How to set a password on a usb flash drive

One of the biggest disadvantages of a flash drive is that you can always easily lose all your data by simply forgetting it somewhere. To prevent this from happening, you need to secure the flash drive from intruders.

Protecting access to information on removable media with a password

Currently there are only two “standard” ways to set a password on a USB flash drive for computer.
This is the usage:
Built-in program.
Programs from the Internet.

The most commonly used built-in Windows program Bitlocker, which is available to all users on versions 7, 8 and 10 of Windows. The developers have created an interface that even a child can understand.
The application encrypts all information on the flash drive or logical drive. And this is an incomparable advantage of the application. But the program also has a significant drawback - you cannot set a password for a separate folder.

The second method is to use third-party programs that can be found and downloaded on the Internet. Applications of this format There are plenty of them on the World Wide Web. Most programs, in addition to the standard setting of a password for the entire flash drive, can also set it for individual folders and even files.

Protecting removable media in Windows using standard software

All Windows 7 users can use Bitlocker Ultimate version, Enterprise or Windows 8 and 10. To put a password on a flash drive you need to follow some simple steps.
Detailed step-by-step instruction setting a password on a flash drive:
1. You need to connect the flash memory to your computer.
2. Open the “My Computer” folder (in some versions it is simply called “Computer”) and right-click on the flash drive icon.
3. In the context menu that opens, select Bitlocker.
4. A window will open in which you need to check the box “Use a password to unlock the flash drive.”
5. Next, in the window that opens, you must enter a new password. Try to come up with the most strong password, otherwise hacking programs will easily gain access to your information. Then click “Next”.
6. After this, the Bitlocker program will prompt you to create a key that will help restore access to the flash drive if you lose your password. This key can be saved on your computer or printed.
7. Then you will have to select the part of the drive that should be protected. If the data stored on the flash drive is very important to you, choose the option of full protection (encryption).
8. We wait a while for the program to encrypt the data. Then click the “Close” button.
9. Check. To make sure everything is done correctly, you need to remove the flash drive (use safe removal) and paste again. After inserting it into the “My Computer” menu, a “lock” should appear next to the flash drive icon, which means that the data is password protected.

Data protection software from third-party developers

On the Internet you can find a huge number of programs that will help protect personal information using a password. But there is one problem - most of them are paid.

Below is a list of the most effective free programs for setting a password on flash memory.
Free data encryption program - TrueCrypt
TrueCrypt - the most popular free program to set a password on storage media. Using this software, you can create an encrypted “container” for an unlimited amount of memory (that is, several hundred or even thousands of gigabytes). After creating a “container” on the media, you can send data that needs to be encrypted into it. Everything will happen automatically.

When creating an encrypted volume, you can select a specific file system(default is FAT). To work with the “container”, the program itself must be installed on the computer. After opening it, you will need to specify the location of the hidden volume, enter a password, and only then will you gain access to the encrypted files. It all looks simple enough, but in reality it is not. Most users found it difficult to understand the interface at first. This is a significant disadvantage of this software. The advantage of the program is that it can be hacked hidden folder very difficult, so decrypting it without a password is almost impossible.
Rohos Mini Drive
The software creators tried to create the most functional application that would not take up a large amount of memory, and we can say that they succeeded. Free version The program does not require administrator rights, but it is not capable of encrypting information larger than 2 gigabytes. For encryption more data, you must purchase a paid version from the developers. The software creates a secret volume on removable media, the size of which is no more than 2 gigabytes, but often this is quite enough to hide the necessary information. To access the information, you must enter a password.
MyFolder
MyFolder is the most intuitive program. The interface is quite simple; almost any computer user can handle the work. The program can encrypt a specific folder on local disk or removable media. To open the folder you will need to enter a password. The program will not be able to run on a 64-bit operating system.

How to set a password for a separate folder

Sometimes you need to put a password on a specific folder on a flash drive. To do this most conveniently, it would be advisable to use special programs.
The most popular program for setting a password is Anvide Lock Folder. It has the following advantages:
does not take up much disk space;
no installation required on a computer;
securely encrypts confidential data on any media;
You can encrypt several folders on the same media; you must use different passwords.

