FAQ

ver 1.5.x runs on Windows 10 (21H2 or later) / 11 and Windows Server 2022 or later. It has been tested on Japanese editions of the OS.

Operation has been confirmed on Professional for client OSs and Standard for server OSs.

.NET Framework 4.8.1 is required (since ver 1.4.0). On Windows Server 2016, 2019 and other systems where .NET Framework 4.8.1 cannot be used, use ver 1.3.0 from previous versions (not covered by support).

Not for checking passwords (since ver 1.5.0). FPC reads the file contents directly to determine whether Excel, Word and PowerPoint files (newer and older formats), PDFs and ZIP files have passwords. Only files that cannot be read directly are checked with Office; if Office is not installed, they are shown as "Not supported".

Office is needed only to set passwords on older formats (xls, doc, ppt, pps) and when you choose "Open with Office to check" in "Settings" → "Detection method". Newer formats (xlsx, docx, pptx and so on) and PDFs can be protected without Office.

Supported Office versions are the Japanese editions of Microsoft 365 Apps and Office 2016 / 2019 / 2021 (32-bit and 64-bit).

Since ver 1.5.0, checking no longer relies on Office messages and uses the file contents instead, so it is designed to work regardless of the Office language. However, operation with English editions of Office and Windows has not been tested yet. Processing that uses Office, such as setting passwords on older formats, has been tested with Japanese editions of Office.

Yes. Administrator rights are not required, as long as you have access rights to the files you check and protect.

Just extract the downloaded ZIP file and place it in any folder. If you have a license key, register it from the menu "Settings" → "Register" (Chapter 1 "Basic settings" (Japanese)).

No, it does not write to the registry.

Yes. On the original PC, release the license with "Settings" → "Unregister" and delete FPC (keeping it on both PCs violates the license). Also check that the new PC meets the system requirements.

Release the license with "Settings" → "Unregister", then delete the whole FPC folder.

It is a data leak prevention application that finds unprotected files without a read password (a password to open) among the Office files (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), PDFs and ZIP files on file servers and PCs. You can set passwords on the files it finds in bulk. The results are logged. It supports both on-screen operation and bulk processing from the command line.

Yes. FPC does not check files sent by email; it audits files stored on file servers and PCs. Even after stopping PPAP, important files such as customer lists and quotes remain in shared folders. FPC finds the files without passwords among them, protects the ones that need it in bulk, and logs the audit results.

Excel (xlsx, xlsm, xlsb, xls, xlb, xlw), Word (docx, docm, doc), PowerPoint (pptx, pptm, ppsx, ppsm, ppt, pps), PDF and ZIP. For ZIP, only checking is supported, not setting passwords.

For details, see Chapter 5 "Supported files" (Japanese).

Yes (since ver 1.5.0; User and Professional). PDFs with an open password (user password) are shown as "Has password". PDFs with only editing or printing restrictions (permissions password) are shown as "No password", with the message "There is no open password (only restrictions such as editing and printing are set)". Certificate-protected PDFs are treated as "Has password".

Passwords are set with AES-256 encryption, and the same password is set as the open password and the permissions password. Passwords cannot be set on PDFs with editing or printing restrictions or on digitally signed PDFs (because the signature would become invalid). The password is written to a temporary file, and FPC confirms the file opens with that password before replacing the original.

Professional: all features are available.

User: files on the network and the command line (batch mode) are not available.

Free: checks and protects Word files only, up to 10 files (Excel, PowerPoint, PDF and ZIP are not covered). Files on the network are not covered, and it is not covered by support.

For details, see Features by edition.

Yes (Professional). On screen, add a shared folder (Chapter 3 "GUI mode" (Japanese)); on the command line, specify the folder when running it.

No. Download them to a PC first, then check them. Support is listed as a feature under consideration in the Roadmap.

For files with supported extensions, it reads the file contents (since ver 1.5.0). If the extension does not match the contents (for example, a file that is not an Office file but has an Office extension), it shows the error "Not an Office file". Files with unsupported extensions are not checked.

Only one instance can run at a time.

The app's interface is currently in Japanese only. An English interface is planned (see the Roadmap).

It depends on the environment and network bandwidth. In our tests, CPU usage was about 20–30%. We recommend checking in your actual environment with a trial key.

With some restrictions. Passwords may not be set on files created with older versions of Office. For details, see Chapter 7 "Notes" (Japanese).

On screen, click a folder in the tree and its files are checked automatically. Turn on "Settings" → "Check subfolders" to also check lower levels in the background, and the status bar shows separate counts for the folder and its subfolders (the results are also recorded in the log FPCLog.txt). The command line (FPCCmd.exe) can also check everything, including subfolders, at once (Professional).

FPCCmd.exe /l:C:\FPCLOG\LOG.TXT /c:C:\Document

For details, see Chapter 4 "Batch mode" (Japanese).

