Securing files on a notebook PC

What are some ways i can secure the files and information on my laptop? Does anybody recommend any full disc encryption programs? How secure would it be by just setting a BIOS password and a user password?

Or if anybody has any suggesstions other than what i listed above?

Thanks in advanced,

Jim

 

Just go to your user account,set password,and turn on the guest account for other persons who use your laptop.This one will be with limited access(can't go to your folder.

 

http://www.truecrypt.org

 

Adry,why you post this app that belongs for Mac?

Doom,what OS do you have?

 

What are you talking about?

Its cross platform, which you could easily see by clicking the above link.

Edit: Oh.

I see the URL system ate my link.

Fixed.

 

Its running Vista

 

I'm sorry Adry,cos I see the link from MJ,this one:http://mac.majorgeeks.com/download6480.html
and there you can see the system requirements is for OSX.There is no Vista.
Sorry again.

 

TrueCrypt is an awesome open source encryption tool. I haven't tried encrypting my entire drive yet, but I use containers regularly.

 

Bitlocker requires a second partiton or drive, however.

Doesn't it?

 

First of all, Bitlocker is a MS product. I honestly don't trust any corporate security/encryption program, because it's obviously going to have some sort of backdoor. TrueCrypt has no motivation for a backdoor.

Secondly, yes Bitlocker requires a separate (special) hard drive partitioning setup (which it will walk you through). However, it also requires a supporting BIOS (with a supporting motherboard that has a special "TPM" chip, or something liked that).

When it comes to security, I've always found that outsourcing is the key. You wouldn't hire the same person to do your housekeeping, finances, and manage your security, would you? Call me cynical or whatever... it just doesn't jive with my guts. MS calls home with every product it has, in ways that you'll never be able to figure out unless you somehow decompile their programming and know what to look for. What's to say encryption keys aren't sent with the other information? MS already has issues with the governments of several countries... who knows what kinds of deals they made under the table to stay in business?

 

Paranoid much?

If MS had left a backdoor in bitlocker, you can bet every hacker in the world would know about it, and they would have exposed it.

EFS didn't have a backdoor either.

 

Not paranoid... over-cautious, probably. I'm just old school when it comes to liking my privacy.

 

I wouldnt go OSS then. OSS is just as susceptible to devious backdoors, as all employees get disgruntled, and the QA on OSS is not the same as the retail market.