the main › Tips › How to encrypt a removable hard drive. Setting a password on the hard drive. Setting a password using archiving

How to encrypt a removable hard drive. Setting a password on the hard drive. Setting a password using archiving

Sometimes many users are interested in the question - how can you put a password on HDD? This is primarily of interest to more professional users who want to protect their computer from unauthorized persons. Recently, this issue has also become relevant for ordinary users who are very worried about their system, information on it and are trying to protect it by any means. Basically, the hard disk password is designed to prevent fraudsters or other users from taking over your system and starting the hard disk, as well as getting information from it and using it for their own purposes. There are many ways and options on how to put a password on a hard drive, but the most relevant and most popular is setting a password on a hard drive using a BIOS.

First, you need to determine what the BIOS is.
BIOS is a specialized software that can be found on absolutely any computer in a constant working state.

This software is used to test the device, update the system, and search for downloads. BIOS is a very broad purpose for a pc and a demanded program. In this software collected a large number of the most current and necessary firmware that allows you to configure all system unit, create download operating system and improve important parameters your his personal computer... Therefore, it is desirable for any user to understand this software, at least at the level of an amateur and know the small settings, as well as the ability to set and reset passwords.

Hard disk password using BIOS

When setting a password on a hard disk, more professional users use the BIOS. This allows you to maximize your system security, get the best bang for your buck, and disable your password at any time. This procedure can be performed on absolutely any computer, including a laptop, netbook and other devices. If you suddenly somehow forgot the password on the hard drive, then you will not be able to load the operating system and this will cause a failure for your computer, but in any situation, thanks to the BIOS, any password with hard disk can be removed.
How to put a password on a hard drive via Bios?
This requires:

The user will see the BIOS itself. Now the user needs to understand a little about the functions and tabs of the BIOS.

For control in the BIOS, you must use the buttons - arrows forward, backward, left and right.

The BIOS contains the following tabs:

The user will need exactly the Security tab, where he can see the password settings on Bios and on the hard drive

It is in this tab that you can put a password on the hard drive and save the data when you exit. After that, a password on your hard disk will appear on your computer, which will need to be registered at any logon and Windows startup.

Conclusion

A hard disk password is an essential security tool for people who are worried about their information and want to hide their data from unauthorized persons. It is best to set such a password through Bios, this gives users advantages in data protection, and also creates the ability to recover the password or disable it altogether. Remember that protecting your data and your computer is the right and timely decision.

Hello dear readers of the blog site. Nowadays, few people store important data in paper form - mainly computers, laptops, flash drives and other media are used.

Losing all this stuff will be incredibly sorry (backup will help us), but even more problems can arise from getting your data, stored like the apple of an eye, into the wrong hands. And you always have something to profit from. So, for example, it was with me when the Trojan stole the passwords from my FTP client and .

In this regard, many people have a question - how to password-protect a folder with important data or put a password on the entire computer or at least on a USB flash drive, so that if it is lost, no one would be able to access the contents. Well, in fact, there are a lot of solutions to this problem, and even Windows itself (in the form of Bit Locker) offers options for data encryption, but all this is usually half-hearted and does not guarantee that, if necessary, a workaround will not be found.

TrueCrypt features, reliability, and customization

However, there is (and for a very long time) almost one hundred percent reliable way password-protect anything in a folder, on your computer, flash drive or external hard drive. This program is called. It will be possible to put a password even on Windows itself and it will not be possible to bypass it even if an attacker (or representatives in power) takes possession of your hard drive, because absolutely all information will be securely encrypted.

True, it will take a little more action from you than with, but it's worth it, because it will be possible to crack encrypted data only by the method of thermorectal cryptanalysis (a soldering iron inserted in one interesting place), which will be used, as you understand, only in very rare cases ...

And it's not all that complicated - TrueCrypt has a simple, intuitive and, what is noteworthy, completely Russified interface. The main thing will be not to forget the password from itself (or key files), because there are no mechanisms for their recovery.

And the guarantee that there are no "master keys" in Trucript is given by the openness of its source code(the same applies to the one described a little earlier) - for fifteen years of its existence, all vulnerabilities and "backdoors" would have already been identified and eliminated.