The program interface is uncomplicated, it is very easy to understand the work. Also, for greater protection, you can set a password for the program itself on removable media.
There is another way to set a password for a separate folder - using data archiving. Zip and rar archives provide the ability to not only compress files, but also protect them with a password. Almost every computer user has compression programs, so there shouldn’t be any problems setting a password. The minimum length of the archive password is 4 characters.

Setting a password on a flash drive without a program

Modern trends in the world of high technology are spreading very quickly. IN Lately Devices with hardware data protection began to appear on the market. In order to use data encryption on the device itself, you will have to activate protection the first time you use the drive. A password is installed on the removable storage device, which must contain numbers, English letters and special characters.

The most popular device with hardware data protection is a flash drive keychain from Toshiba. The password is entered directly on the device body.
The minimum password length is 8 characters. It is not recommended to forget the password, since it is possible to restore access to such media only in 1% of cases. To restore, you can use a secret a codeword, if you forget it too, then the data will most likely be lost forever.

Ways to restore access to a flash drive

What to do if you forgot the password for a USB flash drive for your computer? How to restore access to information?
First, try to remember your password again; you may have written it down somewhere. If this option does not help, then there is no way out - you will have to hack. Its effectiveness depends on the complexity of the password and the encryption method. To restore access, you need to use hacking programs, but the result of their work is unpredictable - you can completely lose all your data. If something very important is stored on a flash drive, seek help from a specialist - it will be both more effective and safer.

A flash drive is a very strange object: here it is, but suddenly it’s gone... Like any small things, USB flash drives are easily lost. Along with them, information leaks out that may not be intended for prying eyes and ears. To prevent your files from being opened by strangers, protect them with a password, or even better, encrypt them.

You can put a password on the flash drive different ways- both with the help of specialized software and using Windows without third party programs. Let's consider both.

On many computers running Windows control There is a WinRAR archiver, and it has a function for setting a password for the archive. If packing and unpacking files on a portable drive doesn’t take too much time, you won’t find a more convenient way.

To set a password for a WinRAR archive, do the following:

• Connect the flash drive to the USB port of your PC and open the “Computer” folder.
• Right-click the context menu of the flash drive and select the “add to archive” option, marked with the WinRAR icon.

• On the General tab, click the Set password button.

• Enter the code word in the marked field and click OK. Optionally, check the “show password” and “encrypt file names” checkboxes.

After this, all your data will be moved to the archive, and each time you open it you will have to enter a password. You can access the contents of the drive on any machine where the archiver program is installed. By the way, not only WinRAR, but also any other with similar functions. For example, 7-zip.

The advantages of using WinRAR to protect removable media are not only its simplicity and widespread use, but also the fact that it can be used to set a password on a separate folder or file. The disadvantage is that the archiving method is convenient only for small amounts of information. removable disk, otherwise the unpacking and packing process will be too long.

BitLocker Windows

BitLocker encryption is designed to protect information stored on desktop and portable drives of Windows computers, and is part of the operating system. The technology is very reliable and easy for the user, but is not implemented in all, but only in server, professional, corporate and maximum editions of the system. And this is perhaps its most significant drawback. On a PC where, for example, Windows Home, there is no way to open an encrypted disk. But Microsoft does not offer tools for separate installation of Bitlocker in home OSes.

Using BitLocker to protect flash drives is justified only if you are going to work with them on machines with the above-mentioned versions of Windows, as well as under Linux and Mac OS X. For two latest systems There is a utility developed by enthusiasts that allows you to open and view encrypted drives, but does not allow you to encrypt them.

How to protect a USB device with BitLocker:

• Connect the USB flash drive to your PC and open the list of drives in Windows Explorer(go to the “Computer” folder).
• Open the context menu of the flash drive and select the “Enable BitLocker” option.

• The first thing the system will offer you is to choose a method for unlocking the media. For home users, the only suitable option is a password. Enter it in the field provided, repeat and click Next.

