Password Proect folders in windows 7

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Any good applications or methods for doing simple password protection on a few folders? I don't need anything fancy, and I don't want to hide the folders. I've tried several apps, but they refuse to work in windows 7 and one (AxCrypt) kept giving me permissions errors even though I'm the only user/admin on this system, and I had everything setup for full access. I just want to click on a folder and have a password box pop up.

PaleCommander

Depending on which edition of Windows 7 you have, the functionality you're looking for may already be present in the BitLocker utility. I found the following by going to the control panel option "Manage file encryption certificates":

Windows Help and Support wrote:

What is Encrypting File System (EFS)?

Encrypting File System (EFS) is a feature of Windows that you can use to store information on your hard disk in an encrypted format. Encryption is the strongest protection that Windows provides to help you keep your information secure.

Some key features of EFS:

Encrypting is simple; just select a check box in the file or folder's properties to turn it on.

You have control over who can read the files.

Files are encrypted when you close them, but are automatically ready to use when you open them.

If you change your mind about encrypting a file, clear the check box in the file's properties.

Note
EFS is not fully supported on Windows 7 Starter, Windows 7 Home Basic, and Windows 7 Home Premium. For those editions of Windows, if you have the encryption key or certificate, you can do the following:

Decrypt files by running Cipher.exe in the Command Prompt window (advanced users)

Modify an encrypted file

Copy an encrypted file as decrypted to a hard disk on your computer

Import EFS certificates and keys

Back up EFS certificates and keys by running Cipher.exe in the Command Prompt window (advanced users)

NebulousQ

Maybe use winrar and password protect the archive? Also tell it to encrypt/hide/w.e the filenames.