What is noteworthy is that you put a password on separate folders you don't need it. The most convenient way to work with TrueCrypt is to create a container from any file on your computer with any extension (you can create it on purpose, for example, info.txt). This container will serve as the most reliable folder in the world, and you will determine the complexity of access to it yourself.

All data inside this container will be encrypted and, what is great, it will not be possible to associate them with this program in any way - a normal stream of random data. It is possible to create another (secret) container inside this container, then even thermorectal cryptanalysis may not give a result. But this will already be relevant only for a narrow circle of users of this program.

In addition, it will be possible using Trucript to completely encrypt the entire logical disk(it can be a USB flash drive) on your computer and put a complex password on it, and to guarantee it, also add key files (select any objects on the hard disk or media, without specifying the path to which it will no longer be possible to decrypt the container or folder).

Well, and the most serious way is complete encryption of the entire operating system(or all physical hard disk along with it). After that, when the computer boots up, the TrueCrypt manager will first be loaded with a prompt to enter the password you have set.

Although it is possible to confuse potential attackers and not display any prompts to enter a password at all, or write that an unrecoverable error has occurred so that they do not even try to dig further.

And for especially serious cases, it is even possible to load a secret operating system, which will hide inside a dummy OS. Which of them will be loaded will depend on the password you entered when you started the computer. It may look paranoid, but there are cases when only this option can guarantee the safety of data storage. If you are not paranoid, this does not mean that you are not being followed.

One important point... The Trukript program does not just allow you to put a password on a file, folder or the entire PC - it encrypts all data on the fly, and if you enter a password correctly or specify key files, it decrypts this data on the fly.

In this case, cryptographically strong encryption algorithms are used, which can even be combined (double and even triple). Yes, this may slow down your work with data a little (on modern PCs it is not noticeable), but it will make them truly confidential.

The latest version of TrueCrypt is 7.1a and can be installed on Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux operating systems. Download it used to be possible from the official site, but now the developers have moved under the wing of BitLocker (Microsoft) and the download link has disappeared. I am currently using version 7.1a, which you can download from this link.

The wizard will allow you to choose the type of installation from two program options: Install and Extract ( conventional or portable when all the distribution files are simply unpacked to the folder you specified).

In the case of a portable installation of Trucript, you can avoid advertising that an encryption program is used on your computer and there may be password-protected folders, files or sections:

The portable version of the program can be completely stored on a USB flash drive, so as not to leave any traces at all. However, only full version will allow you to completely encrypt the logical drives of the computer (including flash drives) or put a strong password on the computer by encrypting the system partition.

Personally, I am content with using encrypted container files, so there is no need for me to implement complete installation TrueCrypt. If you are going to password (encrypt) the system partition with the operating system, then use the Install option, but before starting encryption, without relying on chance, be sure to remove the image from the system, for example, with the same Akronis.

Russifier for Trukript you can take from this page and unpack the files enclosed in the archive into the directory with the program. Run the program and select from top menu"Settings" - "Language" to select the Russian language in the window that opens:

What is noteworthy, Russification affects not only the program interface, but also translates into Russian language manual for TrueCrypt, which will be available to you from the top menu (Help - User's Guide). The information in it is set out in extreme detail and comprehensively, so I will not describe all the possibilities in this article (and I could not if I wanted to), but I will simply refer you to this wonderful tome.

I will only tell you about how to put a password on a folder, or, in other words, create a container file (encrypted folder) where you can drop all sorts of things that you want to hide from prying eyes... Well, as well as how to put a password on a USB flash drive so that when it is inserted into the computer, this program would automatically start from it and prompt you to enter the password for the encrypted container (folder).

In TrueCrypt settings, which can be accessed from the top menu by selecting "Settings" - "Options", you can set the parameters for automatic unmounting of containers (encrypted folders), through certain time or on a specific event, as well as ask to clear the password cache on exit:

The setting forcing Trucript to work in the background allows auto-unmounting, and also allows you to use hotkeys when working with this program, which can be configured in the corresponding menu item (Settings - Hotkeys).

