Ever since USB sticks have become popular, there’s been a real demand for methods to keep the files on them private. Many people worry what’ll happen to their data if they lose their little USB sticks.

The first solutions I used was simple file encryption. It works fine as long as the encryption programs could be stored on the USB stick. Other methods I’ve seen even go as far as special hardware built right into the stick. That makes them more expensive but still affordable by business users. If you look hard, you’ll find dozens of ways to keep the data on your USB drive safe from prying eyes.

Recently I’ve been trying out a great program called SafeHouse Explorer. It’s done everything I’ve wanted so far with few problems. Here’s what the home page for SafeHouse says about their software:

“What will happen to you when your private information falls into the wrong hands? It’s all preventable! SafeHouse Explorer is free security software for hard drives and memory sticks. Keep everyone out. Period. Get it now. Or be sorry later.”

Set up is simple. Download a 3mb installer file and agree to the terms of use as you run it. The SafeHouse program will appear in your Windows Add/Remove panel and start menu just like any other application. It can be used on your hard drives or USB drives and other portable media. To take it on the road, find the SafeHouseExplorer.exe file in the Program Files folder and copy it to a USB drive. It will now run as a “stand-alone” or portable program.

It works by creating an encrypted and password protected virtual drive (or volume) inside a single file. Simply click the “New Volume” button in SafeHouse and follow the volume creation wizard as it guides you through the process. It’s pretty simple and basically only needs to know the volume file name, location and the size you need.

The SafeHouse Explore interface looks a lot like a Windows Explorer file browser. It acts like Windows Explorer even down to dragging, dropping and right clicking on files. You’ll have no problem getting used to managing the files in your protected volumes.

SafeHouse Explorer has the following features and more:
* stand-alone on USB or other media such as iPods or floppy disks
* hides, locks and encrypts any file types
* 256-bit Twofish advanced encryption
* unlimited number of storage volumes
* volumes can be up to 2,000 Gigabytes in size
* password strength meter
* create self-extracting EXE encrypted volumns

Techie Buzz Verdict:
This is excellent free protection for your private data. It’s very easy to use and the stand-alone copy works even on PC’s that don’t allow you administrative rights. The only failing I saw is that when it’s run in stand-alone mode, each time you fire it up, it asks you to agree to the Terms of Use.

I feel good about recommending SafeHouse Explorer to anyone who needs to be a little paranoid with their private data.

Techie Buzz Rating: 4/5

Download SafeHouse Explorer

Do you have any questions about file security or encryption? Do you have any ideas you’d like to share? Be sure to add a comment below or email me. I’d love to hear from you.