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External HD, buy with hardware encryption or DIY via Bit Locker

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  • 23-10-2022 2:41pm
    #1
    BishopBrennen
    Registered Users Posts: 56 ✭✭


    I'm looking to buy a 1TB external hard drive as a back up drive.

    Is it better to purchase a hard drive that comes with hardware encryption included or is it just as handy to purchase a standard external hd and encrypt it oneself via Windows Bit Locker?

    I have an encrypted SanDisk Usb stick, it came with it's own encryption already on it, I juts had to pick a password and it's a nuisance of a thing to a certain extent. It won't display a picture on the folders and or files, etc, so you have to click into every file to see what it is, etc.. Also can't seem to access files via all programs, for example you can't right click and pick which program you want to play a movie like VLC player, it will only let you play it through the standard media program, etc... Are these annoyances / features a part of the encryption security or is it just a bad system used by SanDisc?

    Will an external hard drive with built in hardware encryption act in the same manner as the SanDisc regardless of it's brand? Is this how all encryption drives work?



Comments

  • Options
    #2
    BishopBrennen
    Registered Users Posts: 56 ✭✭BishopBrennen


    Anyone got an opinion on the drives with pre-installed encryption or vault software?



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    #3
    KAGY
    Registered Users Posts: 1,091 ✭✭✭KAGY


    If its an external drive that's just an internal drive in an enclosure theres a danger that if the circuit board in the enclosure is damaged you wouldn't be able to move the hdd to pc to recover. With bit locker, if you had the encryption key backed up you'd have a chance.



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    #4
    smuggler.ie
    Registered Users Posts: 4,128 ✭✭✭smuggler.ie


    Not using SanDisk SecureAccess (rebranded to PrivateAccess) , but if it does not offer you setting to "auto-unlock" on specific computer feature then perhaps its not for you. Nearly certain it should

    Bitlocker does have that feature - drive, if configured that way, automagicaly unlocked for you once connected and you can use it with all programs/applications as it would be just unencrypted drive.

    I see SanDisk do not offer lost password recovery either - once lost, data is gone too.

    Bitlocker on other hand will give you (mandatory) recovery key that you should print/store securely, it will allow you to recover should you forget your PIN

    history of boards 2021




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