If you have Windows XP, and your hard drive is formatted as NTFS, you can set permissions on files so that only users you specify can access them. However, if your Windows XP computer is not part of a Domain on a network, you may notice that there is no Security tab when you right-click a file and choose Properties. For some reason, the default for Windows XP computers that are part of a Domain is to have that visible.
For Windows XP computers that are not part of a Domain (they are stand-alone, or part of a workgroup), the default is to have the Security tab hidden.
To reveal the Security tab follow three simple steps:
- Open Windows Explorer, and choose Folder Options from the Tools menu.
- On the View tab, scroll to the bottom of the Advanced Settings and clear (click) the check box next to "Use Simple File Sharing."
- Click OK to apply the change, and you should now have a Security tab when viewing the properties of a file on an NTFS volume.
Additionally you can visit this link to get more info :
How to Set Security in Windows XP Professional That Is Installed in a Workgroup : http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=290403
And hey it works !