Anyone know how to make a folder in a USB drive more secure?

[John Mora]

{:3

[IRC]

Re: Anyone know how to make a folder in a USB drive more secure?

Lock it.

[Valkysas]

Re: Anyone know how to make a folder in a USB drive more secure?

keep the drive with you at all times?

I keep all my private stuff stored on a memory stick. there's no memory stick readers in the house, so the only way people could view it would be to put the memory stick in the PSP, which I currently have set up where you have to enter a password to even turn it on. and then they'd have to connect the PSP to a USB cable, to a computer, and then finally view the documents.

it's very secure.

[IRC]

Re: Anyone know how to make a folder in a USB drive more secure?

I just email papers to myself instead of using a USB drive. A thousand times more efficient.

[John Mora]

Re: Anyone know how to make a folder in a USB drive more secure?

How do you lock a folder?

[IRC]

Re: Anyone know how to make a folder in a USB drive more secure?

Right click, customize this folder.

[John Mora]

Re: Anyone know how to make a folder in a USB drive more secure?

That doesn't show as an option.

[Caciss]

Re: Anyone know how to make a folder in a USB drive more secure?

Compress it and put a password on the archive?

[thetruecoolness]

Re: Anyone know how to make a folder in a USB drive more secure?

Yeah either that or use some kind of encryption algorithm, but then you have to remember which one you used, and have a program on decrypt it on the computer you stick it in. I don't know of any useful way to do that. I would invest in a USB stick that either has locking or password protection software on it if you're that worried about it (which would really only protect it from being inserted into a Windows, or maybe also Mac system, so there are ways around it, just like every other security precaution).

Also the customize this folder option would be easy to bypass, as I'm pretty sure you'd be able to access it still from a command prompt (either directly through DIR and CD, or being able to delete the special folder), or other OS, since that's a Windows check thing (I can't check it as Win 2K doesn't allow folder passwords).

So far I would say Cassis suggestion is the easiest and most hassle free, beyond Valks, but that only works if they don't steal it from your house. Since most computers have an unzip tool, but hardly any have decrypting ones (for obvious reasons, unless of course it has php and a webserver setup on it).

[DarkwingChuck]

Re: Anyone know how to make a folder in a USB drive more secure?

keep the drive with you at all times?

I keep all my private stuff stored on a memory stick. there's no memory stick readers in the house, so the only way people could view it would be to put the memory stick in the PSP, which I currently have set up where you have to enter a password to even turn it on. and then they'd have to connect the PSP to a USB cable, to a computer, and then finally view the documents.

it's very secure.

But don't you have to turn it on to put in a password? Ingenious. That's fool proof security right there.

[JPS]

Re: Anyone know how to make a folder in a USB drive more secure?

Yeah you cant lock folders, I used to have a way to go into ms-dos and configure a lock on the folder, but havent done that in years

I think its something like

To lock
:[filepath] attrib +r

To unlock
:[filepath] attrib -r

I may be wrong, though if you use XP or Vista you cant do this

[IRC]

Re: Anyone know how to make a folder in a USB drive more secure?

I'm wondering what Mora is so desperate to secure. What is on that folder. Some sort of manifesto?

[JPS]

Re: Anyone know how to make a folder in a USB drive more secure?

lol thats a good question

perhaps you should answer that question mora before we answer yours

[John Mora]

Re: Anyone know how to make a folder in a USB drive more secure?

Let your imaginations run wild.

[Syvarius]

Re: Anyone know how to make a folder in a USB drive more secure?

I'm not quite sure what you're trying to do but I can throw out two things that might do what you want.

For individual files in the folder, you can use this: http://www.axantum.com/AxCrypt/

For a bunch of files, this program creates a file that opens into a virtual disk that's encrypted: http://www.truecrypt.org/

If you're just doing a couple of files axcrypt will be easier overall, but for the protected folder effect truecrypt is what you'll want. If you have truecrypt installed and set up your shortcuts right, it will only take you about 10 seconds or less to get into your encrypted container.

Don't expect to travel around and open your stuff at your friends house though, unless he has these programs also. It's easy to do but you're not going to have access to your stuff on a machine you can't install these on, say a work or school computer.