• Next, determine how it is more convenient for you to store the recovery key, which you will need to access data in case you lose your password.

• Next, specify which part of the drive should be encrypted.

• In the next window, select the encryption mode. For portable drives that will be used in different versions of operating systems, compatibility mode is suitable.

• The last step is to confirm your intention - click “Start encryption”.

The encryption operation will last several minutes, after which the contents of the flash drive will be accessible only with a password. Every new item you save on it will also be automatically encrypted.

The strengths of BitLocker are its highly hack-resistant algorithm, no need to install third-party software, and ease of use. Disadvantages - inability to encrypt separate file or a folder of the user’s choosing (only a section or the entire drive) and a limited area of ​​use.

CyberSafe Top Secret

The CyberSafe Top Secret application, according to experts, is one of the best means of encrypting data on desktop and portable storage devices. Available in several versions - from free to expensive corporate ones. For personal use, in particular, encrypting flash drives, the free version or one of the inexpensive paid ones with an expanded set of functions is sufficient.

CyberSafe Top Secret Free allows you to encrypt files, containers, disk partitions and removable media using the DES algorithm with a 64-bit key length (password length limit is 4 characters). Paid versions use more robust algorithms - AES-256 and BlowFish-448, and also support digital signatures, allow you to hide files and folders, compress data to save space, etc. Full list of features different versions utilities can be found on the official website.

To protect information on a flash drive with CyberSafe Top Secret, just move your fingers a little:

• Open the flash drive in the application as a disk partition: in the left panel, select “Encrypt disk”, select the desired media and click “Create”.

• Next we set the encryption algorithm and password; determine whether to save the file system or not (if not, the drive will be formatted); we indicate which area should be encrypted - only the occupied space or all available space. After clicking “Accept”, the program will begin the encryption process.

You can only open an encrypted flash drive on a computer where CyberSafe Top Secret is installed. Other PCs will see it as media with an unknown file system.

To get rid of encryption, just format the flash drive in any program.

The advantages of CyberSafe Top Secret are power, functionality, free, the ability to encrypt individual folders and files, and no disk space limitations. The disadvantage is the inability to use a flash drive on a PC that does not have this program.

USB Safeguard

The free version of the USB Safeguard utility allows you to protect flash drives with a capacity of up to 4 GB. Unlike CyberSafe Top Secret, it does not need to be installed on your computer. You need to run it directly from the device that it will “protect.”

USB Safeguard does not have a Russian-language interface, but it is very easy to use:

• Copy the utility to removable media and launch it by double-clicking. Administrator rights are not needed - the program will work even on machines where you do not have administrative rights.
• After the first launch, USB Safeguard may prompt you to format the flash drive. If you refuse, protection will not be possible, since the utility only supports the NTFS file system.
• After formatting and restarting USB Safeguard, a window will open asking you to set a password to access the drive files. In the “New password” field, enter the code word, in the “Confirm” field - repeat it, in the “Hint” - specify a reminder hint.

Now the utility will ask for a password every time you connect a flash drive to your PC.

The advantages of USB Safeguard are that there is no need for installation and the ability to open a protected flash drive on any computer. Disadvantages - the device capacity is limited to four gigabytes and only supports the NTFS file system.

Lockngo

The principle of operation of the Lockngo utility is reminiscent of USB Safeguard, however, it has no restrictions on disk space and has a Russian language. You can use it to protect any portable drives, and not only those with a USB interface.

The program is aimed at Windows and Mac users - it supports the file systems of both OSes. Available in versions compatible with Windows only, Mac only, or both. It has the functions of hiding files on protected media, blocking access to it with one click, automatic blocking when the user is inactive, encrypting data in a private directory (uses the AES-256 algorithm), launching the selected program after unlocking.

Lockngo is a paid but very affordable utility. The price of one license, depending on the version, is 200-500 rubles.

How to use Lockngo:

• Transfer the downloaded Lockngo.exe file to the USB flash drive and run it. Enter the unlock password and its confirmation in the specified fields. After clicking OK, the program will lock the drive.

