anhdroid asks:
Is there any software that will help me create a secret folder on my USB external hard drive? The folder itself should be hidden or password-protected so that nobody can see or access it except me. I will then use the folder to backup some important files with personal information inside.
A free solution would be appreciated. Thanks a lot!
Browser: Chrome 20
System: Windows 7 Home Premium
Tagged: external hard drive, find software, free software, hidden folder, security, windows tips
System: Windows 7 Home Premium
Tagged: external hard drive, find software, free software, hidden folder, security, windows tips
13 Answers -
illegal3alien
June 13, 2012You should look into Truecrypt. You could create a secure file container of partition the flash drive and dedicate a small section of it to become the encrypted area.
Mike
June 13, 2012The problem with “secret” or “hidden” folders is that there is always a way for someone to find it ~ the same applies to simple password protection which can be brute forced or depending on the solution simply doesn’t work e.g. when the device is plugged in at a Linux machine or so.
The only thing I can recommend is creating an encrypted “container volume” to store the files.
The most popular choice especially if you are going to use the drive on different systems e.g. Linux or OSX would be TrueCrypt however it does require administrative privileges ~ even the portable version.
http://www.truecrypt.org/
If you are only planning on using it on Windows only I recommend FreeOTFE. It is fully portable e.g. can be copied and used from the external drive you store the “container file” on and further it works as a standard user ~ no admin required.
http://www.freeotfe.org/
Bruce Epper
June 13, 2012It is probably easiest to use TrueCrypt to create a virtual disk on your external drive.
Jon Smith
June 13, 2012Truecrypt
They have an option to mount a secret folder so you can escape the extortion but I hope that never happens to you
Dave
June 13, 2012You could use the cloud or a online storage there are plenty for free to store what ever you want.
ha14
June 13, 2012Perhaps Toolwiz BSafe can work on external hard drive
http://www.toolwiz.com/products/toolwiz-bsafe/
Alan Wade
June 13, 2012Sorry, but the question I have to ask is if the drive is external, why would you leave it around for people to access your files?
There are loads of encryption methods and loads tools to crack/hack a folder, how much are you willing to pay to pretect it? There is a multitude of free and paid for file protection tools about, Google it and get hundreds of pages, thats what we do!
You can make the folder invisible and that would be a better solution as the other tricks can be easily cracked.
http://justclickin.com/how-to-make-a-folder-invisible/
You can look into this for more
June 13, 2012anhdroid
June 13, 2012Thanks everyone for the suggestions! I think I would look into TrueCrypt.
ryandigweed0
June 13, 2012Yeah i vouch for TrueCrypt as well
Armando Alarid de la Torre
June 13, 2012You can use trucrypt or also you can use a Linux distribution called backtrack 5 you will find a tool for that
Vrancken René
June 17, 2012perhaps read this http://www.online-tech-tips.com/computer-tips/how-to-create-an-invisible-hidden-drive-in-windows/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ComputerTipsFromAComputerGuy+%28Computer+Tips%2C+Tricks+%26+Tutortials+From+A+Computer+Guy%21%29
Manide
June 18, 2012TrueCrypt is also my recommendation. One of the main reasons in chosing it was this article: http://www.itproportal.com/2010/06/28/truecrypt-beats-fbi-encryption-experts-money-laundering-case/
All I have to say is wow! I always has it in portable version but never used it, but extremely good reason to start!
June 25, 2012Steve Montgomery
August 2, 2012Try True Crypt, a free open source encryption program. I’ve used it for a few years now, and I love it! You can download the newest version at http://www.truecrypt.com .