Well, i was recently messing around with Desktop.ini files using Microsoft's default OS way of doing it (right click on a folder, customize etc. ) but i got bored of that, and ended up writing my own. While doing so, i realised that after giving the Desktop.ini files the appropriate permissions to be used (hidden, system file etc.) i could still access them and edit them.
And from this i thought, "Hey, what if people have sensitive files and don't want random people using their computer to see them? They could use this nifty technique to solve their problems!"
So i spent a few days writing up a batch file which hides all the files in a folder, but still allows you to access them, and compiled it into an executable, then set it up in the portable apps format so it can be run from the Portable Apps menu.
This is basically a tool for the security conscious and can be downloaded from the following link:
VERSION HISTORY
File Hider v1.2 (at MegaUpload.com) File and Folder Hider v1.5 (at mediafire.com)
Hosted on SourceForge.net
Application: File and Folder Hider v1.5.paf.exe (at SourceForge.net)
Source (by itself): File and Folder Hider v1.5 source (at SourceForge.net)
Fixed up any bugs that existed in any previous downloads.
update includes:
-GUI (written in AutoIT)
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|.....File update includes folder hiding and unhiding abilities.......................................|
|.....with the addition of a GUI to meet the demand for an.........................................|
|.....'easy to use' program :)......................................................................................|
\_________________________________________________________________/
Please tell me if you like it 
________________________
| Source code is included | (File and Folder hider v1.5.au3)
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_______________________
|UPDATE TO VERSION 2.0|
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GUI changed to make it easier, readme fixed up and a warning is issued at the start to safe gaurd the less intelligent users
DOWNLOAD: File and Folder Hider v2 (at sourceforge.net)
This app. is written in AutoIT so it MAY show up as a virus on SOME virus scanners (not the good ones like norton or NOD32 just the old and crappy ones)
You can contact me at:
blaffle (at) hotmail.com
EDIT: The batch file also has an option which allows you to unhide all files as well, so it can also be thought of as a "file revealer" as well 
Also, the license is freeware seeing as i developed it and all so feel free to show it to your friends and spread it on the net
SECOND EDIT: I've got it licensed under the GPL license approved by the OSI now and a copy of the license will be included in the next update.
THIRD EDIT: I've submitted a registration form so hopefully in the next few days my project will be hosted on SourceForge.net 
(now hosted on SourceForge.net)
ENJOY!!
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Application needs to go in \App\[App_Name]
You need a portable launcher, not two copies of the same executable.
Why does the download extract out to a folder structure with another two copies of an exe that need to be extracted again?
Need to include an \App\Appinfo directory with an appinfo.ico and appinfo.ini
Cancer Survivors -- Remember the fight, celebrate the victory!
Help control the rugrat population -- have yourself spayed or neutered!
It extracts JUST the actual executable into a file of your choice to hide files in because at the moment i'm having problems with writing up a script which allows you to select the folder you would like to hide files in.
If anyone with experience in batch file scripting would like to help me write this code i'd gladly listen and implement this feature.
BTW, is there a guide on how to write the appinfo.ini file?(fixed that up, i copied the structure of the 7-ZipPortable appinfo.ini file and filled it in with my own info)
When i update this i will include everything you guys have suggested
EDIT: Where can i obtain a portable launcher for my file or be able to make my own?
If it involves NSIS i've got it but i haven't had time to learn the NSIS language
Any chance you could license it under an OSI approved license? We prefer using the GNU General Public License, as it still protects your rights in that you must be credited.
"If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate."
How would i do that? Keeping in mind i'm only 16 :S
Download a copy of the GPL as a .txt file and put it somewhere in the directory structure of your app
The developer formerly known as ZGitRDun8705
I found the GPL license and saved it in a .txt file called "GPL License.txt" which will be in the directory structure of the next update.
I'm only 14
"If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate."
Experience does
Thanks for your help Ryan
I always thought you were like, 19 years old at least.
(Well then, if we're all coming out about our age, then I'm 17)
Please Make TiLP Portable
There's plenty of youngens around. Jacobm001, Kevin Porter, Steve Lamerton, Espreon.
As I said earlier, John's secretly running a day-care.
" " Very True!
But I will take a look at this "hider" of which the topic creator speaks of!
You aren't that old yourself
"If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate."
" "
I was replying to Patrick
Also, stop using the quotation marks. Put it in the post and just let Drupal do the title for you.
"If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate."
I'm sooooo putting it in my sig.