• To resume access to data, enter the same password in the form.

Lockngo's strengths are simplicity, functionality, fast and effective work. There is, perhaps, only one drawback - the lack of opportunity to test it before purchasing (the developer does not release trial versions). But overall, the program is very good, and you really don’t mind paying some 200 rubles for it.

The question of how to put a password on a flash drive has become quite relevant in connection with the advent of portable, portable sources of information.

USB drives have firmly entered modern life, replacing floppy disks and rewritable CDs and DVDs. They are distinguished by reliability, durability, the ability to store a sufficiently large volume of a wide variety of information, mobility, and small size. The latter factor may contribute to the loss of a USB drive with subsequent unauthorized use of the information stored on it by third parties.

In this regard, there is a need to protect the flash drive with a password.

How to put a password on a USB flash drive to protect the files stored on it? There are many ways to protect information, here are some of them:

• Using third-party software to protect portable USB storage.
• Using built-in and optional software to protect data.
• Use of specialized secure flash drives.

Let's consider the proposed options in more detail.

Today there is a considerable amount of paid and free software for data protection. Let's focus on free programs.

Rohos Mini Drive - software to set a password on the flash drive. The developers managed to combine the small size of the program with fairly extensive functionality. The free version allows you to install data protection on flash drives with a capacity of 2 GB, or on partitions specially created by the program up to 2 GB in size. Moreover, you can use the specified software without administrator rights. The program is installed directly onto the flash drive. After creating a protected partition, you can view the encrypted data on any computer by running the Rohos Mini.exe program from the root directory of the USB drive.

To avoid any questions about how to remove a password from a flash drive, let us immediately clarify that it is very important to save the secret code, otherwise it will be almost impossible to restore encrypted data after it is lost. In versions > 1.10 of the Rohos Mini Drive program, it is possible to create a special file - a key, which allows you to open protected data if the PIN code is lost.

Another program for protecting flash drives is USB Safeguard. In terms of functionality and encryption algorithms, it is very similar to Rohos Mini Drive. One of the differences between this software is that the locking and unlocking procedure must be repeated each time you work with files, and you can use a new secret code each time.

Setting a password on USB, in addition to the above methods, can also be done using Anvide Lock Folder. This small-sized free program for setting a password on a flash drive does not require downloading and can be launched from anywhere. The interface is clear: it allows you to install code protection on any folder, not only on external USB drives, but also to protect data on other storage media.

Using built-in and optional software

How to put a password on a flash drive without programs? A flash drive can be protected with a password without the use of third-party software. We highlight three main options:

1. Document protection Microsoft Office.
2. Using the capabilities of archivers.
3. Using standard Windows tools.

Microsoft Office files can be protected by tools built into the software. Reliable way in this case, installing code protection on the file itself. To do this, select “Save As” from the “File” menu, and in the save dialog box, expand “Tools”, select “ Common parameters" In the dialog box that appears, you can set a PIN code to protect against unauthorized viewing and editing.

Another way to password protect a flash drive without special software is to use an archiver. Archivers, such as WinRAR, are installed on almost all computers. In case of WinRAR archiver create a self-extracting password-protected archive and transfer it to an external USB drive. Then the archive can be transferred in this way from a protected drive to any computer and unpacked with a password. The method is old, but very reliable and proven. The main thing is not to lose the secret code word, since in this case there is no exact answer to the question of how to remove the password from a flash drive.

How to put a password on a flash drive without using third-party software Windows users 7, 8? In this case you won't need additional programs— they already have an integrated Windows required tool, namely the built-in BitLocker data encryptor.

Using BitLocker, you can get a password-protected USB drive. One of the features of this software is the ability to create a “spare” key in case the secret code is lost. Brief instructions on setting a password on a flash drive using BitLocker:

Connect a USB drive to the PC.

In the “My Computer” folder, hover the cursor over the flash drive, right-click to enter the context menu and select BitLocker there.

