Dark Files 4.2.1.1

Out of sight, out of mind, the old saying goes. Well, with the Dark Files application not only can you hide folders out of sight, you can also make them inaccessible to any process. This is a handy way of ensuring that the files in the folder remain private, that no one has unauthorized access to your data. Alternatively, if you want others to be able to access your data, but you don’t want them to mess with it, you can use Dark Files to make files read only. Others will not be able to delete or modify them.

Dark Files can be installed on any Windows platform, including Windows 7. To install the application you must download a 4.4MB archive, extract its contents, run the executable inside the archive, and then follow a few simple steps a setup wizard displays. If wasting time is something you do no want to do, then you’ll be glad to know that you won’t spend a lot of time downloading and installing Dark Files.

You won’t spend a lot of time figuring out how Dark Files works either, and that’s because it has a user friendly and quite easy to figure out interface. By default, a good looking dark skin is activated. From the View menu you can switch to another skin. There are quite a few Dark Files skins to choose from.

To protect a folder, just click the “Add Folder” button which is conveniently placed in the upper part of Dark Files’ interface. After you select the folder, you can select a protect mode – choose between making the files in the folder read only, choose to hide the folder and make it inaccessible to any process, or you can choose a file mask (there are several to choose from and there’s even the option to enter a custom file mask.

To get Dark Files to start doing it’s job and protect your data, you must then click the green Start button (looks like a Play button). To ensure that no one accesses Dark Files and suspends the protection, you can password protect the application. Put a password in place and others will not be able to change Dark Files settings or uninstall the application.

Speaking about others, Dark Files has a handy User Groups feature. You can add users to a group and set up the same folders list for all those users. You can define settings for an individual user, or you can set up a group and define settings for the group.

Dark Files is only free to try. A 15-day period is the max amount of time you can use Dark Files for free.

The dark-themed Dark Files application protects your data by making files read only and it protects your privacy by hiding away folders and making them inaccessible to any process.

Pros
Dark files works with any Windows edition and is quite easy to install. Password protect access to Dark Files so that others can’t change settings or uninstall it. Use Dark Files to make files in a folder read only, to hide a folder and make it inaccessible to any process, or use a file mask. Set up groups of users. There are several skins to choose from and change the way Dark Files looks.

Cons
Use Dark Files for free for an evaluation period of 15 days.

Dark Files has been reviewed by George Norman on 21 Mar 2012. Based on the user interface, features and complexity, Findmysoft has rated Dark Files 4 out of 5 stars, naming it Excellent