A simple password program for a flash drive. Using BitLocker Windows. Setting a password on a flash drive without a program

The use of flash media for storing information is gaining increasing popularity, because they have a number of undeniable advantages before obsolete CDs and DVD discs. The flash drive does not take up much space, is easy to use and has a fairly large amount of memory. That is why the question: how to put a password on a flash drive is relevant these days. After all, it can store personal data, important documents and, in general, any other information that you would not want to show to other people.

In this article I will tell you how to put a password on a flash drive using the built-in BitLocker program, or using the free one USB program Safeguard.

BitLocker

You can set a password on a flash drive using built-in Windows tools. For this it is used BitLocker program. Go to the “My Computer” folder and click right click mouse on the flash drive on which we will set the password. Now in the context menu select the item "Enable BitLocker".

If you didn’t find this item in the context menu, it doesn’t matter. Go to “Start” - "Control Panel".

On the right top corner select “View” – “Category”. Then follow the link "System and safety".

In the next list, select the item "BitLocker Drive Encryption".

Select the disk partition that corresponds to the flash drive, I have it (G:), and click on the button opposite it "Enable BitLocker".

In the window that opens, put a tick next to the item "Use a password to unlock the drive". Next, enter the created password, the length of which must be at least 8 characters, otherwise the program will not allow you further, and click “Next”.

In the next window, the program offers to save the disk recovery key, this is in case you forget the password. Select an item "Save the recovery key to a file" and select a location on the computer where it will be stored. It’s better if this is the folder where people go least often. Click "Next".

Do not remove the flash drive during encryption. My 1GB flash drive was half full and took 3 minutes to encrypt. Therefore, if your flash drive is larger, be prepared that the process will take a little time.

Now, the flash drive is password protected. Every time you plug it into your computer, a golden padlock will appear next to the disk. We open the flash drive and see that the BitLocker program asks for a password. Enter it and click "Unlock". When the flash drive is unlocked, a silver padlock will appear in the My Computer folder next to it.

If you want to delete or change the password on a flash drive, right-click on it and select from the context menu "BitLocker Management". The following window appears in which you can perform several necessary actions.

USB Safeguard

The USB Safeguard program allows you to set a password on a flash drive. Its clear functionality is suitable for both advanced and novice users. You can download USB Safeguard from the official website: http://www.usbsafeguard.com/download.html. You will be offered two versions to download. The first one is free, suitable for those who have a flash drive up to 2 GB. The second one is paid and allows you to set a password on a flash drive whose volume does not exceed 16 terabytes.

I will install the first - free - version. I click on the “Download now” button and save the installation file.

Now copy the downloaded installation file to the root of the flash drive and run it from the flash drive. The installation of the program is carried out as usual: constantly click “Next”, then “Finish”. Considering that most flash drives are in FAT format, during the installation process the program will offer to format it in NTFS - we agree. Please note that formatting will delete all files from the flash drive, so it is better to copy everything to your computer in advance.

In the next window you need to enter the password for the flash drive. We come up with it, enter it, confirm, in the last field you can enter a hint, you will see it if you forget the password. Click "OK".

Now remove the flash drive and insert it back into the computer. Open it and run the file “USBSafeguard”.

That is, the program creates another protected one on the flash drive. virtual disk Z:. The capacity of this disk is the same as the capacity of a flash drive. When writing a file to the Z: drive, the space on the flash drive will also decrease.

Files that you do not want to protect access to, simply copy directly to the flash drive: in my case it is the G: drive. If you want the file to be protected, copy it to the Z: drive.

Thus, when you connect the flash drive to your computer, you will have access to open files on her. But to open password-protected files, you will need to launch the USBSafeguard program and enter the password. Only after this you will have access to the protected Z: drive.

Now you can put a password on the flash drive. Just choose one of the described methods and I’m sure everything will work out and your personal files and documents will be protected.

Removable USB drives have become one of the most common storage devices today. Not surprising, because ordinary flash drives have enough great memory and small dimensions. But sometimes you need to make sure that the information on the flash drive is inaccessible to other users. Now let's look at the question of how to put a password on a flash drive.

