[Tutor] how to manage an encrypted file?

[Alan Gauld]

"Tim Golden" <mail at timgolden.me.uk> wrote 

>> encrypted text file? I want to store passwords and associated contact
>> information in a file and feel confident that if the file is stolen
>> the information couldn't be read.
> 
> If you're on Windows, just encrypt the file under Explorer.

Although that's not very secure: if you copy it to a non NTFS 
filesystem since Windows will, by default, helpfully unencrypt 
it for you...

There is some stuff on MSDN that tells how to make Windows 
encryption work sensibly but the defaults make it kind of pointless.
(Actually, I haven't tried this on XP, but certainly on Win2000 
the default encryption was a joke. If anyone can confirm that XP 
fixes it I might start using it again.)

Alan G.