Hmmmm....
I'm not sure where your problem is. I'm puzzled.
Right-clicking on any folder gives you access to "properties," and in Win2000 there's a tab called "security."
This window allows you to manipulate which users can do what in that folder, including even reading it at all.
Right-clicking on a drive icon in "My Computer" leads you to a similar security control window for the entire drive.
Is this not working in your system?