Getting Started

After installation you can run LockThis! from Start menu or from LockThis! shortcut on your Windows Desktop. On first running, LockThis! icon will be shown in tray area of your taskbar. Since it is the first time, LockThis! won't be activated. You can change this behavior later so LockThis! will be automatically activated upon running.

LockThis! tray icon (deactivated)

Change Admin Password

LockThis! is protected by password in order to increase the level of security. Password protection to certain area of LockThis! make it not easy to bypass LockThis! protection. In initial version, LockThis! protection can be easily bypassed by any user simply by closing or deactivating LockThis! But now you must supply admin password to close or deactivate LockThis!.

At the first run, LockThis! will still using default admin password. The default admin password is (without quotes): "LockThis!". In case you forgot this default password, you can open short information form of LockThis! by right clicking LockThis! tray icon and select menu item About...

Since admin password is very important, the first step you should do after installing LockThis! is change admin password from default into something that only you would know. To change the admin password, do the following steps.

Right click on LockThis! tray icon and select menu item Admin panel
Since admin panel is also protected, you need to give admin password before you can see it. Therefore enter the admin password in the password dialog that pop up (since this is the first time, the password should be LockThis!).
In the admin panel click on button Change Admin Password.
To verify that you really are the true owner (admin), first you must supply the current admin password in the Enter current password dialog.
After you enter correct current admin password you will be presented with Please Define Password dialog. Here you must enter your desired password twice.
Congratulations! Now you have set your own admin password and ready to enjoy LockThis! unique protection.

Select Password Protection Type

There are 3 types of LockThis! password protection.

Different password for each application
Use admin password for every application
Use a common password (different from admin password) for every application

If you choose option 2 or 3, you will not be asked for password when protecting an application. So they are more convenient to use with consequence of getting lower level security.

To specify your selection, please do these steps.

Open admin panel (see the steps in previous subsection)
To use option number 1 (different password for each application), make sure you clear Single password for protection checkbox.
If you want to use option number 2 (use admin password for every application), make sure you had Single password for protection checkbox and Use admin password radio button checked.
If you want to use option number 3 (use a common password that is not the same with admin password for every application) make sure you had Single password for protection checkbox and Use my own password radio button checked, and then click the Change password button.
After specify your common password in the dialog that follows you are now good to go.
Click OK button to save the modifications and close admin panel.

Activating LockThis!

Before LockThis! can offer its unique protection it must be activated. At the first run, or if you never change the autoactivation behavior, LockThis! will not be activated. Please do these steps to activate LockThis! manually.

Right click on LockThis! tray icon
Click on menu item Activate!

After activation, LockThis! tray icon will be changed from LockThis! Deactivated Tray Icon into Activated LockThis! Tray Icon .

If you want LockThis! to automatically activated in the next run, you have to do these steps.

Open admin panel
Place check mark to Start activated checkbox
Click OK button to save the modification and close admin panel.

From now on, until you disable the autoactivation, LockThis! will be automatically activated upon running.

Protecting Your Application

After you have changed the admin password, choosen protection type, and activated LockThis! you are ready to protect your applications.

Application of LockThis! protection is very simple. All you have to do is:

"Press Ctrl keyboard button when minimizing the main window of your application"

If you choose to use different password for each application, you will be asked for custom password, like in the following picture. Just enter the password and its confirmation, click OK button, and the application is protected. If you click Cancel button, the application will still be minimized but without protection.

Password dialog for a minimized application

When the application has been successfully locked, you will see the following icon in the middle of your screen briefly, around a half second.

Application has been locked

Unlocking Application

Locked applications window only can be restored/maximized after the correct password is given. To unlock a locked application please do the following steps.

Click the application button in taskbar. This step is to initiate the restoring window process
A password dialog will pop up, enter the correct password here and click OK button.
If the given password is correct, the application will be restored and you can continue working with it.
If the given password is incorrect, the application will still be minimized. No message will be shown. In this case you have to restart from step number 1.