Create a text file listing each target file and password on its own line, and specify it on the command line. Add /p to set the same password on all files.

FPCCmd.exe /s:C:\FPCSET\INPUT.TXT /p:officepw

You can register the command in Windows Task Scheduler and run it regularly. When processing uses Office (setting passwords on older formats, or "Open with Office to check"), set it to run while logged on, due to Office restrictions.

It is the setting for whether to keep the original file when setting a password ("Settings" → "Backup settings"). With "Keep a copy (recommended)", a copy named "original file name.fbk01" (then .fbk02 …) is made in the same folder before the password is set. With "Don't keep a copy", the password is set directly on the original file; in that case, if you forget the password, you can no longer open the file. The selected setting is kept the next time you start FPC.

PR: has a password, UP: no password, SC: password set, ER: error, CP: no Office, LM: edition limit, --: not supported. CP appears only when "Open with Office to check" is selected, or for files that require Office. Files shown with a lock mark (cannot be accessed) on screen are ER in the log. For details, see Chapter 6 "Status list" (Japanese).

Since ver 1.5.0, not by default. They are recorded only when you turn on "Record passwords set" in "Settings" → "Log" (they are not recorded when names are masked).

The logs are FPCLog.txt (start and exit, folders opened, check results on screen and in batch mode) and FPCChangeLog.txt (date and time, user, PC, file and result each time a password is set). "Open log folder" opens the folder where they are saved.

Turn on "Mask file names and other names" in "Settings" → "Log" to replace the names of files, folders, shares, users and PCs with aliases such as D0001 and F0001.xlsx in the log (extensions and hierarchy are kept). The table mapping aliases to original names, FPCLogMap.txt, stays on that PC. Do not send it with the logs.

Yes. While checking, the status bar shows "Checking n / m" and "Cancel". Click "Cancel" and files not yet checked are marked with a gray "−" (canceled). Opening another folder also stops checking the previous subfolders.

In ver 1.5.0, with the method of reading files directly (default), FPC starts even while Office is running.

When FPC uses Office, such as when "Open with Office to check" is selected, FPC cannot start while Excel, Word or PowerPoint is running, as before. Exit Office and then start FPC. The same applies if you are previewing an Office file in Outlook.

Office may not have exited properly. Check in Task Manager whether Excel, Word or PowerPoint processes remain, and end them if so. Signing out and signing in again also solves it.

When checking with the method of reading files directly (default), or when setting passwords on newer formats and PDFs, FPC does not use Office, so there is no effect.

While FPC is using Office (setting passwords on older formats, checking with "Open with Office to check" and so on), Office windows you open yourself may not work properly. The content of files you open cannot be guaranteed either, so please do not use Office during that time.

FPC does not set a read password on files that have a write password (the same applies to newer formats protected without Office).

These are newer-format files encrypted with the default password "VelvetSweatshop", which older versions of Excel and others create. Office opens them without asking for a password, but FPC shows them as "Has password". For details, see Chapter 7 "Notes" (Japanese).

This happens when a file created with an older version of Office cannot be saved in a newer version of Office. Save the file again in a newer format, then set the password again.

Office may not be installed correctly. Try repairing Office. For how to check, see Chapter 7 "Notes" (Japanese).

Office did not respond within the set time (default 30 seconds), so processing was stopped. You can extend the time with WaitTime in the configuration file (FPC.xml). If that does not help, open the file directly and check its state.

Some NAS devices block access when files are read at short intervals. Specify the interval (in milliseconds) before reading the next file with BatchIntervalTime in the configuration file (FPC.xml) (since ver 1.4.1).

You do not have access rights to the file or folder. Check the access rights and run it again.

On the ver 1.5.0 screen, files and folders that cannot be accessed are shown with a lock mark instead of a dialog, and the reason is shown at the bottom of the window. They are also counted as "n cannot be accessed" in the status bar.

Files cannot be processed if the folder name and file name together are 260 characters or more (when backing up, keep them under 254 characters).

It is sold by download only. Please order via the contact form (How to buy).

We issue a trial key that lets you use all features for a limited time (once per company). Please apply via the contact form.

By bank transfer. Credit cards are not accepted. Customers outside Japan can also pay with PayPal.

Yes. We usually send them by email; ask us if you need them by post.

It is the unit of the environment where FPC runs. Virtual machines and Remote Desktop also count as one device each. If you use one license on two PCs, or two or more people use one PC at the same time via Remote Desktop, you need that many licenses. About device licenses (Japanese)

Minor version upgrades are free; major version upgrades are paid.

Yes. Please contact us.

No. For details, see the software license agreement (Japanese).

Features and operation are described in the user manual (Japanese) and on this site. Customers who have purchased a maintenance contract can contact us via the dedicated contact form.

Inquiries when you need help with installation or operation, inquiries about product features and behavior, and priority access to free fixes. For details, see Maintenance support.

We are happy to discuss it. Please contact us via the contact form.