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If you need to beef up security for your data, KaKa Folder Protector can do the job. It's a utility that will password-protect folders on your computer by locking them. To unlock a folder, simply type in your password. You can lock as many folders as you want. KaKa Folder Protector can lock folders that are stored on flash drives and external hard drives, which is another nice feature. It's also handy as a safeguard against the accidental deletion of folders and files.

KaKa Folder Protector's interface is easy to understand and navigate. To set up the … Read more

Hide is an ingenious program that allows users to hide various windows with the press of a button. Unfortunately, the program's unintuitive interface makes some of its features difficult to use, which is a major drawback.

The program's interface is basic, with a box labeled Currently Hidden Windows and another labeled Program Group. It's not immediately clear what a user should do from here, and there's no Help file, but a bit of clicking around reveals that the meat of the program's functions is contained in the Settings. Here, users can set hot keys for … Read more

Want to chat and browse the Web at work without getting caught by your boss? The Boss Button will hide all personal windows such as chat, Windows Media, and Web browsers with the press of a few buttons.

During our tests, we tried The Boss Button on browser windows and on our Gmail Chat. It quickly hid the all of the windows without a hitch. However, when we tried it on our Windows Media Player window it didn't work. The publisher does invite suggestions for other applications that should be included through their Web site, but the program would … Read more

Besides blazing fast JavaScript benchmarks, privacy mode is the big new feature in modern browsers. The latest version of Firefox includes many privacy enhancements that can keep others from seeing what you've been up to while online. But what if a friend, family member, or boss wants to borrow and/or look at something on your computer? How do you play it cool and hide tabs you don't want them to see?

Developer Diego Ruiz has come up with a solution called HideTab that does just that. You can very quickly hide one or all open tabs with … Read more

Hide the IP masks your true IP address to protect your anonymity while surfing the Web. We found this portion of the application to function simply and effectively: click the lock icon, and within seconds the program has found and acquired a false IP for you. Your real and current IP addresses are displayed in the application window.

Unfortunately, Hide the IP does not stop there. Instead, the developer adds useful-sounding features, such as the ability to Search for IP by Country or Search by Anonymity, but fails to provide any controls--such as a search box or Go button--to actually … Read more

While this system cleaner is easy to use and works quickly, it doesn't offer anything to set it apart from the plethora of other registry fixers and optimizers.

Family Windows Cleaner has a clean, simple interface with big, bold buttons that all users will find easy to follow. The program offers several check boxes for users to customize their cleaning options. Like most optimizers, this program lets users choose certain cookies to keep during the cleaning process. It also offers password protection to limit access. In our trials, scanning and cleaning took no more than a few minutes, and … Read more

There are many times when users wish they could have a secret desktop to hide things from wandering eyes. Sneaky Virtual Desktop offers a possible solution to users who need a quick place to cover their open documents.

This freeware embeds itself in the program tray as an inconspicuous black dot. Right clicking will give users a simple menu of options. Their desktops are numbered here (users can create up to 32), as well as options to create new desktops and delete old ones. There is also a simple settings menu that mostly lets users replace mouse clicking with hot … Read more

As you might expect from its name, this encryption program hides and encrypts important files. It performed well once we applied our administrator settings, but it came with one of the stingiest trial periods we've ever seen.

Lock and Hide Folder has a very basic user interface that proved simple to navigate. Large menu buttons at the top of the window make it easy to add, remove, hide, and show important files. The program uses 256-bit Blowfish encryption to keep your folders safely protected. It's not password-protected when you first access it, so you'll have to go … Read more

These days, security seems hard to come by. With spyware, hackers, and others all trying to look over your shoulder, sometimes you need a little peace of mind. Personal encryption software is a good step toward protecting your data, and Best Folder Encryption just might fit the bill.

The interface is simplistic and not terribly attractive, but it does have a set of skins to choose from. The fact that you cannot resize the main window is needlessly annoying, though. There are several functions common to this type of app, and they seem to work well. And we like the … Read more