If your activity implies the need for instant unmounting all open password-protected folders, then you can hang this action on hotkeys:

Let's first answer the question - how to create an encrypted folder(container file), on which we will put a complex password (and in the appendix also a key file, to be sure) and we will be able to connect it as a regular logical disk in our operating system. Not quite clear? Well, then let's go in order.

How to put a strong password on your computer folder

In the TrueCrypt window, find the "Create Volume" button, or select "Volumes" - "Create New" from the top menu. As a result, you will be taken to the first step of the wizard for creating a new volume (a password-protected folder that will live inside an unremarkable file you have chosen for this purpose):

Actually, this is the first option. The second one will allow you to encrypt any logical disk, both stationary and removable (password protect a USB flash drive or external media). Well, the third option is for those who want, for example, to put one big bold password on their computer. Probably, this will be a good option for a laptop, which can be lost or stolen much more likely than a stationary computer.

The second option offered to us by the Trucript program may be needed, probably, by a few users, but nevertheless. We are not complicating anything, just click on "Next", as a result of which we will be puzzled with a problem creating or searching for a future container(encrypted folder):

It is best to create the file that will later serve as a container for the volume yourself. To do this, you can write the path to a nonexistent object and it will be created, or you can create a dummy file in advance or add unnecessary garbage somewhere.

It is important to understand one point here - this file will no longer be such in its general understanding, because in fact it will turn into a folder on which we will put a complex password and will be ready to fill it with top-secret data. This file will be best hidden deeper among its kind.

Now it's turn decide on the encryption mechanism which will be applied on the fly to the password-protected folder (encrypt and decrypt its contents when entering the correct password):

For our needs, the default option is quite suitable, but you are free to choose any of the available types of encryption, including even double and triple, because when working with containers (volumes or, in other words, password-protected folders), you will not feel a decrease in the speed of work.

But in the case of encrypting the entire system disk of your laptop using TrueCrypt (setting a password to access the computer), encryption speed on the fly can be critical. Try to figure it out by clicking the "Test" button in the above screenshot and feel the drop in speed when the type of encryption becomes more complex:

You don't need to complicate things without the need, especially when passwording a Windows hard drive partition on a weak computer. In most cases, we leave everything at default and click "Next".

At this step, the masters in Trucript offer you set the size of your future password folder (container) based on the maximum available place for this case:

I think that the size should be chosen with a margin. Next, you will be asked to come up with the main password to access this same folder... For those who use Keepass, it would be best to use its built-in generator of complex sequences of characters, which then will be almost impossible to crack by brute force.

It will not be superfluous to add one or several (in case of an aggravated attack of paranoia) key files. For this purpose, absolutely any objects on your computer, flash drive or any other external medium can be used. Files on can also be used as key, but these are still rare cases.

The key objects themselves will not be damaged (remain readable), however, it is best to choose them among many other similar ones (for example, graphic file from the folder with your photos to jpg format) so that the enemy does not guess. Then be sure to copy these key objects to another hard drive or USB flash drive, so as not to be left with a broken trough in the event of their failure, damage, or accidental deletion or modification.

Personally, I have now chosen for myself as the main place Reserve copy — online services(file-hosting). For example, or. This greatly reduces the likelihood of losing everything at once. I keep the data of programs such as Trukript and Kipas in them without fail. IMHO.

If you are too lazy to remember a complex password, then its field can be left blank, and select only the key file(or several pieces), the location of which on your computer or flash drive will be easy to remember. However, this will weaken the protection of your TrueCrypt-protected folders, but it will increase their usability.

At the next step of the wizard to create a folder with a password, you will be asked to select the type file system in this container (if you plan to store objects larger than four gigs there, then choose NTFS):

There you can also check the "Dynamic" box so that the size of this container changes as it fills. However, if free space will not be on the hard disk, then your container may be damaged, so I prefer not to use this feature, but to create an encrypted folder of a fixed size.

Then move the mouse over this window, thereby increasing the cryptographic strength of the encryption of the future safe folder and press the "Mark up" button. The layout will take some time, depending on the size you give it and the speed of your computer.

