In case you want to keep your Office XP documents private, you can use Office XP's built-in encryption program or buy an encryption program. Encryption scrambles your data so that no one else but you (and anyone who steals or figures out your password) can read it.
To turn on Office XP's encryption protection in Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, follow these steps:
1. Choose File-->Save or Save As.
A Save As dialog box appears.
2. Click in the Tools menu that appears in the upper right-hand corner of the Save As dialog box.
A drop-down menu appears.
3. Click Security Options. (Click General Options in Excel.)
A Security dialog box appears.
4. Type a password in the Password to Open text box.
Your password appears as a series of asterisks to hide your password in case someone's peeking over your shoulder. (Quick! Turn around and look!).
 | No matter what encryption program you use, just remember that if you pick a simple password, people may be able to guess your password, which makes encryption as effective as locking a bank vault but taping the combination to the front of the door. |
5. Click the Advanced button.
An Encryption Type dialog box appears.
6. Click on the encryption method you want to use and click OK.
Office XP has three forms of built-in encryption: Weak Encryption (XOR), Office 97/2000 Compatible, and various versions of an encryption method dubbed RC4. If you choose RC4 encryption (which is the most secure of the three encryption methods), you can also click the up/down arrows in the Choose a key length text box. The higher the key number (such as 56), the more secure your document will be.
7. (Optional) Type a password in the Password to Modify text box.
 | You can choose two different passwords in Steps 4 and 7 if you want. That way you can have one password that lets you open but not change a file (the password you chose in Step 4) and a second password that lets you open and edit that same file. |
8. Click OK.
A Confirm Password dialog box appears for each password you typed.
9. Retype each password and click OK.
The Save As dialog box appears again.
10. Click Save.
| Office XP's encryption can stop most people from viewing your data, but determined thieves and spies will have little trouble opening Office XP encrypted files. For better protection, get a separate encryption program instead. Two popular encryption programs are Pretty Good Privacy and GNU Privacy Guard. Both of these programs allow you to encrypt individual files, entire folders, or complete hard drives so only you can access your data (unless you forget your password). |
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