One way that can be done: create individual share - each with its own password protection. Or if you know how to change and update security settings on folders, you can set security on certain folder to be accessible only to your personal username. So when others tried to access it (guest / other authorized users) they can't see it. They can see the folder name existed, but can't go inside.

Sorry, i think i dont get it. Lets say I have a folder called "animals" and inside of them I have other folders: bears, cats, dogs, and rabbits. How do I password protect each one of them?

If you need to password protect EACH folder with different password, you need to create a shared folder called "bears", "cats", "dogs" and "rabbits" all separately with separate folder. So when someone connecting to your pc by doing \\CainNukePC, they will see 4 different shares (bears, cats, dogs, rabbit), and each one are differently password protected. Is that what you are hoping to achieve?

Okay, but remember I am trying to do this not on my PC but on a network HDD.

Understood. You need to do those setting on the PC where the network HDD is shared from. If you don't have access to that network HDD PC, then you can't set a password on it. Only the one sharing them on the network can set a password.

Since its a network HDD all computers on network have the same access to it.

All computers have access to the share - yes. But not the user.

You can only allow certain usernames to access certain shared folders

So on the PC where it is doing the folder sharing, you can set the shared folder permission to only certain users

the ones on the very top, but not with the ones inside, the child folders

Actually I probably should ask, on the PC that is sharing the folder, what OS on it?

On Windows machine, you can share any of the child folder individually

or simply restrict access by going into the folder properties - security and remove any users you don't want to have access

Again, its not a folder on a PC, but on a network HDD

Should the folder be on a Windows PC then i would have no problem becaus i know how to set up the shared folders but on a network HDD its a totally different system

a shared folder on the network must be shared to the network by something. Whether it is a pc, a NAS, or a hdd attached on the router?

Windows OS will definitely make it simpler but if you have something different we can try to get solution for it as well if exist,

its a network HDD so its only attached to a hub via a LAN cable

ok so it is just a box with hdd inside and connect directly to the LAN?

that is called a NAS Network Attached Storage. and any decent NAS (depends on brand / model) will have a management console of some sort that you can access via a web portal (usually)

yes, it has one, its accessible from any PC connected to the network

what brand / model is it? The management console should be a lot more advanced than a single root folder sharing.

you should be able to make multiple shared folder all with separate user access

the thing is that i dont see an option to set a passwrod for child folders

its an IO data

Im telling you the model right now

this: hdl-a2.0s

im not sure whether its a brand known only in Japan

iodata.com/en/products/hdd/nas/hdl-cew/en/index.htm this one?

yes

under the root folder?

yes, i can do that, and i can password protect each one of those, but not the folders inside those

Yeah.. thats the limitation of NAS boxes unfortunately.. I got a different brand, and same as you, I can't password protect folders underneath, unless I create a new share called Bear as a separate share, outside the Root folder

Windows has more options to do child folder security that some NAS boxes won't support

I see, then im not the only one with this problem

So in my case, I simply create more share folders. Your username can access all shared folders. Other username can access only some folders

So it will look messy using your username (as you end up seeing all shared folders that you have access) but for others, they most likely can only see folders that they have access to.

that will be nice, but i happen to see all the folders even the ones im not supposed to have access to

Uhm.. no you won't

If you have a "admin" username and that may most likely have access to ALL folders

You can create a username for yourself

And limit your own access

yes, i do. as soon as i click on the icon of the HDD I am presented with alist of all the folders inside

if i click on one i dont have access i am prompted for a password

ah.. so the folder are still visible..

yes, the folders are listed, you are prompted to enter an user and pass as you click on each one of them only

I don't know about that particular NAS you have, I use Synology personally. And on Synology "Shared Folder" they actually have an option "Hide sub-folders and files from users without permission"

So that would be the limitation of the NAS itself unfortunately if your NAS doesn't have that option

on your NAS you can passwrod protect only the folders on the very top too?

Yes.

you are on windows?

Synology has a linux back end, so it can actually do some additional restrictions

So if I go into the sub folder properties, and since it follows Linux back end, it can restrict access to "owner", "Groups" and "others" so we can do more restriction. Not password protecting per se, but more like blocking access

So you can ensure even the user have access on root folder, they can't go further down the sub-folders.

so you are never prompted to enter a password as you enter a folder?

I haven't tested as I never need that restriction.. but let me test with a new folder.. one sec

okay

ok

It is not prompting for password

I made a folder (on root level) accessible by a username (user1)

and remove permission on the sub-folder for user1

and when entering that sub-folder, it simply say do not have permission (accessing from windows machine)

and what user has permission to see that subfolder?

So if you can remove access level on sub-folders, you can do that... so provide free-for-all on the root level, and then restrict each sub-folders

The admin/root the one that "manages" the NAS will have power over all files

You can restrict the admin username of course

but at the same time, the same admin username can simply add him/herself back into the folder

via the management console

I see, then yours works quite different because the one I have does nothing like that

at least not that i know of

Sorry then, its just the limitation of the NAS itself.. not much we can do.

yes, i understand

thank you anyway for your time. I appreciate it

see you