Separate Windows Accounts are Not Enough
I guess you don't want other people who have access to your computer — legitimate access, of course, because they're family, friends and colleagues, for instance — to have access to the emails it holds as well.If this is true you have, of course, set up a distinct Windows account for each user so that everybody can have their own wallpaper, and so that emails and documents are kept separate. This is very well and good, but it is not enough to protect your emails.
Keep Your Email Private in Windows
To keep your emails — even as files on the disk — private from the eyes of other users:
- Locate the folder in which your email program keeps mail.
- How to Identify Your Windows Mail, Windows Live Mail or Outlook Express Store Folder
- How to Find Out Where Outlook Stores Your Mail, Calendar and Other Data
- How to Find And Open Your IncrediMail Data Folder and Message Store
- How to Find Your Mozilla Thunderbird Profile Directory
- How to Identify your Eudora Folder on Windows
- Click on it with the right mouse button in Windows Explorer.
- Select Sharing and Security... from the menu.
- Go to the Sharing tab.
- Make sure Make this folder private is checked under Local sharing and security.
- If this option is grayed out, see below for options.
- Click OK.
This prevents other users from all access to the folder. You mail is safe as long as nobody can log on to your Windows account.
Make Sure Automatic Windows Log-On is Not Enabled
For Windows to log on a particular user — you — when it starts up automatically is convenient, but is lets whoever restarts the computer get to your mail. Fortunately, you can disable that behavior:
- Select Run... from the Start menu.
- Type "control userpasswords2".
- Click OK.
- Make sure Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer. is checked on the Users tab.
- Click OK.
Make Your Screen Saver Require a Password
Now let's make sure Windows logs you off (in a way) even when you don't. If somebody came by your computer while you are logged on but not there, they could comfortably access all your emails otherwise.
- Click with the right mouse button somewhere on the Windows Desktop.
- Select Properties from the menu.
- Go to the Screen Saver tab.
- Select any screen saver.
- Make sure On resume, display Welcome screen or On resume, password protect (whichever option you have) is checked under Screen saver.
- Click OK.
Encrypt Your Mail Files and Folders
If you could not make the files used by your email program private using the method above:
- See if your email program allows you to move the files to a folder beneath "\Documents and Settings\[your user name]\".
- Proceed with the method outlined above.
Should that not be possible, or if you want to be extra safe and encrypt the files on disk:
- Locate the folder used by your email program to keep your mail.
- Use a folder protection program to encrypt and password-protect the folder. Here are some programs to try:
Remember that emails that are not themselves encrypted before they are sent can be intercepted and read. Protecting files on your disk only prevents others from accessing the mail as it is kept in your email program.
