Password Protect a USB Flash Disk / Portable Hard Drive
Here are two applications which could password protect your USB flash disk or portable hard drive with and without administrator rights.
USB flash disks and portable hard drives are already a part of our modern lives. Almost everyone has a USB flash disk and most people are thinking of buying a portable hard drive nowadays. With that, the question I often get about them is how do you password protect a USB flash disk or portable hard drive?
Why is It Important to Password Protect your USB Flash Disk or Portable Hard Disk?
You carry your USB flash drive or portable hard disk with you all the time. Most of us put sensitive information and files in there that can be used against us or that we simply don’t want others to see. If you lose the flash disk, you risk other people seeing or accessing your sensitive files.
How to Password Protect a USB Flash Disk or Portable Hard Disk?
The methods in password protection of flash disks or portable hard disks have long been an issue. There are many applications which can password protect flash disks. However, most of them require that the logged on user has administrator rights – or the capability to create, modify, delete, install, or run any file on the computer.
So what if a computer doesn’t have administration rights and the flash disk or portable hard drive has a password protection software/application in it? Some applications lock the files inside the USB – meaning it can’t be accessed. Some however, offer no protection at all. All the files are accessible.
I can recommend two applications which you can use.
1. Rohos Mini Drive
Rohos Mini Drive is an application which creates a hidden and encrypted partition in a USB flash disk. The good thing about Rohos Mini Drive is that you can access your files even without administrator rights/privileges. However, the size limit of the files that you can password protect is 2GB.
To setup your flash disk or portable hard drive just choose Setup USB Key
Then insert your USB flash disk and choose the flash disk’s drive letter, in our case its J:. Set the password as well.
Once it finishes making an encrypted partition in your hard drive, you can insert it in any computer (even without administrator rights) and you just need to run Rohos mini.exe and enter the password you have set.
A new drive letter would appear outside of the flash disk (like it was a different drive) and you can now access or put your files there.
Note: The download link of Rohos Mini Drive is already indicated above. If you want to protect more than 495 MB of data, I suggest that you purchase Rohos Disk Encryption which is also in their site.
2. TrueCrypt
TrueCrypt is also an application which can be used for protection of flash disks. To password protect flash disks or portable hard drives, just choose Extract.
You can then go to Tools -> Traveler Disk Setup
And from there you would be able to put TrueCrypt in your portable media and then protect your files.
Its main drawback however, is that the computer in which you would be inserting the flash disk or portable hard drive into should have administrator rights.
There you have it. I hope I have helped you in how to password protect a USB flash disk or portable hard drive.
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Thanks for the tips and infos!
Thanks, hope I helped you protect your flash disk or portable hard drive.
Thanks for sharing with us .very informative and interesting …keep posting
I have been searching trying to find out if I can partition my passport elite 500 gig portable hard drive. I’m sure I am asking the wrong place, but just in case you can give me any tips I would really appreciate it. Can’t do it at the computer management console. I’m running windows xp.
thanks
I suggest you search for a free third party software to partition your Hard Disk. Try Partition Magic if its still free.
i need to lock my flash disk
I installed Rohos mini drive on my computer and created a volume on my USB flash drive. When I’m on the original computer, I’m able to access the hidden drive to add/remove/edit files, but when I open my flash drive in another computer without administrative rights and run the Rohos exe file, it only gives me read access to those folders and files. Instead of the “Rohos” pop up window, I get one that says “disk password” at the top. Is there any way around this?
That’s odd. You should be able to access your files normally. Have you tried re-assigning a new partition on the drive?
Is Rohos Mini Drive is just used for limited usb only, or for all kind of flash disk?
I don’t really understand your question. But if you’re asking if it can be used in any flash disk – then the answer is yes
Hi guys,
There are other solutions for this problem…
For entire disk locking the best case is Lockngo from Keynesis (http://www.keynesis.com). It is very fast. Interface is very simple and nice. Its problem is the requirement of administrator rights and need to run it every time to lock disk.
If you need visible, but well encrypted container for your files use TrueCrypt (http://www.truecrypt.org), but in order to use it you need installing it to every computer.
If you want to have some ‘private’ invisible area on your disk than try SecureNTFS (http://www.securentfs.com). This one works everywhere without administrator rights. Its the most valuable feature for me is that you don’t need to run it before unplugging disk. Storage closes automatically.
Enjoy…
Thanks for tips Alex! It would be better however if the software doesn’t need admin rights.
Agree, but in case with Securentfs admin right required only to create storage. Than it can be used with user’s right.
I am looking for a software that when installed on my flash drive, will encrypt all files under a folder. Moreover, it will not allow anybody t even delete these files, leave aside opening them. Is there any such freeware in the market?
Thanks for the great info.
I think alternatively you can use TrueCrypt in the following way:
1. Install (not extract) TrueCrypt on a host PC
2. Create a new TrueCrypt volume on your USB stick
3. Use Tools > Traveller Disk Setup for enabling auto-mount
can i put a password on my external hard disk without any software to use, even when i use it to other computer it’s still protected.
how can i remove the password of my flash memory.i set it easily but now i cant remove it please help
i used rohos but found that there is no use of it cuz anyone can see your documents on encrypted disk(r:)