If you have to prevent your Windows PC from being used behind your back, then the simplest method is perhaps using the Win+L hotkey to lock it before you walk away for a cup of coffee or for lunch. But locking your Windows computer is not always the available option especially when you have to share your computer with others. If you are sharing your computer with others, then you can still lock your programs, files and folders against unauthenticated use through the free WinGuard Pro software. WinGuard Pro locks down selected features in Windows, programs and encrypts your files, so that only you can use them by supplying your secret password.
After installing WinGuard Pro it would place an icon in the Windows system tray. As you double-click on this icon, it would ask you for a password which is “letmein” by default (you can change it later from the WinGuard Pro interface).
The TaskLock section of WinGuard Pro allows you to easily lock any running program in Windows. It already comes with a list of common apps and programs that you can select, but you can also choose any running task by clicking on Lock a Task… button. After selecting the tasks for locking, you can click the Apply button and it would immediately go to work. It asks for the password when you try to access any of the locked tasks.
You can change the password in the Password section and manage users under the Users section. In the Advanced tab, you can disable two important features of Windows – Windows File Explorer and Microsoft Internet Explorer. You can also prevent installation of any new software on your computer.
If you have some secret documents, then you can encrypt them using the highly secure AES 128bit cipher under the File Protection section. This will prevent anyone else from reading or viewing your documents unless they decrypt these files first through WinGuard Pro after supplying the password.
Conclusion: WinGuard Pro prevents unauthenticated use of your programs, files and folders when locking Windows is not an available option. It is a great choice when you are sharing your Windows PC with others and do not want them to snoop into your files or run unwanted programs.
You can download WinGuard Pro from http://www.winguardpro.com/wgfree.html.