I would simply make sure your profile is password protected. Then create a guest profile and log that in prior to the tech"s arrival. That should be sufficient to protect your personal files and give the tech the access he needs to get your machine back online.
Create a separate user account, give it admin privileges, let the tech work out of that account. Alternately, create a separate user account, don’t give it admin privileges and move all of your photos into that account. In both cases, the built in windows protection should prevent one account from gaining access to the files stored in the other.
Thank you, everyone, I appreciate the help. And I’ve put “external hard drive” on my Christmas list after realizing that digital secrets are hard to keep.
I would still consider a USB drive.
Looking up some prices online:
64gb usb thumb drive ~$40
1000gb usb hard drive ~$100
Either could also be used to backup your important data, and it sounds like you don’t have any backups right now. It’s also worth using Truecrypt to protect your sensitive data in the event of theft.
They’re pictures of the tech guy.
…and a donkey.
Be careful: this isn’t really a password-protected folder. It is more like a smartly hidden folder. The short program locker.bat will ask for a password before “un-hiding” it. However, the folder can be “un-hidden” without any password, and everyone who is a little bit nosy and knows a little about computers will figure out how to do it in one minute.
Yeah, that’s really just obfuscation rather than actual security, and it’s a needlessly complicated way of doing it, to boot. Easier to just bury the files under an innocuous name, as **Marconi N. Cheese ** actually described.
Put the photos into a file and rename the file as something no tech would every want to open. Try filename Grandma’s Bowel Movement Diary or similar. Should be safe.
haven’t we learnt anything from threads labelled “TMI”?
If you run out of options, you can send me the pics. I won’t look. Then after the work is finished, I’ll send them back to ya.
Presuming too much about the aesthetic tastes of the tech, I think. What if that’s exactly what floats his boat? What then?
okay, it’s time to ask the computer techs here: do you really waste time on the job, browsing through your client’s computers? If he has a huge porn collection, would you even know it existed, and if so, would you care enough to open the files?
Take a typical repair, (say, replace the fan, add some RAM , do a re-install of Windows because of a virus problem, or whatever. Or, in the case of the OP, it appears to be a home visit to hook up the cable box and internet connection. )
You probably have several more clients to get to that day. Do you go snooping through each client’s hard disk? And if so, what are you looking for? No matter how much porn he has,you’re not likely to find anything that you couldn’t find by yourself at home on your own internet connection. And if he has his tax returns or stock portfolio, is that interesting enough, as a total stranger, to be worth hunting for?
(I’m not talking about your ex-girlfriend’s computer. 
)
stand next to him as they do their work holding a baseball bat.
If these photos are illegal, please do society a favor by showing them to your local police department.
Several answers, all pretty good:
Truecrypt - creates a file that mounts as a disk volume. IIRC, uncrackable so far. Don’t forget the password. If you have another way to get to the internet, download the “installer” to USB and run it on your PC.
Password-protected ZIP files - again, if you have the right software. MOve all your sensitive files into one container file like that. Passwords are not uncrackable, but that usually requires special tools.
Rename that ZIP file to something else - i.e. DOC, TXT or PDF. If they click it, it will say the file is unreadable or in error. Unless they have the time and smarts to fiddle and rename it, they won’t be able to open it. Also bury it in a temp or such directory so it’s not in MY PICTURES or C:\PHOTOS , as mentioned above.
If you don’t have a LOT of files, you can rename the whole lot - even manually. A dozen files or so - rename to “RBF-Chaper1.pdf”, Ch2, ch3, etc. for example. If you leave it called IMG_0021.pdf it won’t take a rocket scientist to figure out you’ve changed the filetype on a photo.
Folder options (control panel or explorer properties) allows to the uncheck “hide file extensions for known file types” to make it easier to rename. Otherwise, the less tech-savvy will simply rename it to HideStuff.PDF.zip or notapic.TXT.jpg because the extension won’t change.
Rename them all to S000001.mp3, S00002.mp3, etc. and put them in your My Music folder. Not quite as secure…
God damn, people.
He’s not trying to hide things from the FBI. Just a tech support guy who is probably less knowledgeable and capable than a lot of people here.
The batch file provides all the security he needs. If it takes the tech guy a few extra steps to access the folder and thus deters him, it did its job now matter how easy it is to access. Especially if the OP will be around.
The same way locking your car doors doesn’t stop someone from smashing your window or straight up jacking it with you in it. But it stops the person going around the parking lot checking for unlocked doors.
Thanks, md2000, very helpful ideas. Thanks to all who helped, and to those who speculated wildly about what exactly I’m hiding. No pornado to report today, folks, just a handful of nudes I’d rather not share. Tech was here and gone, uneventful visit.
God help me, out of curiosity I would click this.
[computer shop owner]
Any legit storefront shop this should not be a problem. If you are present in the room it will be sufficient deterrent. If you do regularly need computer assistance, having a relationship with a local shop can be helpful because many such places will be far more interested in repeat customer calls than any “check out the nudes folder…yum!”
We see porn all the time in passing and we generally don’t care. Its like naked people and doctors, its part of the territory. One of the best pieces of advice I have ever heard or passed on is “Don’t make a scene about privacy” Like if you were to call a shop and ask the same kind of question as the OP. Remember, we as a group are a bunch of fairly curious, smart, puzzle solver kinda folks and we don’t like to walk away from a mystery like “hmmm… what is s/he so worried about hiding”. Most techs will not have a problem if you want to hover a bit if questioned about hovering just say you are curious and want to watch/learn.
If they get defensive or hostile about you watching THEN you worry. If its an outfit of any scale like GeekSquad ask him to go outside and have his supervisor call you. Explain that to the supervisor and tell him you want another tech as this one has made you very uncomfortable with his attitude. Supervisor will be very unhappy with tech. The only issue I have with watchers is that sometimes you get a thousand questions about every step you take. My usual response to that is, “I have no problem with you watching or answering your questions, but I feel obligated to point out that it will take longer and we will probably end up with a little more expensive call” They usually keep the questions to a minimum after that. I also always make sure I offer to answer any other general questions they may have before leaving.
[/computer shop owner]