PC World – December 2015

1. BITLOCKER
Microsoft’s encryption
software has been
developed and
updated since
Windows Vista, and it’s
been built into
Windows 10 as well.
Since Windows 8.1,
BitLocker has offered
the option to encrypt
the Windows boot
drive and other fixed
drives within the
system, as well as USB keys and external drives.
BitLocker is especially handy for traveling, even if it’s just to a local
cafe. Locking down your data isn’t 100 percent foolproof, but it’s a
start. If a drive is encrypted, BitLocker will encrypt other files that are
added to it. You also have the option to suspend encryption or remove
it entirely. Files moved from a BitLocker encrypted drive to another
drive are automatically decrypted.
Of course, you’ll need a password to make it all work, preferably as
strong as possible (go.pcworld.com/strongpasswords). If you don’t
have that password, you’ll need a recovery key to regain access: a code
that can be saved to a file, to a Microsoft account, or even printed out
and saved. But if you forget the password and lose the recovery key,
you’re stuck—you’ll lose access to that data forever.
A cloud storage solution like OneDrive can be a great way to store
your files, but a USB key encrypted with BitLocker and clipped to a
keychain can provide an additional layer of security and keep precious
files close at hand.
Encrypting
drives is a snap
with BitLocker.
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