Data encryption principles

In general, today in the world there are quite a lot of the most different systems data encryption. Applied to regular USB drives programs mainly use the methodology symmetric encryption AES ( Advanced Encryption Standard) with support for 128-bit, 192-bit and 256-bit keys.

When considering the processes of data encryption and password creation, we will proceed from the fact that the tools below work specifically with 256-bit AES system keys.

How to put a password on a flash drive using Windows

If anyone doesn’t know: Windows has its own means for encrypting data, for example, located on a regular flash drive. At least in all Windows versions 7 such a possibility is present. The solution to the problem of how to set a password on a flash drive is to use a built-in tool called BitLocker. There is nothing complicated in this process.

First you need to connect the USB drive to computer terminal or laptop via the appropriate port. In Explorer, right-click on the letter of the flash drive, and then from the context menu select the line “Run BitLocker” (if available). If this line in the menu is not about encryption standard method will have to forget. As a last resort, you can download this utility from the Internet. But we will assume that it is already installed and is on the list.

After calling the utility, in a new window, enable the “Use password to unlock the disk” item, after which you need to enter the invented password in one field, and confirm it in the second. Let us immediately note that the password must consist of at least eight characters. Naturally, it is advisable not to use the simplest combinations like “12345678”, but to create something more convincing. IN in this case can also be used capital letters, and symbols, and numbers. This will only be a plus, since passwords of this type are much more difficult to guess.

Next, the program will offer to create and then save the password recovery key either in a file, or print it. This is at the discretion of the user. When saving to a file, you will need to select the location of its future location. After this, a confirmation window will appear.

Now one of the most important points. You will need to choose which area of the disk to encrypt. This can be encryption or busy only disk space, or the entire flash drive. Now all that remains is to start the encryption process and wait for it to finish, that’s all.

Now, when you try to access your USB drive, a window will appear asking you to enter a password. As you can see, the question is how to put a password on a flash drive in a standard way, is solved very simply.

USB Safe Guard

Many users and encryption experts consider BitLocker to be flawed. So let's see what another flash drive password program called USB Safe Guard can do.

First of all, I would like to note that this application It is designed for an inexperienced user, so working with it will be completely simple. The only bad thing is that the free version only works with flash drives up to 2 GB.

So, when solving the problem of how to set a password on a flash drive using this utility, you need to start by launching it from a USB drive. At startup, the user will be asked to create a key, and then select files and folders to be encrypted (this is done by simply dragging data into the program window using the mouse). Now all that remains is to press the “Lock” button. Then there will be a proposal to delete the original data, either completely without the possibility of recovery, or using the DoD 5220-22M standard. To restore information from encrypted form, you will need to enter your key. By the way, a micro flash drive will also work here. The password is created in a similar way.

Rohos Mini Drive

Finally, let's look at the solution to the problem of how to put a password on a flash drive with the Rohos Mini Drive application. To begin, select the “Encrypt disk” menu (creating a protected partition on a USB drive). The advantage here is that the application itself chooses desired device automatically. Now enter the password and click “Create disk”.

Upon completion of the process, you need to right-click on the program icon in the system tray to bring up the menu and select the line “Enable R:”. Now, to work with the section, you will need to enter a password, after which you can add new files. Again, when finished, you will have to use the “Turn off R:” command. That's all.

Conclusion

So, we looked at the most simple techniques, allowing you to quickly create a password for a USB drive and encrypt data. Which of these to use is up to everyone to decide for themselves. It seems that, in principle, all methods are good, although programs of this kind can be found not just a lot, but a lot.

A USB drive is a convenient device for storing various data. But what to do 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 in Windows seven it is only available in Ultimate version. The main advantage of this encryption technology is its reliable protection from burglary.

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.

How more complex 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 function BitLocker encryption, you must perform the following 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 provides data protection without using any third party applications involves purchasing a USB drive with hardware data encryption from a store. The principle of operation of a flash drive is as follows:

insert the flash drive into the USB connector;
enter a digital or alphabetic code using the keyboard on the USB flash drive;
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 complete blocking data.
Automatic data encryption using 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 next topic we will look at how to put a password on a flash drive using specialized programs for Windows.