That's it, so we created a secret folder and put the most secure password (and key file) on it as a lock. Now all that remains is to learn how to use it.

How to open a folder with a password in TrueCrypt

In the main window of the program, you will see all the letters of the logical drives that are on your computer in this moment not involved. You can connect our secret folder with a password to any letter you like. To do this, click on this letter, and then click on the button "File":

Find the container that we turned into a secret folder with the help of the magic and capabilities of Trukript. The path to it will appear in the "Volume" area, after which we will need to enter it by clicking on the button "Mount":

In the window that opens, enter the password (and specify the key file using the appropriate button, if you have used one), and then click OK:

As a result of these shamanic actions, an entry will appear in the main TrueCrypt window, opposite the letter of the logical drive you have chosen, indicating that the entire contents of the folder on which we put the password is open for viewing and working with it:

Now all that remains is to open this disk in Explorer or to start working with the objects contained in this secret directory:

When you finish working with documents and files from the secret folder, then do not apply, click the button "Unmount" in the Trucript program window:

Well, also scroll this text up to make the necessary settings for automatic unmounting (including using hotkeys) in case you forget to do it manually. I would not keep the password-protected folder open all the time, because in this case the whole point of its creation is lost.

How to put a strong password on a computer in Trucript

Now let's take a rough look at how you can put a password on a Windows computer using our wonderful program. As I already mentioned, Trucript allows you to encrypt either only the logical partition where you have the operating system installed, or the entire hard drive (from which the OS is loaded).

It will be possible to put an additional password for loading a secret operating system, but you yourself can read about this in the program manual, which, by the way, after Russification, will also open in Russian.

Attention! Before performing the following steps to encrypt the system partition, be sure to do backup your OS, for example, with the help of Akronis, because I don't want to see your curses in the comments later and read various curses addressed to me. The program works reliably (encrypts in the background), but no one is immune from the circumstances.

It can be useful to encrypt the entire system partition on a stationary computer if you use a huge amount of counterfeit software and at the same time you have the risk of getting checked by the competent authorities.

Well, if you have a laptop that you constantly carry with you, then it will be very desirable to completely encrypt its hard drive, so that if it is lost or stolen, you do not worry about possible leaks of your confidential information.

TrueCrypt not only allows put a strong password on your computer, but also completely encrypts (turns into digital garbage) all data on it (on system disk, and the rest of the logical drives can be encoded separately, if necessary).

If an ordinary chest with a lock can be opened by knocking down this same lock or breaking through its wall, then encryption will be similar to a magical effect that will turn the chest with all its contents into nothing, and then after entering the key (casting a spell) everything will return "as it was" ...

So let's get started. To begin with, as usual, you will need to press the button " Create volume"Or select the items" Volumes "-" Create new "from the top menu:

However, now we are choosing the last option, which allows us to password-protect our computer. By the way, to make this action available to you, TrueCrypt must be fully installed, and not just unpacked into a folder, like a portable version (read about this at the beginning of the article).

At the next step, the wizard will offer us a choice: either to encrypt the system partition or the entire hard drive on which it lives, or to exile and try to create a hidden OS. We will choose the first option, because the second is really useful for a very small number of users with a real or imaginary threat of using the thermorectal cryptanalysis method:

Next, you will be asked a question: do you want to encrypt only one logical partition on which the OS is installed, or do you want to encrypt the entire hard disk (if, in addition to the partition with the OS, there are also logical partitions on it):

If your laptop, for example, has only one hard drive and it is not divided into logical partitions at all (there is only drive C), then you can safely choose the second option (this way you will put the password on the entire computer at once).

If on laptop hard there is only one disk, but it is divided into partitions, then it would be better to choose the second option again so that no data would get to an outsider if the laptop is lost or stolen. Well, if you have a stationary computer, with a bunch of hard drives, then I do not even know what to advise. Think for yourself.

After loading the BIOS, but before starting the operating system, the bootloader created by Trucript will be loaded, and it can also take on the role of the boot manager so that you can choose which OS to load if necessary. When choosing a password-protected operating system, you will have to enter the password from the computer.

