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Using a BitLocker To Go encrypted drive in Windows 7 Figure G When the encryption is complete, you’ll notice that the drive icon shows a lock on the drive. Of course, once the encryption is complete, BitLocker To Go displays a confirmation dialog box and changes the icon associated with the encrypted drive, as shown in Figure G. Figure F A Progress monitor will keep you apprised of the encryption process. As you can see, there is a Pause button that will allow you to temporarily halt the process should you need to perform another task. The amount of time that it will take to complete the process will depend on how large the drive is. Figure E You’ll be prompted to begin the encryption process once you save the recovery key.ĭuring the encryption process, you’ll see a standard progress monitor that will keep you apprised of the operation, as shown in Figure F.
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When you create the password and save your recovery key, you’ll be prompted to begin the encryption process, as shown in Figure E. Figure D To ensure that you don’t lock yourself out of your drive, BitLocker To Go will create a recovery key. You can use the recovery key to unlock your drive in the event that you forget the password or lose your smart card. Figure C You can use a password or a smart card to unlock a BitLocker To Go protected drive.Īfter you set up a password or use a smart card, BitLocker To Go will prompt you to store a recovery key, as shown in Figure D. If you have a smart card, you can use its PIN to unlock the drive. Once the initialization process is complete, BitLocker To Go will prompt you to set up a password that you will use to unlock the drive, as shown in Figure C. Figure B When BitLocker To Go initializes your USB drive, you don’t have to worry about any data that is already on the drive. The process is nondestructive, so you don’t have to worry about any data that is already on the drive. Figure A When you right-click on a USB drive in Windows 7, you’ll see the Turn on BitLocker command.Īs soon as you do, BitLocker To Go will begin initializing your USB drive, as shown in Figure B. Once you insert a USB drive, right-click on it and select the Turn on BitLocker command from the menu, as shown in Figure A. Setting up BitLocker To Go on a USB drive is a simple procedure.
Furthermore, the policy can specify password length as well as complexity.įor a comparison, check out “ Product Spotlight: IronKey Encrypted Flash Drive.” Setting up a USB drive In a Domain system, IT administrators can configure a policy that requires users to apply BitLocker protection to removable drives before being able to write to them. When you connect the USB drive to a computer running XP or Vista, the BitLocker To Go Reader takes control, prompts for the password, and then basically makes the USB drive a read-only device.īitLocker To Go can be used by both home and business users. When you connect the USB drive to a Windows 7 computer, you are prompted for the password, and upon entering it you can read and write to the drive as you normally would.ĭuring the encryption process, Windows 7 installs a special reader on the USB drive. Without the password, the USB drive is worthless. How it worksīasically, BitLocker To Go allows you to encrypt a USB drive and restrict access with a password.
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This blog post is also available in PDF format as a free TechRepublic download and as a TechRepublic Photo Gallery. In this edition of the Windows Vista and Windows 7 Report, I’ll introduce you to BitLocker To Go and show you how it works on a 1GB USB thumb drive. To protect sensitive data stored on USB drives, Microsoft Windows 7 features the encryption scheme called BitLocker To Go. With the huge increase in the use of very small, large capacity, USB drives, the potential for sensitive data to be lost or stolen has really become more of a problem because it is much easier to lose or steal a device no bigger than a package of chewing gum. When Microsoft introduced Windows Vista, one of the big security features in that operating system was BitLocker, a hard drive encryption scheme designed to protect sensitive data from being accessed on lost or stolen computers - mainly laptops.
Greg Shultz thought we should revisit the topic because encryption is generally underutilized. This blog post was originally published in May 2009. Greg Shultz explores the Windows 7 version of BitLocker To Go and shows you how it works on a USB thumb flash drive. Secure your USB drives with BitLocker To Go for Windows 7