The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    Encrypted external drives?

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by moto-, Jul 9, 2009.

  1. moto-

    moto- Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    23
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    I was looking into getting an external drive soon and looking at this product got me thinking:

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16822161041

    I'm not exactly sure what i want to ask, but apparently it works without installing on the computer, which sounds very convenient. is there any way to make an ordinary external drive perform something similar (encrypt data without any software on the host computer)? or is that not possible since this particular drive has some sort of hardware built into it which performs the encryption?
     
  2. sgogeta4

    sgogeta4 Notebook Nobel Laureate

    Reputations:
    2,389
    Messages:
    10,552
    Likes Received:
    7
    Trophy Points:
    456
    I believe you can purchase internal HDDs with built in encrytion. With any external casing, you can do what this drive does.
     
  3. 8hkl

    8hkl Newbie

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    5
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    Not that I'm recommending them but Cipher Shield makes products where the encryption hardware is built into the external case itself (and I'm assuming they use regular hard drives inside). It's pricey though -- you might be better off getting the encryption built into the hard drive.
     
  4. garetjax

    garetjax NBR Freelance Reviewer NBR Reviewer

    Reputations:
    1,706
    Messages:
    1,681
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
  5. BamAlmighty

    BamAlmighty Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    47
    Messages:
    132
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    I use a Maxtor Blackarmor 320gb external, you don't have to install any software, the control program runs off of the HD.