Password Protect Folders On Pen Drive?

[papillon]

Is there a way I can password protect folders on a 512mb pen/key flash drive? (The drive I have does not have the physical locking function that some have.)
Thanks,
papillon

[HAN]

I'd be interested in this too...

To my knowledge, most (if not all) flash drives are FAT32 file systems which seems to limit security capabilities. There are encryption software programs that will work on FAT32 but obviously, you didn't ask for encryption. That said, some drives come with encryption programs already in place and by definition, they would have a password routine builtin. If you are interested in checking out a couple of potential encryption apps, let me know here.

Anyway, I hope someone can give us some info...

[papillon]

What if I encrypted the folders contents before saving to the flash drive.......??
papi

[hongman]

The pen drive I have came with a mini-CD, and a small handbook that described how to set up a 'Private' Partition.

I havent really thought about it till now, and it that was FAT32 as well. I think I have thrown the handbook away now, but at least there is 'hope' that it is indeed possible.

I'll have a hunt and see what I find.

Hong

[hongman]

Such products are available, not sure if you will find freeware though: One from Google

[HAN]

What if I encrypted the folders contents before saving to the flash drive.......??

That could work, depending on how the encryption software does it's "thing". If you are willing to consider encryption, 2 good free ones I use are here...

First, AxCrypt http://axcrypt.sourceforge.net/

AxCrypt does need to be installed on a PC to run and it can encrypt/decrypt entire folders by just right clicking on the folder (the folder itself is not encypted but all the files inside.) I have been using it at home for several months and it has never let me down. Once encrypted, the folder &/or files can be moved or copied like any regular folder/file. AxCrypt does not use the "container" type encryption approach which makes it easy to use with things like flash drives or CD/DVD media for storage.

The other one I use is dsCrypt http://freezip.cjb.net/freeware/ (The 2nd listing down.)

dsCrypt will encrypt/decrypt one file at a time. The resultant file can then be moved or copied like any other file. The BIG, cool thing about dsCrypt is that it does not need to be installed. It is a standalone program that will run on PCs as old as 98SE (maybe older but I have verified the 98SE for myself.) So the flash drive can have dsCrypt already on it and you can use it on any PC without installing anything to that PC. Very handy! The one big downside to dsCrypt is that is a one-file-at-a-time program. So if you have 30 files you need to work with, something like AxCrypt would be much better.

Anyway, something to consider. As I said above, both programs are free and have been widely used. I looked for some time to find something I would be happy with. These are the two I settled on...

[papillon]

Thanks Han,
I'll try AxCrypt, as I have a number of files. If I took my drive (and the AxCrypt encrypted files) to another pc without AxCrypt installed , would those files be readable?
Thanks,
papi

[John Steven]

I've been using Crypton1.2 by Damian Bakowski and it has performed well for the price $0.00. The site is in Russian (I believe), but can be translated to English at the bottom of the page. This program is dependency free and runs from USB devices just fine. Download is only 26kb.

Hope this helps...........

[HAN]

If I took my drive (and the AxCrypt encrypted files) to another pc without AxCrypt installed , would those files be readable?

No, they would remain encrypted until you decrypted them via AxCrypt. To read them on a different PC, that PC would need AxCrypt installed on it so that you could enter your password and decrypt them.

[HAN]

John: Just took a very quick look at Crypton. Interesting program! (It's Polish I believe.)

The only thing for me would be the need to use the key file. While that makes it much more secure, it also makes things more complicated. If one's files need the best possible protection, this is a critical issue. For me, I need decent encryption to keep the average user out of my personal business. So, Crypton might be more than I need/want.

That all said, I am going to look into it. One never knows what one may need in the future...

[papillon]

Thanks Han, Hongman & John for your help & input.
Whilst doing some research on the subject, came across Cryptainer LE which I have been able to understand and get working on my flash drive. It creates a volume on your hard drive & flash drive up to 25mb free. If you want bigger volumes, you have to pay. 25mb may just be enough for me.
Thanks again,
papi

[HAN]

Based on research I have done, it's my understanding that Cryptainer LE has a good reputation. I'm glad you found something that will work for you...

[HAN]

Just a little followup for anyone interested...

I too took a look at Cryptainer LE. http://www.cypherix.com/cryptainerle/

I also looked at TrueCrypt. It has quite a following around the web. http://www.truecrypt.org/

Both Cryptainer LE and TrueCrypt are "container" type encryption programs. You basically create a very large file and all your private goodies can then be stored inside the large, storage container. When inside, the files are always encrypted. If one desires to make use of the files inside, they are decrypted on-the-fly (in real time via the RAM) and then used as any normal file would be. If the files are changed, they are saved back into the container and encrypted as they go back. Another cool thing about container-based programs is that when they are not mounted (IOW, not active or open), the contents inside are not individually visible. It appears as one giant encrypted file. So it gives a very high level of privacy. Not just the contents of the files inside are invisible but the file names/types too.

The details about these programs are at the addresses above. A few additional points...it is worth noting that Cryptainer LE does have the 25 MB container limit mentioned above and it is only 128-bit encryption (which based on what I read, is still more than good enough for the average PC user.) One great thing about it is that it will run on any Windows version from 95b through Win 2003 Server editions.

TrueCrypt does many of the same things as Cryptainer LE but without the container size limit. TrueCrypt's interface isn't as pretty to look at as Cryptainer but it gets the job done. A couple of feathers in TrueCrypt's hat...TrueCrypt can be downloaded in a zip file and ran without installation into Windows. (Which means alot to me as the more is loaded into Windows, the greater the chance of conflicts and problems.) It also begins with 256-bit encryption and offers several encryption methods if one desires a higher level of protection. That said, for me, TrueCrypt's biggest letdown is the lack of support for anything prior to Windows 2000...

If I had to pick between the two, I lean toward Cryptainer LE at the moment. It's only serious issue is the 25MB container size limit but that can be got around by just creating more containers (the number is not limited.) And it can do a couple more tricks than TrueCrypt can. But truthfully, either one appears to offer great protection.

(FWIW, I still advocate the 2 programs I named above in an earlier post (dsCrypt and AxCrypt.) They encrypt file by file rather than by large container. But as noted, this also brings portability advantages that containers can't match. And file by file encrypters can encrypt files where they already reside. No need to copy and cut to a new location. The bad thing is that these individual files can still be easily identified (no absolute privacy like a container offers), even though they can't be viewed/used.)