[How to password protect] USB Flash Drives

Is it possible to password protect one of these drives?

Carrying it around and worrying about someone reading is not my favorite occupation.


If it is possible, then how is it done?

Many thanks.

 

Alan F,


If you don't already have a flash drive, you might want to look at a U3 - http://www.u3.com/ - sort of a small, portable hard drive. I bought a 1G Datatraveler ($30 US) a few weeks ago and have been very pleased with it. Mine came with built in password and several other programs. I have added portable Thunderbird and Firefox, Avast AV (trial version) which scans the host computer when you insert it in the USB port and a couple of other programs and still have 90% of the 1G available for storage. I was helping a friend with his computer a couple of days ago and the Avast AV discovered a virus and suggested that I not leave my flash drive operating in the host computer. I did heed the warning.

I know this doesn't answer your question about password protection for a standard flash drive - just some added information. I have one myself and I have had the same questions. Perhaps someone else will help with that.

 

Many of the drives offer automatic encryption of the drive contents. Ask before you purchase.

You could of course use .ZIP or .RAR utilities to password protect the drive contents placed in a folder. This is a little unwieldly but certainly doable.

 

Hello Alan,

Wikipedia article on flash drive security with links to utilities:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_flash_drive#Security

Some utilities:
http://www.newsoftwares.net/folderlock/howto/password-protect-USB-flash-drive.html

http://www.gold-software.com/download9330.html

http://www.1000files.com/Utilities/Security_and_Encryption/Lockngo_9865_Review.html

Google using this as the search phrase password protect flash drives

Modified your title and moved your thread to the Hardware section.

Regards - Charles

 

Thanks for the comments. They led to a little lateral thinking and I located what could be the ideal solution.

UK readers http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/partspecs.Asp?IMODULE=CT1GBUFDBLKHA0

US readers http://www.crucial.com/store/partspecs.Asp?IMODULE=CT1GBUFDBLKHA0

These, in the example are 1Gb, but the great thing about them is that they contain the security software embedded within. I need to investigate further but they sound rather like the ZIP disks that are now increasingly old technology.

 

Hi Alan,

Nice find I have several USB flash drives and my only beef with them is they tend to be physically fragile, if you're not carefull, they can be easily broken with constant use.

What I did was get a short USB cable with the drive attatched to that and plug/unplug the cable into and out of the system. That way the drive doesn't take the strain of constantly being pulled out and can lay on a flat surface and brushing it or hitting it is minimized.

Regards - Charles

 

There is a program called Folder Lock which can be found on CNET that will allow you to place a password and high encryption on all or part of ANY device including internal and external hard disks and flash memories, etc. I am using it on a few flash devices that came without any software.