Like I said, this is NOT something that anyone who's not on
intimate terms with a program like NORTON should attempt.  If the files
get munched, there is NO WAY to recover them that I wot of, and I don't
want to hear from anyone who tried this!!!

	Mitch @ Rockwell, Anaheim

Disclaimer:	I have no association with Norton Utilities (although I
		did once send them my resume.  Suffice it to say that
		I work for Rockwell!).