Since Windows Vista, Microsoft offers locker and encrypting feature called Bit Locker. You can basically think it as a free alternative to “PC Security 7″ or “Folder Lock 7.0.6″. I hate to say alternative because it is even better than most paid security softwares.
How secure it is ?
It not only locks your pen drive it encrypts it to protect your data from hackers. Encryption is a process where your data is scrambled and made unreadable by using cipher, so if some one uses you pen drive in other PC he wont able to read your data.
Now you may think what if some one tries to access your data by changing the BIOS settings or startup files. No worries, Bit locker is smart enough to detect that. To put it simple it can detect any potential thread to your drive.
May be if you are as lazy as me, then typing password every time is a tough job for you. Windows bit locker provides a options to unlock automatically. Let me explain, you may find it troublesome to type password every time you insert your pen drive, then you can select the settings to automatically unlock on your PC. You can do the same settings for your office computer .
Now what are you waiting for; its free, provides better security, in built (you don’t need to download anything). If you don’t know how to use it then don’t worry we will tell you how to do that in step by step.
Applying password
1. Go to start menu and open control panel.
2. In control panel choose system and security and then Bit locker Drive Encryption. You will see a screen like below
3. Then Click on “Turn On Bit Locker” Option on the right side the drive you want to protect with password. I forgot to say The “off” below the drive name shows the security status. As you can see my Drives are not password protected. I am too lazy to type the password.
4. Here we will choose the pen drive. After clicking on the turn on you will see something like below.
5. After 20 sec or so it will ask you how you wish to lock your pen drive using password or smart card. Choose strong password and Click next. (BTW Smart Card is a a small plastic card containing a computer chip. You can think it as debit or credit card.)
6. Thereafter BitLocker will prompt you to store a recovery key that helps unlock your drive in case you forget your password. Just click on “Save the recovery key to a file”. You will see a window like below. Click on save.
7. Then Bit locker will ask for conformation. Click “START ENCRYPTING” option.
8. Then you will see a window telling how much much data is encrypted. The amount of time that encrypting process will take to complete the process will depend on how much data is on your drive.
9. Now you have a not only password protected but also encrypted pen drive. Whenever you plug in this pen drive to your computer or some other computer you will ask you a password. I don’t need to say the drive can be used only and only if correct password is entered.
10. An amazing thing is you notice see its icon has also a golden lock and it does not even show your deprive name before you enter password. But as soon as you unlock it by entering the password it will change its appearance.
How to remove Password protection or automatically unlock on selected computer
1. Unlock you pen drive so it will look like this 
2. Now right click on the icon and choose manage bit locker. You will see some thing like below.
3. Chose the option you want and; Voila, you are DONE !!!
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