How to create a drive access password?

[Metallo]

Hi,

I was wondering if there is a way in XP Home Edition to create a
password to grant access to an external USB drive.
In a few words, when I plug the drive in the USB slot, I want to be
asked a password to access it.

If not via XP, can you suggest a freeware external application to
achieve this?

Thank you

 

[Malke]

Hi,

I was wondering if there is a way in XP Home Edition to create a
password to grant access to an external USB drive.
In a few words, when I plug the drive in the USB slot, I want to be
asked a password to access it.

If not via XP, can you suggest a freeware external application to
achieve this?

You can't do this natively with passwords in XP. Restricting access to
files/folders is usually done with user restrictions. Unfortunately, since
you have XP Home you don't have this option. You can zip the contents of
the drive and password the zipped file with XP's native zipping capability.
Or you can encrypt the files on the drive with the free TrueCrypt program.
Make sure you read all instructions and thoroughly understand them before
you use encryption.

Malke

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Hi,

I was wondering if there is a way in XP Home Edition to create a password
to grant access to an external USB drive.
In a few words, when I plug the drive in the USB slot, I want to be asked
a password to access it.

If not via XP, can you suggest a freeware external application to achieve
this?

Thank you

WinXP Home does not have such a facility. There are
various third-party applications but many are not freeware -
see here: http://www.findmysoft.com/software/flash_disk_encryption/

 

[Metallo]

Metallo wrote:



You can't do this natively with passwords in XP. Restricting access to
files/folders is usually done with user restrictions. Unfortunately, since
you have XP Home you don't have this option. You can zip the contents of
the drive and password the zipped file with XP's native zipping capability.
Or you can encrypt the files on the drive with the free TrueCrypt program.
Make sure you read all instructions and thoroughly understand them before
you use encryption.

Malke

Hi,

Thank you guys, I was hoping to have a chance with BIOS, but apparently
this is not the case either, isn't it?

Cheers

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Hi,

Thank you guys, I was hoping to have a chance with BIOS, but apparently
this is not the case either, isn't it?

Cheers

I doubt it very much but since the BIOS has nothing at all to
do with Windows, you should ask this question in a hardware
newsgroup.

 

[Bob I]

Hi,

Thank you guys, I was hoping to have a chance with BIOS, but apparently
this is not the case either, isn't it?

Cheers

Nope, and even it was possible, IF you plugged the drive into different
PC the password in your BIOS would have no effect on limiting the access
to the drive

 

[HEMI-Powered]

Metallo added these comments in the current discussion du jour
....

[snip]

Hi,

Thank you guys, I was hoping to have a chance with BIOS, but
apparently this is not the case either, isn't it?

AFAIK, a BIOS password only blocks a boot-up and occurs before
Windows even loads. About the only way I can think of is for you to
try using the security feature of login accounts to restrict people
who you don't want to have access to things on your system,
including external HDDs and the like. Of course, you'll have to
password all the admin accounts, including your own.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Hi,

I was wondering if there is a way in XP Home Edition to create a
password to grant access to an external USB drive.
In a few words, when I plug the drive in the USB slot, I want to be
asked a password to access it.

If not via XP, can you suggest a freeware external application to
achieve this?

You've already been answered that you can't do this, but bear in mind
that since you're talking about an external drive, even if it were
possible it would be useless. Any restriction that's in Windows or in
the BIOS on one computer wouldn't prevent the drive from plugged into
another computer and read there.

In reality, the same is true even with an internal drive. It's only
slightly more trouble to remove an internal drive from one computer
and access it in a second one.