Folder Lock 7 How Tos

Folder Lock lets you keep your personal files encrypted in a variety of ways, in both PC and portable drives and offers backup of protected files to an Online storage' so they can be backed up automatically. Protect USB/CD features three powerful options to protect your portable data, including Protect USB, Protect CD/DVD, and Encrypt Email Attachments.

To start encrypting and protecting your portable data with Protect USB/CD, simply follow the instructions that follow.

Protect USB

Protect USB enables you to convert your Lockers into self-executable applications that you can copy to your USB or external drives. You can then simply execute them on any computer and enter the correct password to access your data even if you don't have Folder Lock installed.

You can convert an existing Locker you saved on your system into a Portable Self Executable Locker.

To start converting your existing Locker files into Portable ones and copy to a USB/External drive, simply run Folder Lock and go to the Protect USB/CD feature. Once you are in the Protect USB/CD feature screen, click on the Protect USB option to start Step 1 of the portable Locker wizard.

To start making your existing Lockers portable, follow the instructions outlined below:

When you click on the Protect USB option in the main Protect USB/CD screen, you will be presented with the Protect USB wizard (slide 1/3) that will guide you the rest of the way.

Step 1

Here, you will be requested for the Locker details. Select your existing Locker by clicking on the 'Browse' button. Once you have located your existing Locker, click 'Open' to select the Locker. After you have selected your existing Locker, the 'Locker Location' field will show the full path to the Locker.

If you need more data protected, then we recommend that you look into NTFS files for conversion, as it has no restrictions on the size of file you can add to a Locker. Whereas, FAT32 file types limit you to a single file size of up to 4 GBs.

Please remember that you can only make an existing Locker portable when the existing Locker is 'Closed'. If it is not closed, you will need to close that Locker from the Encrypt Files list in the main Folder Lock application. To close an open Locker, simply go to the Encrypt Files feature in Folder Lock, select a Locker in the list, and click the 'Close Locker' button on the top menu.

Once you have selected the Locker to be made portable, click on the 'Browse' button to select the destination for this portable Locker. You can choose your USB / External drive,Shared folder, Network mapped drive, NAS device or you can choose to save this portable Locker on your fixed drive as well. Once you have selected the location for your portable Locker, click 'Next' to continue Step 2 and Step 3.

Step 2 and Step 3

Once you have entered the required details in the Protect USB window, press ‘Next’ to start the process of copying your encrypted Locker to your selected USB drive. If the size of the Locker is less than 4GB, the Locker will be converted into a self-executable.exe file itself. However, if the Locker size is greater than 4GB, your encrypted Locker will be copied to the required destination and a Folder Lock portable.exe file will also be created to run the Locker.

To cancel the process, click on 'Cancel' at any time.

The progress bar will show you the Portable Locker creation process. Once the process has been completed, the wizard will display the Locker Name, Locker Path, Locker Size, and the Locker Type information for your Portable Locker, click the 'Finish' button to close the window. Now all you need to do is double-click the newly created .EXE file to run and explore your new portable Locker(s). Enter your password to access your data.

Protect CD/DVD

Protect CD/DVD feature of Folder Lock enables you to convert your Lockers into self-executable applications and burn them to a CD/DVD drive. You can then simply execute them on any computer and enter the correct password to access your data even if you don't have Folder Lock installed. Please remember that if the Locker(s) being converted into portable Lockers, a self-executable application (.EXE) will be created for Lockers up to 4 GBs in size. If the Lockers being burned are more than 4 GBs in size, then a separate .EXE file will be created on the CD/DVD along with the portable Locker.

To convert and burn your Locker files to CDs/DVDs, simply go to the Protect USB/CD feature in Folder Lock and click on the 'Protect CD/DVD' option on the screen. Next, select the Locker file you wish to convert and burn to CD/DVD. Next, select the drive where the CD/DVD is inserted, and then click 'Next' to start the process of creating a self-executable (.EXE) file as well as the portable Locker, click on the 'Finish' button to close the wizard.

Please note that you cannot convert and burn a Locker which is already open. You also cannot convert and burn your Locker to a CD/DVD if there is not enough space in the CD/DVD. You may, however, directly burn a portable Locker to a CD/DVD.

You do not need to set a new password for the portable Locker for your CD/DVD. The portable Locker password will be the same as the one for the original Locker.

If you wish to access your portable Locker on a computer where you have administrative rights, simply double-click the portable Locker from CD/DVD, and enter the portable Locker password. Once you have entered the portable Locker password, the portable Locker will open as a self-executable explorer, and it will open on the selected drive (default is Z:\) . The portable Locker will also open with a Read-Only access.

If you wish to access your portable Locker on a computer with non-administrative rights, simply double-click the portable Locker from CD/DVD, and confirm if whether you have administrative rights or are a non-administrative user. If you click 'YES' to administrative user, you will need to enter the computer administrative password, and upon verification, you will need to enter the portable Locker password. Once you have entered the portable Locker password, your portable Locker will mount on your selected drive with Read-Only access. If you said 'NO' to the administrative user question, you will need to enter the portable Locker password, and upon verification of your password, your portable Locker will open in Self Explorer as a self-executable as Read-Only.

Encrypt Email Attachments

Encrypt Email Attachments enables you to create encrypted ZIP file of your confidential files. You can then email them as attachments using any of your regular email clients or webmail. To give access to these encrypted email attachments, simply share the unique passwords for each encrypted ZIP file with the intended user.

Using Military Standard 256-bit AES on-the-fly encryption to protect your important files, Folder Lock encrypts your important data and gives you a complete peace of mind when it comes to keeping your portable files safe.