In the window that appears, select “Use a password to unlock the flash drive” and enter the password.

Using specialized secure flash drives

The most “radical” option for setting a password on a flash drive is to purchase a specialized USB drive. Currently, portable portable information storage devices with a built-in keyboard are available for sale, with the help of which code protection is installed. A device password-protected in this way is a very reliable storage, the data in which is protected by 256-bit AES encryption. It is almost impossible to extract them without knowing the password. The price of such a USB drive is higher compared to the cost of conventional flash drives.

It should be understood that all methods for protecting portable USB drives and the data on them were clearly not developed so that in the future this protected data could easily be read by any unauthorized third party. Therefore, in order to avoid any questions about how to unlock a flash drive if you forgot the password, be responsible for creating and saving secret code, since restoring access to information is a complex matter and not always feasible.

If the information is not only confidential, but also very important, it is better to use several protected flash drives with copies necessary files. Rely on yourself first of all, since the programs offered for recovering encrypted files and restoring access are not effective in 99% of cases, it is better not to rely on them.

Thus, how to password protect a USB flash drive and which method to choose for password protection (use built-in/third-party software, purchase specialized protected USB drive(flash drive with code)), everyone must decide for themselves, depending on their capabilities and skills.

Many of us have had to store our family photos and other valuable files on a flash drive. It is not uncommon for such incidents to happen when the carrier is lost and falls into the wrong hands. Therefore, in order to protect their data from prying eyes, every user simply needs to know how to put a password on a flash drive.

There are at least three ways to protect information on a flash drive:

1. Standard operating system tools.
2. With help third party applications(utilities).
3. The hardware of the device itself.

Let's take a closer look at each of the methods.

Standard OS tools

Of the standard tools in practice, only two simple, proven methods of protecting data on a flash drive are most often used.

1. Password-protected archive
2. BitLocker utility

Password-protected archive

If the data on the flash drive does not have a large volume, then it is quite possible to protect it with a password, having previously archived it. The standard WinRAR archiver is perfect for this.

Having selected a folder for packaging, we carry out the archiving process. After completing the process, you need to go to the menu by tabs: Advanced – Set password.

When the password is entered and the appropriate checkbox is set, all that remains is to click on the OK button.

Please note that you can only set a password for the winrar archive during the archiving process. That is, it is not possible to set a password on a finished archive.

More detailed information You can find information about the procedure for setting a password on our website in the article:

Using BitLocker Windows

BitLocker Windows is an integral part of the operating system. Windows systems, starting with Seven. Moreover, BitLocker is built into the Ultimate and Enterprise versions, as well as Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 8, 8.1 and Windows 10. Unfortunately, in home versions Windows utility BitLocker is missing.

Once you make sure that BitLocker is on your system, setting a password on the flash drive will be very simple:

• Just right-click on it and select the item in the context menu that appears "Enable BitLocker".

• Next, check the box next to “Use a password to unlock the disk” and enter the password twice.

Please note that the password must be at least 8 characters long

• Next, you need to save to a file or print the recovery key, which you will need if you decide to change your password.

• After saving the key, you can click “Next” and begin encryption.

• Click “Start encryption” and wait for the operation to complete.

If you want to pause the process, you can use the “Pause” button.

This completes the process of setting a password on the flash drive. Now, when you insert a flash drive into the device, you will be asked to enter a password to unlock it.

Third Party Applications

Programmers have released many of the most different programs, which allow you to organize high-quality data protection on flash drives. Here are just a few of them:

Rohos Mini Drive

With this compact and free utility You can effectively password protect a specific partition on your drive. Alas, it is impossible to “lock” the entire drive with its help. A special feature of this utility is that it creates a special partition on the flash drive where it writes protected data. The free version of Rohos Mini Drive can work with 8 gigabytes of information.

• After starting the program, click "Encrypt USB drive"

• Rohos Mini Drive independently identifies the flash drive. Select an item: "Disk Options".

• Next, set the drive size and letter. It is better to choose a file system like a flash drive. Press OK to confirm your selections.