Please Make TiLP Portable
i am 15!! (saw that everyone was posting there ages)
Zoop
I just turned thirteen (20th of August). And Joe (if you remember joejetpack [not so nerdy friend :)]) is twelve.
"Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning." - Rick Cook
I see that you said the source code, however, you state that the license is freeware. Even if the source is available, but the app is not under an OSI approved license, this is considered self promotion (i think). I recommend using the GNU GPL for your license, it makes all source code freely available, but any work that others do based on your code must also be under the GPL, and they must give the original author credit. This way nobody can steal your code, claim it as their own, and change the license.
Also, i'd recommend not directly displaying your email address as a link because Spam Bots can troll through websites looking for mailto links.
Also, please host somewhere other than MegaUpload. MegaUpload has pop-ups, and in my opinion is very limited. check out MediaFire or MyTempDir or 4FileHosting
The developer formerly known as ZGitRDun8705
(on desktop) right click>new>zipped folder. then drop all of your stuff into it. after, open it then file>add a password. this makes it able to have read and write capeabilities through enableing and disabling the password.
this is only if you want to go through the effort of enableing and disabling the password. otherwise i am going to try this prog. seems better, MUCH BETTER!!
Zoop
@ZGitRDun
I'll change who i upload to, sorry for the inconvenience.
I uploaded to megaupload.com because that's where i upload all my stuff as a free member and i haven't got a pop-up there for a while now, may just be my pop-up blocking software.
Is there a way to become a member of SourceForge.net and upload there?
EDIT: Checked out SourceForge.net (create project) and i was a little scared by the whole terms of usage thing and i was wondering if anyone can give me a quick run-down of the dos and don'ts of sourceforge so i don't risk my project getting taken down or legal action for violating some random law that i have no idea about :S
@Seargentsiler
Thank you for your support, glad you liked it
It pretty much says that you shouldn't use the web hosting (or anything really) for personal use, mislabel your project to make it look better and don't include closed source or incompatibly licensed stuff.
"If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate."
As long as you don't use it for your personal use, upload closed bits and so on your ok. But make sure your letter for request for approval is composed neatly, little to no grammar errors, correct spelling, is very persuasive then you will be OK.
What is closed source?
and incompatibility?
closed source means that the source code is not available. ALL source code for anything hosted on SourceForge must be available. If you somehow gain access to closed code, but receive permission to use a section of that code in your otherwise open project, SourceForge can not host it.
incompatibility would be trying to host a fully closed application, or trying to mix various open licenses that conflict each other.
The developer formerly known as ZGitRDun8705
Ok, well my project is completely open source (i just compiled it and encrypted the actual executable to make it harder to maliciously modify its contents) and has no conflicting licenses so it should be on sourceforge pretty soon
Thank you all for your continuing support
It just does not work....
Suggestions:
1. Make the interface easy to use
2. Make a more pleasing installer, since you are releasing this under the GPL look at John's PortableApps Installer (the .nsi is found in any app downloaded from here under So-In-So Portable\Other\So-In-So Portable Source\Installer.nsi), then put the extractions in a folder named Files and put the Installer.nsi and a wizard.bmp (you need your own since Paaps is Copyrighted) next to the folder named Files then edit the Installer.nsi and then compile.
I hope you got my suggestions on writing your letter for request for approval.
Well, how do you propose i make it more 'easy to use'?
If you mean moving it out of DOS scripting and making it with something like visual BASIC, you guys will have to wait a while or someone else will have to do the conversion.
And about the .nsi installer? Well, i'll try make one by sometime next week
After next week i can't promise much work on it because i'll be back to school and studying for my SC >:\
Then after that i have work experience so i'll be busy for a few weeks after next week
I'll probably get in trouble for posting this here but....
Espreon, your signature mentions installing Linux or FreeBSD on yer windows comp. can this be done as a dual boot without having to create a partition?
No, it can't. You can, however, use VMware Player. EasyVMX lets you create a VM easily.
cowsay Moo
cowthink 'Dude, why are you staring at me.'
and look at Virtualbox instead since it works better.
But he is right you have to make a separate partion on your hdd in order to dualboot.
How does virtualbox work better?
cowsay Moo
cowthink 'Dude, why are you staring at me.'
I havent used anything but VirtualBox, and i really like it. I can't say it works better or worse, but I know its a great program. At one point there was development of a portable version, but that seems to have stopped
The developer formerly known as ZGitRDun8705
especially Window$ 2K. Now starting at Version 1.5 Vbox has seamless integration.
