usb thumb drive security

Dear Friends,

I purchased an 8gb thumb drive and have recently seen a 4gb drive which has u3 software which I thought was nice with the security logon feature when you plug it in. I have researched and found the u3 software cannot be added to my 8gb drive. : (

Is it possible to somehow simulate the u3 s/w in someway on my 8gb so that as I plug and unplug there is a password screen for security in the event I lost it or left it somewhere. Thanks for your time. I had thought to sell it and buy the one with the u3 but that would be a hassle. I cannot return it since I have had it awile now. The largest one I seen with u3 security was from scandisk/cruzer and it was a 4 gb. Any ideas or solutions? Thanks for taking time!! I appreciate it! Have a great day!

JD

 

Hi, joezep1.

I Googled password protect USB thumb drive and got several results, some of which are RED (potentially dangerous) sites according to McAfee's SiteAdvisor.

The first link in those results (which is currrently a GREEN site according to SiteAdvisor) leads to an apparently free utility called Cryptainer LE.


EDIT: Cryptainer LE apparently allows multiple volumes of up to 25 MB each. If you want to encrypt your entire thumb drive as a single volume, then it appears Cryptainer LE will not suffice. I expect you would need to purchase a license for Cryptainer PE which apparently allows you to have up to 25 GB of encrypted data in a single volume.

• Cypherix™ - Borderless Strong Encryption Software (introductory page)
• Cypherix™ Products - "Easy to use, Strong encryption for Windows" (descriptions of Cryptainer LE, Cryptainer PocketPC LE, Secure IT, and Cryptainer PE)
• Cypherix™ - Online Store (contains a license price comparison chart for Cryptainer PE, Cryptainer 7.0, Cryptainer SE, Cryptainer PPC, and SecureIT)

Apparently there are competitors offering similar software (such as TrueCrypt and AxCrypt) you may want to investigate. Some utilities are discussed here.