Protecting Private Data

[tomkear2006]

Good afternoon,

There have been a number of break-ins in the block of flats I live in (the two flats either side of mine were burgled) over the past few months and many things have been stolen, including peoples computers.

I store a lot of valuable, and in some cases personal, information on my computer that I would not like someone else to discover.

I know I can use passwords and such in Windows but am I able to protect my hard drive from being accessed if someone were to install it into their own computer?

I can easily purchase contents insurance to replace the computer itself but keeping my data secure is more of a worry than it has ever been.

Is anyone able to advise or suggest a sensible solution to keep my data secure if my computer were to get stolen?

Thanks in advance,
Tom Kear

[Dave21]

Well as you said, setting passwords and so forth. If your case is in a desk where you could put a lock in that section, that might prevent the thieves from taking the computer as they won't have time to pry it open. I know some people who do that. Or backup your data and store them somewhere safe such as in a safe. You might also consider getting an alarm in your flat. If that is not feasible then get one of those stickers and put it on your door, saying that you are protected by a security alarm. That might scare of thieves.

[Negeva]

I store a lot of valuable, and in some cases personal, information on my computer that I would not like someone else to discover.

I know I can use passwords and such in Windows but am I able to protect my hard drive from being accessed if someone were to install it into their own computer?



Thanks in advance,
Tom Kear

No, it is still possible to recover that data from the drive if installed into another machine. In fact you don't even need to install the drive in another machine; there are some 'special' software that will allow one to read the drive.

Only way to protect that data is to use encryption. Do not use the built-in Windows encryption either - as it can be removed with very little effort. Best to use a third-party encryption tool, read the following thread: LINK (http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=192257)

[mikeL]

true crypt has some good software http://www.truecrypt.org/

[tomkear2006]

TrueCrypt looks great...

Will give it go when I get back home!

Thanks guys :)