• At this stage, enter the password twice and click “Create Disk”.

• Now a password-protected sector will appear on your flash drive. To gain access to this sector you need to run one of the files: run the file "Rohos mini.exe" if the utility is installed on this computer or "Rohos Disk Portable.exe" if this utility is not on your computer.

• After starting the program, all you have to do is enter your password and press "OK".

• The protected drive will appear in the list hard drives. You can transfer your most valuable data to it.

To hide our secret drive (in our example, drive R), we find the Rohos program icon in the tray, right-click on it and turn off the drive.

To protect yourself in case you forget your password, we recommend creating a password reset file. To do this you need to do the following:

• Open the Rohos disk and select "Create a backup".

• Select an item "Password reset file".

• Next, in the window that opens, enter the password that you created when creating the disk, click "Create file" and choose a location to save it on your computer.

USB Flash Security

Another free program, easy to learn, with a minimum number of settings. However, it allows you to effectively protect data on a flash drive using a password.

To download this utility, go to the website: and download the program by clicking on the button: “Download Free edition (up to 4GB,v4.1.13.19)”

After launching, the program itself will determine the capacity of the flash drive, its size and file system. All you have to do is press the button "Install"

Next, a warning will appear that during the operation on the flash drive, all data will be destroyed, so transfer it to your computer in advance. Of course, this will create certain inconveniences when working with a flash drive, but this is the peculiarity of this program.

A window will appear again warning you that the disk will be formatted and all data will be deleted. You need to check the box and press the button "Begin the installation".

Now your flash drive will be displayed in the section: “Devices with removable media”

When you open the flash drive, you will find the file “UsbEnter.exe” that you need to run.

In the window that appears, you need to enter your password and click “OK.”

Now your flash drive has acquired secret status, and you can transfer the corresponding files to it.

Hardware protection

There are flash drive models that are equipped with their own password encryption devices. Directly on the body of such devices there are control keys, with which you can set the desired password.

The cost of such devices, of course, is quite high. But sometimes the value of data significantly exceeds the cost of the drive on which it is recorded. Depending on the drive model and settings, data may be immediately erased through formatting if an attempt is made to gain unauthorized access to it.

Summary

What conclusion did I come to after testing all of the above methods for setting a password on a flash drive? Of the utilities, in my opinion, Rohos Mini Drive performed better. Reliable program. The distribution can be easily downloaded from the developer's website. Suitable for all versions of Windows, including home ones. If you suddenly decide not to use Rohos Mini Drive anymore, the system will allow you to safely remove it.

In this review I wanted to consider another one, once very popular program for TrueCrypt disk encryption. Unfortunately, the creators of the program announced in May 2014 that they could not guarantee security when using the application and recommended switching to BitLocker.

Therefore, based on the above, a simple conclusion arises. We use the Rohos Mini Drive utility if you have a home windows version or the BitLocker program if a more advanced system is installed on your computer and you don’t want to bother installing additional utilities.

A USB drive is a convenient device for storing various data. But what if the flash drive contains very valuable information that needs to be reliably protected? The first option is to set a password on a flash drive in the Windows 7 operating system without using third-party programs. The second option is to purchase a USB drive with a data protection function and a built-in panel for entering a PIN code.

Setting a password on a flash drive using standard Windows 7 tools

Users of the Windows 7 Ultimate operating system (maximum) have the opportunity to set a password on a USB flash drive and thereby protect the information on it using the built-in BitLocker utility. Protecting information on a USB drive using BitLocker technology is very reliable, and hacking it is a difficult task even for a confident PC user. The only downside that can be noted is that this technology Windows 7 is only available in the Ultimate version. The main advantage of this encryption technology is its reliable protection against hacking.

Let's proceed directly to password-protecting the flash drive.

• Take the flash drive for which you need to provide protection and install it in the USB connector.
• Go to the “My Computer” section and right-click on the selected flash drive to open the context menu.
• In the context menu, select “Enable BitLocker”.

• You will then need to wait a bit while BitLocker initializes the drive.