In the next step, the wizard for setting the lock on your computer will traditionally ask you about the type of encryption you want to select (See screenshots above in).

As I mentioned a little higher in the text - be careful with the choice of double and special triple encryption on weak computers and in any case, click on the "Test" button and check what happens on your hardware:

Further, just as when password-protecting a folder using TrueCrypt, we must come up with a password for accessing the computer and, if desired, this case can be strengthened with key files (read more in detail a little higher in the text):

Now you will need to move the mouse within the window that opens to increase the cryptographic strength of the applied encryption method, after which you will be shown a part of the code of the generated crypto keys:

This is followed by a very important point - choosing a place on your computer where it will be recorded disk image for recovering a damaged Trucript bootloader... You will have to later (preferably without delaying long box, and at the next step, the wizard will remind you of this) burn a disc from this image that can help you start your computer in the event of force majeure:

After burning the recovery disc to a suitable disc, you can proceed to the next step of the wizard. True, TrueCrypt will make sure that the recovery disc is written correctly (it will need to be inserted into the drive, although you can trick the wizard with the drive emulation program) and will not allow you to perform further actions at your own risk.

Now you will need to decide how important it will be for you to eliminate all possible ways data recovery of your system partition, because such a possibility always exists if specialists get down to business and begin to torture your hard drive. True, if you record any rubbish on it several times in a row, thereby erasing all the remnants of unencrypted information, then the specialists will be left with nothing.

In most cases, this will be redundant and you can leave the default option:

Next, you will be prompted check if the bootloader is working correctly(press the "Test" button), created by Trukript, but still without the password and encryption of the section. When this preliminary testing is completed, you will be prompted to move on to the real encryption of the system partition, which will run in the background while you use the computer for its intended purpose.

Although, in order to avoid excesses, it would be better to do it at night or at any time when you will not need a PC for several hours. Now, every time you boot the OS, you you will have to enter a password, which you put on guard for the security of your computer:

For all the rest of the information on working with the encrypted system partition, read detailed manual user, which, as I have mentioned several times, has been pretty well translated into Russian. There you will find a lot of nuances and useful little things that have not been found in this publication.

How to password protect a USB flash drive and add TrueCrypt to autorun

There are two options to put a strong and complex password on the media using Trucript. First, it will be possible encrypt the entire USB flash drive as a logical drive of the computer using the second option (encode non-system partition / disk) from the first step of the New Volumes Wizard:

However, this option has one significant drawback - it will not be possible configure TrueCrypt autorun when a flash drive is inserted into a computer... But this is very convenient when the encryption program itself is recorded on the media and at the same time starts itself when the device is inserted into the PC, and also mounts the required volume (password-protected folder) from the same flash drive, but you just need to enter the password into the open window.

We simply add a file to the USB flash drive that will serve as the container described just above, that is, in the "New Volume Wizard" window, select the first option and follow all the steps described in detail in the second section of this article:

In such a simple way, we create a password-protected folder on our flash drive... If its size smaller carrier, then you can add something else to it to distract attention. Although, if you do the autorun of the Trucript program from a flash drive, then all these precautions will no longer be necessary.

Now we need register TrueCrypt at startup and for the program to automatically mount the volume (encrypted folder with super secret data). To do this, from the top menu of Trucript, select the items "Service" - "Setting up a portable disk":

In the window that opens, click the top "Browse" button and find your USB flash drive, the path to which will be written in the form next to it:

Just below you rearrange the check mark in the field "Autowiring a volume in TrueCrypt", and even lower, using the "Browse" button, specify the path to the container file (password-protected directory on the media) and click on the "Create" button. After some thought, you will be delighted with a message about the successful creation of a portable disk:

Unfortunately, due to the dominance of viruses on computers and their bad habit of spreading by registering themselves in the autoload of a flash drive, this autoload is simply disabled on many computers.