To start creating encrypted portable Zip files in Folder Lock, simply go to the Protect USB/CD feature and click on the 'Encrypt Email Attachment' option.

Once you have clicked on the Encrypt Email Attachment option, you will be presented with a wizard that will guide you through the rest of the process. The wizard will have a welcome screen where you can click on the Next button to continue.

Step 1

Here you will be asked to add the files and folders you wish to encrypt and email. To start adding files and folders to encrypt for email, click on the 'Add' button on the top menu. The Add button includes the 'Add File(s)' and the 'Add Folder(s)' options. Select your option, and chose your files and folders for encryption. Once you have selected your files and folders, click on the 'Next' button to continue to Step 3.

Step 2

After you have added your selected files and folders to the list, click on the 'Next' button to continue. This will bring you to a screen where you will be requested enter the encrypted Zip file's name in the Zip Name field and the path in the Zip Path field. Further on, you will need to enter the Zip file's password details in the Set Password and the Confirm Password fields respectively.

It is strongly recommended to make sure that you keep a password that is hard-to-guess, but easy-to-remember. Your encrypted ZIP file password will be at least 6 characters short and up to a maximum of 100 characters. You may use Alphanumeric or special characters to set your password.

A password-strength meter will show you the strength of your password and you will have the option to enter your password using the Virtual Keyboard available. The Virtual Keyboard allows you to enter your Locker Password without the fear of your password being hacked into by a Keystroke recorder or Keyloggers. Once you have set and confirmed your Locker Password, click 'Next' to continue to Step 3.

After you have entered the required details, click the 'Next' button to start the encryption process.

Step 3 and 4

The Encrypt Email Attachment process completes with the creation of an encrypted ZIP file. Once the process has finished, the wizard screen will show you Zip Name, Zip Path and Zip Size of the encrypted ZIP file.

Click on the 'Email Now' button to email and share your encrypted ZIP file as an attachment with anyone you trust. Simply share the password for the encrypted Zip file for access to its contents.

If you prefer to email your encrypted ZIP file at a later time, just click on the 'Finish' button to proceed to the main screen.

To encrypt email attachments, you can add multiple files and folders to encrypt for email. Files can also be of any extension. Once your encrypted email attachments have been created, you can email them by using any email client or webmail of your choosing.

Users who have the password for these encrypted Zip files and who wish to access them do not have to install Folder Lock in order to do so.

Encrypt Email Attachments provides strong data protection and peace of mind along with flexibility, without restricting you in pursuit of a dependable portable data security solution.

How do I edit, copy/move, or delete a portable Locker?

In computers where Folder Lock is not installed, your portable Locker(s) can be easily copied, moved, and deleted directly from Windows.

However, if you have Folder Lock installed, and you wish to make any changes to a portable Locker with a file size of 4 GB and above, you will be controlled by the existing security protocols of the application set by a user at that time. This means that you will no longer be able to freely copy, move, or delete a portable Locker.

To do so, you will need to run Folder Lock, and go to the Encrypt Files feature. Once there, you will need to open the portable Locker by clicking on the Open Locker button on the top menu. Once you have the portable Locker opened and displayed in the Locker list, you can then move on to editing, copying, or moving the portable Locker.

To edit, simply click a closed portable Locker in the Locker list in Encrypt Files, and click on the Edit Locker button on the top menu, enter the portable Locker password that will pop up, and click 'OK' to continue. This will open the Edit Locker window where you can rename your portable Locker and change the portable Locker's password.

Please remember that you can only edit a 'Closed' portable Locker. You will also not be able to keep a similar name of the portable Locker in the same location. Names of Lockers must be unique at all times, except when copying a Locker to a new location (e.g. when converting an existing Locker into a portable Locker).

Be sure to keep a password that is hard-to-guess, but easy-to-remember. Your Locker password will be at least 6 characters short and up to a maximum of 100 characters long. You may use Alphanumeric or special characters to set your password.

A password-strength meter will show you the strength of your password and you will have the option to enter your password using the Virtual Keyboard available. The Virtual Keyboard allows you to enter your Locker Password without the fear of your password being hacked into by a Keystroke recorder or Keyloggers.

To copy/move a portable Locker, you will need to select the item from the Locker list and then click on the Copy/Move button on the top menu. Enter the portable Locker password and click on 'OK' to continue. Once you are in the Copy/Move window, select the location where you would want to copy/move the portable Locker, and then make a selection as to whether you wish to either copy OR move the portable Locker. Once you have made your selection, click 'Next' to start the process.

The 'Copy/Move protection of Locker/Make Wallets files' option in the Settings panel will need to be deselected/unchecked in order for you to be able to copy/move your portable Lockers from Windows if you have Folder Lock installed. To disable this copy/move security setting, go to the Settings panel which is placed above the top menu in Folder Lock. Once you are in the Settings panel, go to the Password Security tab and uncheck/deselect the 'Copy/Move protection of Locker/Make Wallets files' option.

To delete a portable Locker from within Folder Lock, go to the Encrypt Files feature and select a portable Locker from the Locker list. Once you have selected a portable Locker from the list, click on the 'Delete' button, placed at the bottom of the list screen. Clicking on the 'Delete' button will ask you for a password. Enter either your Locker Password OR the Master Password and click on 'Yes' to confirm deletion of your Locker.

If the 'Delete protection of listed Locker/Wallets files' option in the Settings panel is checked/selected, then Folder Lock will request for a password before allowing you to delete your Locker(s). However, to undo this, simply go to the Settings panel which is placed above the top menu in Folder Lock. Once you are in the Settings panel, go to the Password Security tab and uncheck/deselect the 'Delete protection of listed Locker/Wallets files' option.