# Protecting folders on external hard drive



## johnni (Dec 16, 2003)

The downloaded password-protected program on my computer does not protect any 'locked' folder on my ext. drive when it is USB connected to another PC.
Can anyone recommend a (?free) program that can protect these files if the drive is lost or stolen?

Thanks.

johnni


----------



## Squashman (Apr 4, 2003)

Encrypt them.
http://www.truecrypt.org/
http://www.axantum.com/AxCrypt/


----------



## johnni (Dec 16, 2003)

Thanks for your reply.
Truecrypt cannot be used with WinME but I downloaded AxCrypt. The trouble with encryption (and decryption) is that it takes quite a long time to do. I have a number of folders with docs and images which really is time related. 
All I want to do is password protect a folder from being opened even when away from the 'home' computer. I think the only way is to have a program installed on the ext. drive, but this may not be possible because of registry considerations.
Any more ideas from anybody?

johnni


----------



## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Since you're running ME, which implies FAT32 formatting, there is very little security available. The encryption is the easiest way.

I think I'd be thinking along the lines of a 2.5" portable hard disk and a pocket big enough to carry it along.


----------



## Squashman (Apr 4, 2003)

While you are at it, get rid of Windows ME.


----------



## yammyman (Jan 5, 2007)

My external drive(stick) has a u3 program on it that requires a password when plugging it in.


----------



## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

yammyman said:


> My external drive(stick) has a u3 program on it that requires a password when plugging it in.


However, if you look closer at how the U3 drive works, it appears as two drives. You can just use Windows Explorer to look at the data portion.


----------



## johnni (Dec 16, 2003)

JohnWill - I also have another PC running XP Pro SP2 and formatted NTFS, but the WinME one is my main PC.
If I were to use the XP one as my main PC how would you suggest I solve this ext. HDD problem? I really want to avoid encryption because of the time factor. The ext. HDD is formatted as FAT32.
Perhaps swapping the PCs wont make any difference in this case.

johnni


----------



## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

If you only connect the external to 2K/XP systems, you could format it NTFS, but you'd have to use some sort of encryption anyway, because it's too easy to bypass file permissions if the files aren't encrypted.

I'd separate the files that really need to be encrypted into a separate folder, and leave the others in the clear.


----------



## yammyman (Jan 5, 2007)

Maybe this seems straight forward to me because I am an idiot. Why don't you just download the file password protecting program to the external drive?

yammy


----------



## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

The "protect" application is installed on the machine in question, and it won't be installed on the other system. The only real way to protect stuff on an external drive would seem to be some sort of encryption.

Another way would be a disk that has password protection, like a laptop drive. I'm somewhat surprised they're not more popular in external enclosures. The only issue is the utility to set/clear the password on the drive.


----------



## johnni (Dec 16, 2003)

yammyman - that's what I would like to do but when I tried it the program insisted on loading to the C: drive, presumably because of registry issues. If anyone knows of a program that doesn't need registry support I would like to try it.
Correction: Not necessarily the C: drive, just any drive on the PC.

johhni


----------



## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Since you have a simple data drive when it's connected to another machine, you need something besides an application that does a simple password protect. There's nothing to force the remote machine to run the password program and enable your protection.


----------