Therefore, to mount a volume that is stored on the media, and autorun from it Trucript it will be possible to create a file with the .cmd extension (for example, smont.cmd) in the root of the flash disk and add the following content to it:

Truecrypt \ truecrypt.exe / q background / e / m rm / v "text.txt"

Where, instead of text.txt, you need to specify the name of the container file (encrypted secret folder on the USB flash drive) or before it. When you run this file from a USB flash drive (double click), you will see a black window command line and a TrueCrypt window prompting you to enter your password:

If you enter it correctly, the main program window will open with information that the password-protected folder from the USB flash drive has been successfully mounted on the first of the free letters of logical drives in your OS.

At the same time, a Windows Explorer window will open with the contents of this newly mounted logical drive, or, in other words, with our super secret data carried on a flash drive:

Well, you can also add a razmont.cmd file to the media with the following content:

Truecrypt \ truecrypt.exe / q / d

You may need it when you want to remove the USB flash drive. Running this file will unmount (remove) secret data from the password-protected folder from the USB flash drive and you can safely pull this flash drive itself out of the computer. Well, as it were, that's all. In short it happened ...

Good luck to you! See you soon on the pages of the blog site

Per file (document, notepad)

The easiest, fastest and most effective way to put a password on your folders and files is to send them to a password-protected (and encrypted) archive. When you need to access files and folders inside the archive, you need to enter a password for access and use them safely.

From the pros: this way you can protect any files: Word / Excel documents, pictures, text files(notebooks), scans, etc. There are also archivers on any PC / laptop, which means you can open files on any computer!

There are, however, disadvantages: if you forget the password, then it is very difficult to open such an archive (in some cases it is impossible); not convenient to work with large files(for example, with a video folder).

Below I will consider how to create such an encrypted archive in the popular archivers 7-Zip and WinRAR.

7-Zip

A very popular archiver that allows you to compress files stronger than its competitors: WinRAR, WinZIP, etc. The archiver is free, convenient and minimalist (there is nothing superfluous). In general, it rightfully occupies a leading position ...

After installing it, you will see the menu of the same name in the explorer: 7-Zip. Now, to create an archive, you just need to click right click mice on the desired file or folder and select from the menu that appears "Add to archive ..." (see screenshot below).

(1) - it is necessary to set name of your archive and the place where it will be saved. In general, the name of the archive can be anything, and later it can be renamed, like a regular file;
(2) - archive format. The best compression is provided by the 7-Zip format, and this is what I recommend choosing;
(3) - SFX archive - self-extracting archive... That is, if you check the box next to this item, an EXE file will be created (like a regular program), by running which, you can extract files without using an archiver (a handy thing in order to extract files on any computer, even on those , where there are no archivers at all);
(4) entering a password - the password can be anything, here the archiver does not set any restrictions. However, remember that passwords like "12345", "God", "Love", etc. associated with your name and date of birth are very easy to crack! Install something more reliable (6-10 characters recommended, with upper and lower case letters, numbers and special characters);
(5) choice of encryption method- I recommend leaving the default AES-256, and additionally ticking the "Encrypt file names" checkbox. Thanks to this, your files in the archive not only cannot be opened, but even see what the names of the files are hidden in the archive!
(6) - start archiving.

Create archive // 7-Zip

After the archive is created, you can try to open it. For this action, any archiver (not even 7-Zip) will ask you to enter a password for decryption. If you do not know it or have forgotten it, then your files will remain inaccessible!

WinRAR

One of the most famous archivers providing a good compression ratio. Allows you to open and extract files from all the most popular archive formats: ZIP, RAR, ACE, TAR, GZIP, etc.

To create an archive in WinRAR - just right-click on any file / folder, and in the explorer menu that appears, select "WinRAR / Add to Archive" (note: add to archive).

(1) - set the name for the archive (Archive name), can be any;
(2) - select archive format (RAR recommended);
(3) - select an option "Set Password"(password setting) to encrypt the archive.

Then specify the password itself (line "Enter password", i.e. password entry) and it is highly advisable to put a tick in the line "Encrypt file names"(i.e. encrypt filenames).

Then you can start archiving. In general, the password-protected archive is ready - you can use it ...

Password protection of Word / Excel documents, etc.

Documents created in Microsoft Office, can be encrypted regular means, without additional programs... It is very convenient when you often need to work with an encrypted document. By the way, pictures can also be placed in such a document ...

