Need to password protect external HDD

[Robby14]

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 :haha:

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

 

[marsmimar]

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

 

[Robby14]

I will give it a look.

 

[Ztruker]

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.

 

[marsmimar]

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.

 

[Robby14]

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 :sarc:

 

[andrew129260]

You could also format the drive as ntfs, and then apply security permissions to the whole drive so that you do not have write access, only read. This way you could not format it (in windows anyway) then anytime you want to add files just add write permissions back.