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Microsoft shutters Windows private folders

Time: 19:23 EST/00:23 GMT | News Source: News.com | Posted By: Jonathan Tigner

Following an outcry from corporate customers, Microsoft is removing an add-on feature to Windows that allowed users to create password-protected folders.

"Private Folder 1.0 was designed as a benefit for customers running genuine Windows," Microsoft said in a statement to CNET News.com on Friday. "However, we received feedback about concerns around manageability, data recovery and encryption, and based on that feedback, we are removing the application today. This change will take effect shortly."

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Displaying Comments 1 through 8 of 8

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#1 By 25030 (72.78.183.223) at Friday, July 14, 2006 08:31:35 PM

What a crock. MSFT never listens to customers, and the one time they do its over something completely stupid and asinine.

#2 By 1474 (68.222.220.114) at Friday, July 14, 2006 10:45:22 PM

I liked the Private folder, I'm using it now - better hold on to my copy. Great ideal and the reasons people didn't like it was crazy. There are other programs that do the samething. I can password a zip, rar and PCMAG has a tool called FileWarden, people have lost there minds. Gas is 2.79 - 3.03 here

#3 By 37047 (70.25.214.232) at Saturday, July 15, 2006 02:24:22 PM

My understanding was that this was not a Microsoft supported program, kind of like the Power Toys. That would mean that if you used it, and ran into problems and lost data, Microsoft would not have been willing or interested in helping you recover your lost data. Best to use a similar tool, if one exists, from a company that supports its encryption product. That's too bad, too, because it looked like a decent and useful tool.

#4 By 7760 (12.155.143.50) at Saturday, July 15, 2006 04:49:41 PM

Mystic, I'm pretty sure that the outcry was over how this app could mess with IT administration on networks, even though it was never designed for business use. The folks doing the outcrying were, no doubt, terrible administrators who don't know how to simply prevent this app from being installed on their networks. Rather than learn how to do their job right, they boohoo to Microsoft.

#5 By 8556 (12.207.222.149) at Saturday, July 15, 2006 06:41:52 PM

All four of you make good points about this frebie. Thanks for some extra insight that my narrow mind missed.

#6 By 37047 (70.25.214.232) at Saturday, July 15, 2006 08:23:38 PM

there are other security concerns in a company, where an employee could have files locked away from the prying eyes of Management. Management would not be too happy about that either. Imagine the chaos created when a programmer has his source code in a protected folder, he leaves the company, and a few weeks later, when IT goes to do something with his system, or Management wants to assign someone to continue the programmers work, and suddenly discovering that no one can access said work in progress, because the files are locked away in an encrypted folder, and no one in the company can manage to get ahold of the programmer to unlock the folder. Not a pretty scenario from a management perspective.

#7 By 23275 (68.17.42.38) at Sunday, July 16, 2006 04:00:05 AM

Well.... call me silly, but I am just flabergasted by this one....

Ok... so they pulled this one - owing to corporate customer concerns?????????

Well, if that is the case then I submit that the corporations presenting concerns are ill served by their network admins. If they are truly concerned about this then why aren't they using very simple tools built into the server and client and leveraging GPOM/GPO to properly manage their networks and client systems?

Even very new network admins can manage GPO and manage a network in ways that are exactly consistent with the policies in their companies.

I am very disappointed that this useful home user tool was pulled - more so because of the reason why. This is just outrageous - silly and just stupid.

Beyond this, if these "offended" corporations were so concerned about users in this and related contexts they be using products like CREDENT's enterprise management tools to augment and leverage native capabilities. I bet the real scoop is that the folks at Microsoft are just vexed that people are not using their products to their full and relatively easy to obtain potential.

#8 By 37047 (216.191.227.68) at Monday, July 17, 2006 02:48:33 PM

A better solution for corporate customers would have been to tell their employees that the software was forbidden on corporate systems, and that they'd be fired if they were caught with it on their systems. That would enable those with incompetent IT people to enforce a policy that this software is not allowed on the corporate network, and allows it to continue to exist for personal systems.

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