No. Your user account prevents anyone who is using a standard account on your computer from seeing your files. It doesn't, however, prevent anyone who is using an administrator account on your computer from seeing your files. If there are other administrator accounts on your computer, instead of using permissions, you can protect your files by encrypting them with the Encrypting File System (EFS). For more information, see What is Encrypting File System (EFS). If you create a user account for another user on your computer, make sure you create a standard account for them and not an administrator account.
No. The best way to share files is to share from an individual folder or by moving files to the Public folder. Depending on how you choose to share the file or folder with, you might be able to apply permissions to some of your files.
The following table lists the permission levels that are typically available for files and folders.
Permission level
Description
Full control
Users can see the contents of a file or folder, change existing files and folders, create new files and folders, and run programs in the folder.
Modify
Users can change existing files and folders but cannot create new ones.
Read & execute
Users can see the contents of existing files and folders and can run programs in the folder.
Read
Users can see the contents of a folder and open files and folders.
Write
Users can create new files and folders and make changes to existing files and folders.
To apply permissions to a file or folder
1.
Right-click the file or folder, and then click Properties.
2.
Click the Security tab, and then click Edit.
3.
Do one of the following:
•
To set permissions for a user that is not listed under Group or user names, click Add, type the name of the user or group, click OK, select the permissions, and then click OK.
•
To change or remove permissions from an existing group or user, click the name of the group or user, select the permissions, and then click OK.
You cannot share files from an individual folder in Windows Vista Starter. For more information on the Public folder or sharing, search Help and Support for "sharing."
Yes. Windows automatically applies permissions to files or folders based on your user account settings and, if it applies, the security group your user account is in. If you manually apply permissions to a file or folder, they might conflict with the existing permissions and produce results you did not intend. We don't recommend applying permissions to files or folders.
Group
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Group
A collection of users, computers, contacts, and other groups. Groups can be used for security or as e‑mail distribution collections. Security groups are used both to grant access to resources and as e‑mail distribution lists. Distribution groups are used only for e‑mail.
User account
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User account
A collection of information that tells Windows which user rights and access permissions a person has on a computer. The user account records the user name, password, and a unique number that identifies that account.
Administrator account
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Administrator account
A type of user account that allows complete access to the computer. Administrators can make any desired changes. This account type is not recommended for daily use, and should only be used when necessary.
Permissions
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Permissions
Rules associated with a shared resource on a network, such as a file, directory, or printer. Permissions can be assigned to groups, global groups, or individual users.
Standard account
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Standard account
A type of user account that allows users to install software and change system settings that do not affect other users or the security of the computer. This account type is recommended for daily use.
Help and How-to
