[Solved] How to Encrypt a Windows Hard Drive
Many private and important files are kept on hard drives. If someone with bad intentions gets to this data, it can be stolen or damaged in a matter of seconds. In these situations, encryption is the best way to keep your private data safe. This post will show you how to secure a Windows system drive and an external hard drive.
Several new ideas have been made possible by progress in technology. Cybercriminals have been able to mess up a lot of system users because of this. Because of this, more and more PC and laptop users are looking for ways to keep their systems safe. Encrypting your hard drive is one of the easiest ways to make sure your info is safe.
info encryption helps keep bad people from getting to the info on your device. Also, this piece is exactly what you need if your drive has a lot of digital data on it. We’re going to talk about how to secure both internal and external hard drives here. Anyway, let’s learn more about how data encryption works first, before we get to the ways.
What does data encryption mean, and why do we need it?
Encrypting data means turning data that can be read into a file that can’t be read. By adding a layer of special codes that only allowed users can see, encryption protects the data being sent on the computer or in the cloud. The data that has been encrypted is also called ciphertext. The secret code or decryption key must be given before it can be read or accessed. One of the most common ways to keep data safe is to encrypt it.
Data encryption helps keep your files and private information safe, and it also makes it safer for servers and client apps to talk to each other. Almost every operating system we use today comes with an encryption tool like Microsoft’s BitLocker and recover data with BitLocker recovery tool. This is a popular and cheap way to keep your data safe.
Why data encryption is a good idea
Data encryption has a lot of good points. Here is a list of some of them:
Useful on a number of Devices: -
The technology behind encryption can be used on almost any gadget. Like, when you set a password or Touch ID on your phone, the info on it is encrypted.
Keep yourself safe while working from home:
Data protection helps keep your data safe whether you work from home or are working from afar. No one will be able to get to the data on your protected devices, even if you lose your phone, laptop, or hard drive.
Protect your privacy:
Encryption helps make sure that only you or people who are allowed to see the data can access it. It stops people like hackers, ISPs, and ad networks from reading your private information without your permission.
Protect the integrity of your data:
People can change the type, size, and data of a file. This is known as “information manipulation.” People who mess with data may delete or copy files while they are being sent. Encryption protects your data even more and helps stop threats that change data.
How to Protect Your Windows Hard Drive
In Windows, you can secure your hard drive in a few real ways, whether it’s an internal or external drive. You can do these things on your own, and they are easy to do.
Protect the system hard drive
One way is to use BitLocker encryption.
BitLocker is a built-in Windows tool for encrypting data and devices that can be used to protect private information from people who shouldn’t be able to see it. It can be used to encrypt the system or internal hard drive. The following steps can be used to encrypt the hard drive:
If you’re already logged in as a user or guest, log out and now use the supervisor account to log back in.
Next, right-click on the Start menu and pick Settings from the menu that comes up. Another way to get to Settings is to press Windows + I.
Find Privacy in System Settings and open it.
After that, if you see a choice for Device encryption, click it. You can also go to System Settings, select Update & Security, and see if the Device encryption choice is there.
Turn it on when you find it.
However, if it still doesn’t show up, it’s not present. It would be better to use regular BitLocker protection instead. The following steps will show you how to turn on the normal BitLocker encryption:
Find the Control Panel in Search and click on it. Next, go to BitLocker Drive Encryption.
When asked again, click “Turn on BitLocker.”
The protection of the hard drive will begin. Go ahead and click “Enter a PIN.”
The PIN can be between 6 and 20 numbers long. Type it in twice, and then click “Set PIN.”
This PIN is important to keep safe because it will let you get into your password-protected hard drive when you need to.
What if I change my BitLocker-protected hard drive by accident?
In the event that you formatted your protected hard drive, you could still get back the data on it by using powerful data recovery software. When you enter your BitLocker Recovery Key, the software will quickly get back the data on the hard drive that was erased.
Protect an external hard drive
You can use the BitLocker To Go program that comes with Windows or a third-party encryption tool to protect external hard drives. Pay close attention to the steps given for each of the ways below.
Step 2: Use BitLocker to get
Click on BitLocker To Go if you want to protect portable hard drives on a Windows computer. These can be HDDs, SSDs, USB flash drives, or SD cards. It also works with storage media that has the NTFS, FAT16, FAT32, or exFAT file systems installed. After you follow these steps, your USB drive will be encrypted:
From Windows Search, open the Control Panel. To get to the Control Panel, you can also open the Run box, type “Control,” and press “Enter.”
From the list of choices, double-click on the System and Security one.
After that, click Mange BitLocker, which is located under BitLocker Drive Encryption.
BitLocker To Go will then show you a list of removable drives. Choose the external hard drive.
It will say “Turn on BitLocker” when you click on the portable hard drive. Click on that.
In the next window, pick a PIN or password to lock the drive. Next, type in a strong password twice.
There are several choices for how to back up your recovery key. You can save it to a file or print it out and store it somewhere safe.
You can choose how much of your hard drive to protect. BitLocker encrypts new files you add to the drive immediately. Because of this, we suggest that you choose Encrypt used hard space only on the drive.
If not, choose Encrypt whole drive. Pick out the method of encryption. For Windows 10 (Version 1511) or higher, choose New encryption mode when you use the drive. If not, choose the Compatible mode.
On the last step, click “Start encrypting.” The window will then close.
The protection of the external hard drive will work.
Note End
We showed you the simplest and safest ways to secure both internal and external hard drives on a Windows computer. Encryption keeps you safe from people who want to get to your data or do harm. Basically, even if someone gets their hands on your device, it will be hard for them to get to the password-protected info on the hard drive.