To set a password: open the menu FILE / DETAILS ... Then click on the function "Document protection" and choose what you want: encrypt with password (by the way, in addition to this, the document can, for example, be prohibited for editing, access restricted, etc.) .

Please note that the entered password (if you forget or lose it) is almost impossible to recover! By the way, the office itself is warned about this when it is assigned.

After the document is protected by entering the section "INTELLIGENCE", you will see a key with a padlock icon appear, and a note is written that a password is required to open the file. Actually, that's it, the document is protected!

To folder / directory

It is not always convenient to set a password for a specific file. For example, you have a catalog with pictures, personal photos that you often work with (edit old ones, upload new ones, etc.), and which you would not want anyone to see without your permission. In this case, it is not convenient to create an archive every time, and you have to resort to other tools. About them below ...

♦
Protected Folder

A very handy utility for protecting and hiding your files and folders from outsiders. To protect a folder with a password - just move it to the window (in the "safe") - and everything in it will be reliably protected by your password.

Advantages:

allows you to protect personal and important information from theft by programs;
there are several levels of protection;
very convenient to use: simple drag and drop of the folder - and it is protected!
completely in Russian;
compatible with Windows 7/8 / 8.1 / 10 (32/64 bits).

A very simple and at the same time reliable program for protecting encryption and password protection of any folders: whether they are on a hard disk, flash drive or any other removable media... Each folder, by the way, can be protected by its own separate password. The program is fully translated into Russian, supported by all popular versions of Windows.

Advantages:

it is unnecessary to keep it constantly running;
does not install any specials. drivers to the system;
simple, clear interface- even a completely novice PC user can figure it out;
there are hot keys;
the program is compact and does not take up much disk space;
free for home use.

I will show with an example how you can easily encrypt and close your folder from prying eyes. Install and run the program. Then add the folder (you can use the Ins key).

Now, even if you close or delete the program, your folder will remain inaccessible (an attempt to enter it (if you remember its name and address) will end with an error, as in the screenshot below).

By the way, the folder is not visible even if you boot into safe mode... In general, it is hidden securely!

To decrypt the folder and files in it, you need to run the utility again, click on the icon with the open lock and enter the password.

On a USB flash drive

Method number 1

The easiest way to put a password on an entire flash drive (or disk) is to use a feature that already exists in Windows - BitLocker. Allows you to reliably and quickly protect information on a USB flash drive

Note! BitLocker encryption is not available in all Windows versions... If you have Windows 7 Ultimate or Enterprise, Windows 8 / 8.1 / 10 - most likely you should have it.

To protect the USB flash drive in this way - connect it to the USB port, open "My computer" (or "This computer") and click on it with the right mouse button, in the menu that appears, select. Then follow the instructions of the wizard to set the password.

When the password is set, try to remove the USB flash drive from the USB port, and then reconnect it - you will see that access to it is closed (and its icon has become with a closed lock). Until you enter the password to unlock, the information on the carrier is reliably protected!

Unlock disk / flash drive

Method number 2

A very simple and convenient utility for protecting flash drives (works in all versions of Windows). All you need to protect a USB flash drive is to download the utility and copy it to a USB drive (see the screen below).

Action number 1 - copied the program file to the USB flash drive

Then you can set a password.

Action number 2 - launched the utility from the flash drive, formatted it and entered the password

ALL! Now, when you plug in a flash drive, it will appear empty (only the USB Safeguard program file will be visible in it).

To see the files on it, you will need to run this file and enter the correct password. If you do this, then a disk will appear Z, equal in size to your flash drive - it is with it that you need to work (and it is on it that all your files added for encryption will be located) ...

In general, everything is simple, convenient and easy to work!

An analogue of a similar utility: Rohos Mini Drive.

ADDITION

You can also create a virtual encrypted disk (something like an image) to connect and view which, you need to enter the correct password. This technology makes your files as safe as possible from outsiders. In addition, absolutely any type of files can be stored on such a disk.

Examples of programs: TrueCrypt, CyberSafe, Rohos Disk, etc.