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 are firmly established 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 last factor may contribute to the loss of a USB drive with subsequent unauthorized use 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 from root directory USB drive program Rohos Mini.exe.

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 special file— a key that allows you to open protected data in case of loss of your PIN code.

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 implemented 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:

Document protection Microsoft Office.
Using the capabilities of archivers.
Usage standard means Windows.

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 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 protected in this way is very secure 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, to avoid any questions about how to unlock a flash drive if you forgot the password, take responsibility 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.

Very often users store important information on your own carrier. The most convenient of all media is, of course, a flash drive, but it can be easily lost or stolen, and I suggest protecting yourself from such situations using encryption.

There are only 3 ways to protect your media:

Built-in Bitlocker.
Hardware level protection ( when there is a display on the flash drive with input of various characters).
Third-party encryption program.

The most popular solutions to this problem:

Myfolder— allows you to simply set a password for separate folder, but uses an unreliable encryption algorithm.
TrueCrypt- the most popular program for encryption. Recently, the developers reported the vulnerability of its security algorithm. Therefore, it is better to find a safe analogue.
Rohos mini drive — simple program no installation required. Perfect for protecting information on your storage device.

All of them are partially free. I believe that the last of these programs is the best on this moment and I will demonstrate exactly that.

Setting a Bitlocker Password

This utility is great for ensuring media security. Come up with strong password and remember it. If you forget it, then you most likely will not be able to recover the data.

This method is suitable only for those who have operating system:

Windows 7 Ultimate/Enterprise
Windows Vista Ultimate/Enterprise
Windows 8

Find out which one you have and if it’s suitable, proceed to these instructions. In more earlier versions the utility is not present. If the system is not suitable, then proceed to the next method.

This utility does not encrypt individual folders.

It may be more convenient for you to watch a video of how this is done.

Go to My Computer and call up the context menu by clicking on the icon of your flash drive. Enable Bitlocker there. It's built in Windows system and you don't need to download anything.

In the window that appears, select the blocking method. After entering your password, click next.

Save the recovery key. If you lose your password, the recovery key will give you access to your data. Save it to a file.

This is what it will look like.

Then start the process of encrypting the flash drive.

Wait for the encryption to finish. The process can be long. It all depends on the capacity of your device.

After successful completion, you can unlock your flash drive for your computer and check the encryption. You will be required to enter the password specified before encryption.

You have successfully installed protection. Now I will demonstrate how to remove it. The principle is almost the same.

How to remove encryption

Go to Start >> Control Panel >> Bitlocker Drive Encryption:

In the window that appears, select the line “Turn off Bitlocker” as in the image below.

And then click “Decrypt disk” and you will remove the password from the flash drive.

Now let's look at a third-party program.

Setting a password using Rohos Mini Drive

If your operating system is not suitable, then use a third-party solution. Download free program Rohos Mini Drive Portable and unpack the archive.

IN free version This program can only encrypt 2 Gb. I hope this is enough for you. It is lightweight and easy to use. It uses the most popular and reliable method AES encryption.

One very important feature This program is that it does not require administrator rights for encryption.

Place the program on your flash drive.

I will show an example on my file with the name of my site, and you will have yours accordingly. Launch the program and close the window that appears. Then go to settings as in the image below.

Now you should choose which files you will protect and how. Let me explain what each line means:

The first line means that you will make an encrypted disk with a maximum capacity of 2 gb ( in the free version).
The second line means that you will create already hidden disk with music or video.
The third line means you will create hidden section (Administrator rights will be required).

I selected the first option and now I need to enter a password.

Then you need to add the data to the encrypted partition. Click on Import and select the required files.

Already added ones are displayed on the right.

Now check if the protection is working. Close the program and launch it again. You will see a window in which you will need to enter a password. By entering it you will gain access to the files.

After this procedure, all information stored on the flash drive will be accessible only with a password. The main thing is to come up with a strong password and don’t forget it. Otherwise, you will have to use hacking programs, and they most likely will not help you.

There are also flash drives with built-in protection already on them, but this is only suitable for their owners and therefore I will not consider them in this article.

Were you able to set a password?