I have the latest version of Windows 10 Home Edition.
I have a USB drive that I wish to protect with a password and I see online that there are numerous free options available. Do you have any recommendations?
Also, do you think encryption is necessary if you have password protection in place? If so, what free encryption software do you recommend?
Thanks for your time.
Hi Razz.
I would think if it is using a password then it is encrypting. If it isn't then it really will only keep the inexperience good guys out.
If the data is that important or sensitive encryption is the way to go.
A product you might explore is VeraCrypt which has its roots in TrueCrypt.
The key with encrypted / password protected data. Protect (backup) your keys and passwords. Done well you will never decode without them.
Ken
If you have access to a PC with W10 Pro then you can use Bitlocker on that PC to encrypt the drive. W10 Home will be able to read the drive encrypted using Bitlocker.
Caledon Ken & Steve C, thanks for you help - I really appreciate it. I decided on another solution. I realized that I only really wanted to protect one folder on my USB drive and accomplished that by creating a zip file with 7-Zip, thus was able to password protect all files within that zipped folder.
Hi! I saw that you've solved your problem with 7-Zip, but just in case I wanted to recommend USB Flash Security - it's free, lightweight and simple software to password-protect USB-drive ))
Thanks for your input Saru, but according to MajorGeeks, the free version is limited to 4GB and my USB is 1TB. Also, according to the image shown on the author's site, when you install the program, it will delete all date on your USB - not ideal for me.
7-Zip did what I needed to be done.
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