PS: don't forget passwords! Otherwise, make the files so secure that you won't even be able to view them yourself ...

Now let's cover the remaining types of data: how to put a password on a folder, file or disk in Windows? Here are the most simple ways that do not require the installation of unfamiliar programs.

Method one: Windows permissions

In this way, you can restrict access to a folder, any file, and even an entire section of the disk. If you have multiple user accounts on your computer and you are the administrator of the computer, you can close access to the information you need for everyone but yourself. This is done like this:

After that, the file, folder or disk partition will become inaccessible to all users whom you deny access. They will not be able to open it - for this they will need to enter the password from account administrator, that is, yours. Just remember to give the file or folder an inconspicuous name, as the file names will still be visible to everyone.

Method two: use the archiver

This method allows you to put a password on a folder or file. Surely you have at least one archiver on your computer, for example, WinRAR... Then you can hide a secret file or folder in an archive and set a password on it. To do this, do the following:

Right click on a file or folder and select Add to archive(Add to archive).
In the displayed window in the field Compression method(Compression method) select Without compression(Store). This way you don't have to waste time unpacking the file when opening the archive.
Then click on the button Set password(Set password).
In the window that appears, enter the password and confirmation and click OK.
Click on OK in the main window. An archive with a file or folder will be created.
Delete the original file or folder.

Now, to access a file or folder, you first need to open the archive. And when you open the archive, enter the password that you set. Don't forget about inconspicuous names. In the same way, you can put a password on any new archive on Windows.

Method 3: BitLocker

This method is for discs. It is available if you have Windows 7 Ultimate or Enterprise, Windows 8 / 8.1 or Windows 10. For more information on using BitLocker, see our article on. And in order to encrypt a disk partition or flash drive, do the following:

Now, when you try to access the disk, the system will ask you to enter a password.

Grade: 4,00 (votes: 4 )

How to put a password on an external hard drive.

With the arrival in modern society highly developed technologies, the issue of high-quality information security has become a very acute issue. Most of the various information users keep on hard drives and therefore personal information must be reliably protected from copying or viewing by third parties. All information important for the user will remain under reliable protection if there is a password on the PC. It can be easily installed using all kinds of utilities.

Now developers offer a huge number of programs and Disk Password Protection is one of them. Its main advantage is that it protects not only the hard disk, but also the boot sector, which allows you to save the operating systems that are installed on this medium... First, the operator needs to install this program on the PC and run it.

Subsequently, a utility window should appear, in which all available system media are indicated. Using the mouse, select on the screen the area of the disk that the user assigned to use the password. After that, it is necessary to launch the mandatory function "Protection Wizard" by selecting the items "Wizard" and "Protection" in the menu separately. Then a window will appear asking for the type of protected disk, desired disk it is necessary to mark and continue the actions by clicking the "Next" button.

Then the operator must select in the appeared register of available media, which is necessary for him and use the "Next" button. After all these actions, a specialized form will appear on the screen, in the fields of which you must set a password and confirm it. You can also immediately set the hidden protection mode by putting the checkbox of this mode and again clicking on the "Next" button. After all the above steps, the program should successfully complete the password setting and thereby protect the user's information. Later, during the loading of the operating system, the user will have to enter set password to access files. In addition, the program can encrypt disk files, after which they cannot be read using the operating system launched from the "LiveCD".

There is another noteworthy program called True Crypt. Due to it, you can set a password for a local media, folder or file. Its capabilities also allow the choice of one of the encryption function algorithms. It is important that the encryption function with many of them can take a long time. After the user has installed True Crypt on the PC, it must also be launched. After that, the window of the Create Disk Encryption Wizard will be displayed on the desktop and so that the program does not switch to foreign language, you should abandon this function. Next, through the "Start" button, the user needs to find this program and click on its icon to display the window, which should be called "Volumes". Then create a volume type by selecting the line “Create new volume”, Then press the“ Next ”button to select the file for storing the encrypted disk. Repeat the previous step again. Next, you need to decide on the size of the disk, come up with a password and confirm your actions using the "Run" button. After that, the installation of the program will be completed.

Popular in the heading: