How-To Geek
BitLocker To Go Encrypts Portable Flash Drives in Windows 7
The BitLocker feature was introduced in Windows Vista and allowed you to encrypt the content of your hard drive. Now in Windows 7 they offer BitLocker To Go which allows you to encrypt portable USB flash drives.
First open up My Computer and Right-click on the flash drive you want to encrypt and select Turn on BitLocker.
After BitLocker initialized the flash drive you will need to enter in a password to unlock the drive. You can also set up a Smartcard which are usually used in a work environment so talk to you IT staff.
Next you will be prompted to store the recovery key which is used in the event you lose your password or smartcard. If you store it as a file make sure that it is not on the same drive that you’re encrypting.
After the key has been saved as a file or printed you will see a confirmation message.
Finally you will be ready to start encrypting the drive so just click the Start Encrypting button.
While it is encrypting there will be a progress screen displayed.
A successful encryption of the USB flash drive. notice that the drive icon will change to show its encrypted with BitLocker.
Notice that the drive icon will change to show its encrypted with BitLocker where the gold lock indicates it is locked up and the gray lock is displayed after you have unlocked it.
Right-click on that icon to bring up options to manage BitLocker encryption.
The next time you plug in the drive to a Windows 7 machine you will be prompted to enter the password to gain access to the drive. You can also always have it unlocked on specific machines in the future.
You can also use the encrypted drive in Vista and XP. Here we will look at how it looks in XP, when you plug it in you will be prompted for the password to launch BitLocker To Go Reader (the utility is installed automatically on the drive by Windows 7).
BitLocker To Go Reader is a Windows Explorer type navigation utility for showing the content of the drive.
With a BitLocker encrypted drive you will only be able to read and copy files. If you need to add files or change them you will need to use a Windows 7 machine.
This is a great way to easily make sure sensitive data on your USB flash drive is safe. Right now anyone who has Windows 7 RC1 Ultimate can use this feature.
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Comments (15)
Programmer by day, geek by night, The Geek, also known as Lowell Heddings, spends all his free time bringing you fresh geekery on a daily basis. You can follow him on Google+ if you'd like.
- Published 05/27/09
Wow, looks promisingly simple. What if I work in a mixed OS environment? Is there a bitlocker-to-go installer for XP and Linux?
Would find this very useful apart from the fact I wouldn’t be able to add files to it :(
Means it would be rather pointless for school.
Wonderful tutoral Geek.
It is a really great feature except that at school, they use windows xp
BitLocket To Go includes a BitLocket To Go Reader program for earlier version of windows such as Windows XP
It should be noted that BitLocker and BitLocker To Go are only available in the “Enterprise” and “Ultimate” versions of Windows 7… Way it is not included in the business oriented version “Professional” I have no clue :(
Is there any disadvantage to using Bit Locker on your main hard drives other than forgetting your passphrase which saving the recovery key seems to handle?
I’m assuming if you need to access the hard drive from another computer on the network you only need the password right?
Fine one and eassy to acess and thanks to google for Pictorial Tutoriale………..
nice article !!!
Quote : With a BitLocker encrypted drive you will only be able to read and copy files. If you need to add files or change them you will need to use a Windows 7 machine.
Im sorry but the whole point of enypting data is to hide it from unwanted eyes. If now my ex wife can read and copy files from my encrypted hd with BitLocker To Go Reader makes this whole process useless.
true enrycpt means no ID or PWD or KEY no access whatsoever, not even browsing is poss. Well thats how i understand it, maybe there are diff. catergories of encryptions, one more sophisticated than bitlocker would be a better option. Is truecrypt here diffrent ?
[sfme]
shoot. this is amazing. its as if you have a deep freeze on a USB :D
just a question.
it is mentioned that you can only save or make a change in the drive with windows7. so, you cant make any changes even it is unlocked while you’re not using windows7? does it mean having a windows7 OS is also a key to make changes in the drive?
thanks. keep it up :)
i can’t find the BitLocker option when i right click on my USB .. can some one help?
but how if we add some files onto bitlocker in XP or Linux ?
When I encrypt the drive on my lap top and then use it after, it works fine. If I hook the drive up to my Home PC it asks me to format the drive before being able to use it.. Even on one I formatted it still asked me to format after I encrypted. How do I use the drive on mulitiple computers?
@ Danny
as mentioned in this article, bit locker to go is only available for windows 7 ultimate and enterprise editions. however, if you have already turned this feature on in your flash drive using these editions and plug your flash drive to a machine running xp or vista, it still works. the encryption process ran in windows 7 ultimate and enterprise editions includes an installer that runs the bit locker reader when you plug your flash drive in an xp.
@ paranoid
unless you give your ex-wife the password to your encrypted hard drive, then she won’t be able to see all the files in that drive.
@ Chris & Caleb
you’re right. but it also prevents malware (virus, trojans, etc.) from infecting your flash drive, which is very common in school and other public computers. if you need a file from school, upload it to your own email account then download it in a safe computer. your email provider (yahoomail, gmail, etc.) automatically scans that file when you download it.
@ kenneth
you’re right on all counts. when you’re using an encrypted flash disk in a computer running xp, even if you have the correct password, you’re not actually running the bit locker utility but only the bit locker reader.
@ Kojo
what OS are you using? remember, this utility is only available in windows 7 ultimate and enterprise editions.
@ wonkz
in xp, you just can’t. i will try plugging my encrypted device in a linux and i’ll get back to you asap.
@ A Berney
i duplicated the way you did your thing and it just worked fine. try formatting your flash drive in a windows 7 ultimate or enterprise computer using the fat32 or fat file system then encrypt the drive and see if this works.