Need to password protect external HDD

I hope this is a good/right section for this, it could fit in several. Anyway, I have a WD 2500 external HDD, that I am using to store backups. I have it formatted into three partitions, all Fat32, as I run both windows and Linux. A while back I started to do something, with the HDD, and I don't remember how/why now, but I managed to format the entire drive, losing everything, a lot was un-replaceable. So I have repartitioned, and started my backups. I want to put a lock of some sort on each partition separately, or the drive as a whole, so that not only is it encrypted (which I can find plenty of resources), but also so that nothing can be deleted/formatted without a password, so I don't make the same mistake again. This way it will at least slow me down long enough that I have time to think about what I'm doing, and realize I need to stop

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to accomplish this? I have tried right-clicking on partition, and going to properties, I can password protect each file separably, but not the drive or partition as a whole. I googled it, and found plenty of partition/drive encryption, but they will not stop a format. I found a lot of ways to format/delete partitions/drives that are password protected, but nothing to do the protecting.

Thanks Guys/Girls

See if File Secure Free would help. You can password protect external hard drives or USB flash drives by plugging it in, choosing the drive and clicking a "lock" button to enter a password which then locks the drive. To unlock the drive, you'd again select it, enter the password, and then click the "unlock" button.

File Secure Free guide

I will give it a look.

Ztruker said:

Will it prevent formatting the drive from outside of Windows, like a booted CD/DVD or flash drive or Linux?

That may not be a concern though.

Good point, Rich.

Ztruker said:

Will it prevent formatting the drive from outside of Windows, like a booted CD/DVD or flash drive or Linux?

That may not be a concern though.

That was my main concern actually, I actually had almost 200 gig, of stuff saved on it, and plugged it in, to add some files, at some point while it was plugged in, I did something, I had actually forget and left it plugged into the back side usb on my desktop for like two weeks. By the time I looked for it, and found it, it had been formatted. I did do some re-partitioning on the desktop during that time, (I created a new small partition just for doc's and pics'), but I plugged it into my laptop to do a backup, and it had been formatted, into one large partition. Secure File, looks like it will do what I want, as the drive itself contains the password entry, instead of the computer being told to look for a password, the HDD will request a password, at least that is how I read it. I'm going to try it this weekend, and if it doesn't do what I want, I'll start over. I don't have any information, that I'm trying to hide, it's just that I want to make sure the drive cannot be erased again, unless I have to take the time to put in a password, which should warn me enough to make me stop and think about what I'm doing. Maybe, anyway