Cloud storage platforms have become, on their own merits, the most comfortable way to always carry with us any type of document, however large it may be. The free space offered by some companies such as Google Drive with 15 GB or MEGA with 20 GB, satisfy most needs. However, it is necessary to have an internet connection to be able to access the data, which is why, on certain occasions, they are not the best way and we are forced to resort to the classic USB flash drive.
However, just as using a flash drive is a solution, it is also a problem, since if we lose it, anyone who finds it will have Access to all of the content and, if it is content with personal data, we can have a serious problem. The solution to this problem is to protect access to the flash drive. Windows, in the Pro, Education and Enterprise versions, includes an application called Bitlocker, a function that allows us to protect access to an internal or external pen drive or hard drive.
Protect access to your flash drive
Protect with a password The pen drive that we use regularly or sporadically to always carry our files with us and not depend on an internet connection is a very simple process that we can do using the Bitlocker application. Bitlocker allows us to password protect any external drive that we connect to any computer. In addition, it also allows us to protect other internal drives that we have on our PC.
Once we have activated this function, when we want to access, the operating system we are using will ask us for the access code, the password. If we do not remember it, we will never be able to access the content that is inside it, so it is advisable to always make a backup copy of all the content that we store inside.
As we have mentioned above, the Bitlocker function is only available in the Pro, Education and Enterprise versions. To add a password to a flash drive, once connected to our computer, we go to the file explorer. Next, we place the mouse over the unit that we want to protect and press the right mouse button to then select the option Bitlocker.
A continuously, a new window will be displayed where two options are shown: Use a password to unlock the drive y Use the smart card to unlock the drive. In our case, we select the first option, checking the corresponding box and entering the password we want to use. The password must contain uppercase, lowercase, spaces, numbers, and symbols.
Next, it will indicate where we want to save the password in case we lose it. If we want our PC to save the password, we select the option Save to Microsoft account. In this way, every time we want to access that device, it will not be necessary to enter the password.
But, if it is not like that and we do not want to lose it, we can select the option Save in a file or Print the recovery key to save it in a safe place. The best thing we can do to avoid losing it is to use a password manager. Next, click on Next and specify if we want to encrypt the entire unit or only the available free space.