You can't beat free seamless integration! And did I mention thanx to Vboxs's RDP server the seamless integration is pretty damn seamless, because the guest OS can then access the host's files.
Can you please move this offtopic banter into an appropriate thread?
This thread is to help me develop my File Hider!
Ok, i've transformed File Hider from a DOS based file hiding utility to a File AND Folder hiding utility with a GUI (very easy to use).
The new, updated file can be downloaded from my original post.
That's part of a developer's job description, you know. So here I am, ready to help you meet your job requirements.
This is a nice concept, but I am sorry to say, the app seems to do absolutely nothing to files I tried to hide.
I've tried running it from my usb external hard-drive, from a flash drive, and from the c-drive. (test on 3 computers, all XP Pro SP2.)
I even made sure to set folder view to hide hidden files and hide system files, even though this is not my normal setup (plus, any IT manager worth his salt will un-hide every type of file when scanning a managed computer, so don't count on those settings to be bullet-proof. If I am understanding these forum posts and the read-me, this app relies on "hidden system files" to mask files.)
I tried hiding files that are on the same drive (and even the same folder) that the app is installed in, and on other drives. I typed in the full path and file name into the input box.
Is there something else that needs to be done that is not mentioned in the little read-me?
Also, on my home pc (XP PRO SP2, dual processors), when I start the app, I always get error message that "there is no disk in drive xxxx, please insert disk ....". I click "Continue", and the app loads, looking normal. I get no error message on other pc's I have tried.
Hope you get the kinks out. I'll try again on your next version.
Thanks.
It looks from the description that you are making a gui to set files to "hidden" as a way of hiding them. Is that the case?
If so, has no one mentioned that Explorer can be set to show hidden files and folders by default? Most everyone I know turns that on by default. This means that files your app works on are just as visible in Explorer set that way. Even if not, other tools can find them easily.
If you are doing something else to hide them, we might want to work on the description so those as dense as I can figure out what you are doing.
As far as I know about the only way to really hide something is to encrypt it (e.g. with AES or Blowfish). The ZIP programs do some "password protection" but those tend to be notoriously easy for someone to break into. 7zip can do a form of AES, which is better. Toucan and Truecrypt are other options.
In this context "hide" means "keep prying eyes out". There are simple ways of doing this for honest people, but for most of us it is not just honest people we want to keep out of our files but adversaries of one sort or another. While having an encrypted file out there may not hide the file, with strong enough encryption you don't need to worry (much) that someone is able to get into it to see its contents even if they can see the file itself.
MC
Toucan uses AES, under its original name of Rjindael.
"If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate."
Thanks Ryan, I hadn't gotten around to loading it. I had seen that it used BURP, which is okay too. I wonder why the descriptions all emphasize BURP and not AES/Rijndael. Maybe Rijndael is a later addition, and the description hasn't caught up with it yet?
(If I recall correctly Blowfish was one of the finalists in the NIST competition to come up with the new AES, and all of the finalists were judged to be adequate for encryption.)
MC
In the actual interface, it gives you a choice. I don't remember if it uses BURP for both.
"If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate."
The actual interface now gives you a choice. I assume if you check Rijndael, it uses that and not BURP.
The changelog does say that AES was a relatively recent addition, so my guess is that Steve/John haven't gotten around to updating the description page.
MC
It gives the folder / file the attributes "hidden" and "system".
I think using the word 'fully' was misleading, so i'm sorry for anyone i confused.
The files and folders can still be viewed, as someone pointed out, but this just makes it harder to find them.
It's intended for use by honest people (as someone pointed out) who just want to keep prying eyes from finding files/folders, and not for use against crackers/hackers who wish to cause harm and ruin your computer so don't think of this as a safegaurd against them.
To be honest with you guys, i wrote this app to fill in time while the holidays passed 8D
My main concern is that some unsophisticated users might see your statement
a tool for the security conscious
as indicating that this application provides real security.
One of the first things I do when I get on a new computer is set Explorer so it shows hidden and system files, so the application would not give much benefit to me (or those like me) but it could help someone "unclutter" the drive by showing just files that were useful. And it might make it harder for a nonsophisticated or honest user to find and view/use a file.
You might want to edit the message that started this topic, just for truth in advertising ...
We're not really trying to discourage you. Filling time by learning NSIS (or whatever) is a good thing, and some of us might learn a thing or two from your project (bugs as well as successes).
MC