Should I encrypt my entire hard drive or only a file
Updated: 7/15/2020
- The idea of encrypting files to secure your data using a different encryption algorithms is getting very popular these days among the computer users. If you encrypt files and folders in Windows, your data will become unreadable to unauthorized parties. Only someone with the correct password, or decryption key, can make the data readable again. This article will explain several methods Windows users can utilize to encrypt their devices and the data stored on them.
- Before you start encrypting your folders, there are some tips you need to keep in mind. Anything can be decrypted if you're targeted by a savvy enough, or well-financed foe. Which types of encryption are most secure?
- Regardless of why you want to encrypt your data, the process is almost identical in all software: choose what to encrypt and then decide how to secure it. There are two ways to encrypt your data. You can use encryption on the entire hard drive, or on a section of your hard drive, so that anything within that encrypted space is, of course, encrypted. The other way is to encrypt particular files, one at a time.
- Encrypt the whole hard drive
- Full disk encryption encrypts a full computer drive, not just a few documents or folders. Encrypting computer's hard disks keeps your data from prying eyes, even when the computer is stolen. You are also not simply limited by a traditional hard drive, such as USB drives and external hard drives.
- idoo Full Disk Encryption adopts the encryption scheme based on the Physical Sector level; it is able to encrypt all data on the hard drive, including the operating system. Unauthorized users cannot access any files on the hard drive. In the encrypted disk, there are no files or file names that can be seen without inputting a password.
- Encrypt specific files
- File encryption is also known as content encryption. If you must share a computer between members of your family, but you still want to have some private files on it. You need to
encrypt specific files
and not the entire computer. idoo File Encryption Software gives far more useful functions than others do. It offers a full range of file encryption, hide, deny read, shredder, and more. One example is, when someone else attempts to log in again and again with no right code, you will have an email alert. In the meantime, the software program shuts down in order to stop further attempts. In addition to that, it gives you a unique means to easily keep an eye on all your files and hard drives. You'll get a comprehensive report about all accesses to files and the operating of software programs. A quick check lets you know when any unauthorized access has taken place. You will quickly follow up and prevent access before great damage could take place.
- Summary:
- Individual file and folder encryption does just that – encrypts only the specific items that you tell it to. This method is acceptable if relatively few business documents are stored on a computer, and it's better than no encryption at all.
- Full-disk or whole-disk encryption is the most complete form of computer encryption. It's transparent to users and doesn't require them to save files to a special place on the disk – all files, folders, and volumes are encrypted.
- Full disk encryption VS File encryption
- Full disk encryption:
- Pros: you have no risk of leaking some sensitive data in a non-encrypted partition
- Cons: if things go wrong, the full disk becomes unreadable and you will have to try to recover/reinstall from a removable bootable media: do not forget to build and securely store it.
- File encryption:
- Pros: if things go wrong, the unencrypted partitions will be easier to recover.
- Cons: if you only encrypt a data partition, sensitive data can end in temporary files or swap files in a non-encrypted partition.
- Best practices for computer encryption
- Keeping your personal data safe doesn't have to be difficult—as long as you keep the sensitive stuff encrypted and under your control.
- 1. Back up your computer regularly: an encrypted disk that crashes or becomes corrupt can result in files being lost forever. If you have a current backup, you can be up and running fairly quickly.
- 2. Make your passwords very long: the best answer to that is a very long string of words. As the webcomic xkcd famously pointed out, a bunch of plain words is pretty good. But as many hackers use "dictionary attacks" to guess regular words, it's best to add some capital letters, special characters, or numbers.
- 3. Monitor Folders/Files: you can supervise the files and folders effectively by recording all the access to files.
System Requirements
Windows 7 8 10 32/64-bit- Windows Vista 32/64-bit
- Windows XP 32/64-bit
- Windows 2000
- Windows Server 2000 32/64-bit
- Windows Server 2003 32/64-bit
- Windows Server 2008 32/64-bit
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