Best methods to secure a external hard drive in case of loss/theft.

[Steaksauce]

From this site I found this:

a) protect individual files (or folders) using a special program.

Password Protect Files and Folders?

b) password protect your system so that no one can gain access to the drive. In addition to using a strong password for your Windows XP user account, a password-protected screensaver would also help lock out anyone from unauthorized use while you're temporarily away.

Lock down Windows XP from unauthorized use?

c) password protect your backups using Acronis True Image (this is one of the options available during the Backup Wizard).

Acronis True Image Review

All three of these options should provide you with enough security against unauthorized use.

DO YOU THINK THESE ARE ENOUGH?

 

[Hyperlite]

yeah, about all you can do is put passwords on everything. not that that garuntees anything, but you can at least make it hard enough so they might give up.

all the things for XP (PW's, etc.) won't help you though if someone takes off with the drive...

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

I know the Mator external drives come with software that will encrypt the drive, so even if you take the drive out and put it in another machine you can't browse the drive.

You can also find a copy of the MS private folder and set it up to point to the external drive. There are a few other programs that make stealth folders. So if anyone gets a hold of the drive they can't find anything without the correct key.

 

[ShellGuy]

You would want to use complex passwords for the drive including &@#$% type of stuff along with numbers and letters, to make it that much harder to crack any keys you may use. Dont use common words or such either. I take it this will be an external drive, if so there is nothing stoping someone once they have physical access to the hdd, as they will then have all the time in the world to crack the key. If it is internal drive then use the above password info to aid in security.



Will G.

 

[Steaksauce]

I think I'll go ahead and put a Windows password on it and use Truecrypt to encrypt.

Thanks for all of the replies!