When working with BitLocker encryption, never remove the flash drive from the USB connector, as this may damage the files stored on it.

• Once the disk initialization is complete, a window will appear with the option to select the encryption method for the flash drive.
• Select the first option “Use a password to unlock the disk”, enter the password you created and click on the “Next” button.

The more complex the password, the less likely it is to be hacked. Do not use popular passwords for hacking, such as 123456789, password or abc123!

• Next, you need to select a method to save the recovery key. It will be necessary to restore access to the flash drive if you suddenly forget the main password. Select "Save recovery key to file."

• Decide where to save Text Document with the key to restore access to the USB drive, and, if necessary, change the file name. Click "Save". When the printer is connected to your computer, you can also select “Print recovery key.” But then it’s better to immediately put it in a turnkey safe from prying eyes.

• After this, you can proceed directly to encrypting the disk. Click on the “Start encryption” button.

• Encryption is a lengthy process. And it all depends on the capacity of your flash drive. In our case, for example, for a flash drive with a data volume of 8GB, the encryption process took 20 minutes.

• Once the encryption process is complete, a “Lock” icon will appear in the “My Computer” section of the USB drive. It signals that the flash drive is password protected.

• Try removing the flash drive from the USB connector and inserting it again. When trying to view the contents of a flash drive, you will first need to enter a password and click “Unlock”.

Now, when copying files from a computer to a USB drive or vice versa, the process of encrypting and decrypting the transferred data occurs.

To disable the BitLocker encryption feature, you must follow these steps:

• Go to the “START Menu” and then to the “Control Panel” section.

• In the operating system control panel in the upper right corner, select the "Categories" menu view option and go to the "System and Security" section.

• Next, go to the BitLocker Drive Encryption section.

• Now in the list, find a flash drive for which protection is provided, click on the “Unlock disk” item and enter the password.

• After this, two items will appear next to the flash drive: 1 – BitLocker Management; 2- Turn off BitLocker. Click on the second item and then click the “Decrypt disk” button.

• All that remains is to wait for the disk decryption operation to complete. Will have to wait! So, for an 8GB disk, decrypting the disk lasted 32 minutes.

Secure flash drive with hardware data encryption

This option for ensuring data protection without using any third-party applications involves purchasing a USB drive with hardware data encryption from the store. The principle of operation of a flash drive is as follows:

1. insert the flash drive into the USB connector;
2. enter a digital or alphabetic code using the keyboard on the USB flash drive;
3. working with files.

If the password is entered incorrectly several times, the information on the flash drive becomes inaccessible to everyone. Kingston and iStorage can be considered leaders in the production of these devices.

The advantages of these flash drives include the following:

• It is impossible to read the entered PIN code from the keyboard of a computer (laptop) using spyware.
• Dust and moisture protection of these devices according to class IP57 (immersion in water up to 1 meter), IP58 (protection when immersed in water up to a certain pressure).
• Ability to set a PIN code of varying complexity (from 7 to 15 characters).
• Ability to set two passwords. Custom – when incorrect input code a certain number of times the ability to enter a password is blocked. Those. The flash drive can be given for use without the risk of losing access to information. Administrator – if this PIN code is entered incorrectly a certain number of times, the data is completely blocked.
• Automatic data encryption using the AES algorithm (US government encryption standard).
• No loss of speed when transferring files from a flash drive to a computer and back compared to conventional flash drives.
• Filling the internal elements of a flash drive with epoxy resin, which makes desoldering memory chips almost impossible.

What can be attributed to the disadvantages:

• There is only one minus - the cost. So, a 16GB flash drive will cost about 6,000-7,000 rubles, and a 32GB flash drive will cost 8,000-10,000. But here you still need to think, because in modern world information sometimes costs millions of rubles.

So, today we looked at two options for assigning a password to a USB drive without third party software. The first option is suitable only for users of Windows 7 (maximum version). The second option is suitable for absolutely all users, not counting the financial component.

In the next topic, we will look at how to put a password on a flash drive using specialized programs for Windows.