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TheZee · Jul 12, 2005, 08:08 PM

Can anyone give me a list of quality applications that will enable me to password protect a CD? What I want to do is backup important data then burn it onto a password protected CD. I scanned through the archives in this forum but only found Toast application which is way too expensive. Another question I have is this: can I prohibit the access of certain applications? For example, let's say that I want to be the only one able to use Safari on an iBook. Can I lock or password protect the application so that no one but me can run it? Peace out . . .

Chuckit · Jul 12, 2005, 08:29 PM

Password-protecting the CD itself sounds pretty dodgy to me. If you're worried about people reading your stuff, just encrypt your files (say, with PGP) and burn the encrypted version onto the CD.

As for prohibiting access to applications: I don't know if 10.2 had it, but I know at least modern versions of the OS have this in the Accounts preference pane. Otherwise, I guess you could just change the permissions on the app, though it would would probably just be easier to keep it in your user folder so no one else can get to it in the first place.

SSharon · Jul 13, 2005, 03:42 AM

As Chuckit explained, either put your applications in your personal applications folder or deny others users access to them via the accounts pref pane.
To do what you want with the CD, just make an encrypted disk image in disk utility and burn the image.

JKT · Jul 13, 2005, 08:33 AM

Originally Posted by TheZee

Can anyone give me a list of quality applications that will enable me to password protect a CD? What I want to do is backup important data then burn it onto a password protected CD. I scanned through the archives in this forum but only found Toast application which is way too expensive. Another question I have is this: can I prohibit the access of certain applications? For example, let's say that I want to be the only one able to use Safari on an iBook. Can I lock or password protect the application so that no one but me can run it? Peace out . . .

Use Disk Utility (in Applications/Utilities) to generate encrypted disk images which you can then burn.

TheZee · Jul 15, 2005, 01:53 PM

Disk Utility??? Does everyone mean Disk Copy??? I opened Disk Utility application I don't see where it will enable me to create an encrypted disk image. The only tabs that appear are; Information, First Aid, Partition and RAID. Now, I opened Disk Copy application and it has the option of creating a disk image and I think it will enable me to encrypt it as well. If you're sure that I should use Disk Utility, can you guide me as to what steps I take to do that???
I am the sole operator of my iBook. What I want to be able to do is to back-up data onto a CDR that no one else can read. Protection against anyone other than myself being able to use any CDR that I have burned data onto. Is the best way to do that, then, to create an encrypted disk image then put whatever data I want into the disk image then burn that disk image onto a CDR??? Will that give me a CDR which can only be read by me??? Peace out . . .

TETENAL · Jul 15, 2005, 02:28 PM

Disk Utility and Disk Copy were merged into a single application Disk Utility for Panther and later. Since you are still on Jaguar you have to look at Disk Copy for creating encrypted disk images.

TheZee · Jul 15, 2005, 04:56 PM

Thank you my Mac Brother

I am going to try it today and see what happens. Hopefully it will do what I want it to do. It's strange to me that 3rd party apps are rare. I am talking about apps that would enable one to create a password protected disk. If anyone comes across something of that nature please share it with the rest of us. Peace out . . .

mitchell_pgh · Jul 15, 2005, 05:48 PM

Originally Posted by TheZee

Thank you my Mac Brother

I am going to try it today and see what happens. Hopefully it will do what I want it to do. It's strange to me that 3rd party apps are rare. I am talking about apps that would enable one to create a password protected disk. If anyone comes across something of that nature please share it with the rest of us. Peace out . . .

I would be VERY VERY careful doing this... When OS 10.? comes out, you may not be able to get to your data.

Chuckit · Jul 16, 2005, 01:42 AM

As I said, the idea of a password-protected disk sounds very dodgy to me (I don't see how you'd do it cleanly on a Mac disk — encrypt the entire filesystem and patch the driver to require a password for the disk even to be recognizable?), and not very useful in return.

TheZee · Jul 18, 2005, 04:22 AM

Ok, Ok,
So now I am confused. What is the best, most efficient method to use to safely secure important data so that others cannot gain access to it

I had no idea that it would be so involved. Is there a relatively simple way to do this ??? Please advise. Peace out . . .

TETENAL · Jul 18, 2005, 04:55 AM

The most efficient way is to create an encrypted disk image. I'm not sure whether you can burn encrypted disks with Disk Utility (didn't try), but you can always put the encrypted disk image file onto a CD or DVD and then mount that.

TheZee · Jul 18, 2005, 09:42 PM

Ok, now I get it. Many thanks my Mac brothers for all your guidance and support. I had no idea that this issue was so chaotic. I wonder why some super genius has not developed a third party app that can do the entire process more simply than it is now. I know, I'm a Beeoch whiner. Sorry for that. I just get so spoiled with the myriad of awesome applications that Mac designers create. Long live MacUpdate, VersionTracker, SourceForge and the like. Peace out.

DavidHossack · Jul 19, 2005, 07:06 AM

Sorry for my late contribution:

Why not take a low tech approach and make normal CDs and lock them away in a safe or other place? It wall be more effective (as you wont lose the actual CDs) and safer for the future.

TheZee · Jul 21, 2005, 07:04 AM

I agree that is an even added method of protection. In the ideal scenario I would employ both the encryption and the physical security methods. Currently I want to feel secure that important data cannot be accessed by anyone other than myself in the event that someone does gain physical access to it. I primarily use laptops so you can understand my concern I trust. Peace out. . .