Password protect CD

[RDK]

I have a CD full of reference documentation. This includes PDF files of material that I have gathered, DWG files and templates etc.

This information is relatively static. I would like to make it transportable but protected.

What I would like to be able to do is have a CD that I would insert and by the use of one password, have access to the material without having to extract the data to the hard drive. I am often at clients sites and want to read the data, but do not want to and in some cases cannot install all the files on the clients computer. I also require that there be no specific programs located on the clients computers. Some of them are so locked down that simple common programs like PKZip cannot be installed.

I have tried four different approaches and none are fully satisfactory.

I have used CryptCd and PGP’s SDA (self decrypting archive). Both of these programs require that the information be extracted to a hard drive.

I have used individual password protection on each file but not all formats support this.

I have used password protected ZIP files but this requires that the clients computer has an unzip program installed and only works for individual files. (you can still see the files in the zip file, just not open or extract them).

I have done a lot of web searching but have never been able to find a program that will let me go to any Windows PC, insert a CD, type in a password and open the CD for use.

I can see that this type of program could have wide uses and cannot believe that someone has not developed one unless Windows would specifically not allow it to happen.

Eventually I would upgrade to DVD as the volume of the reference information grows.

Any ideas or suggestions?




Rick Kitson MBA P.Eng

Construction Project Management
From conception to completion

http://www.kitsonengineering.com

 

[smarty007]

Hi!

Did you got any anwser to this ?

Thanks
Skifu

 

[RDK]

I found a program called cd-lock that does the trick



Rick Kitson MBA P.Eng

Construction Project Management
From conception to completion

http://www.kitsonengineering.com

 

[internetwise]

hi, you can make a self-extractor file ".exe" using winzip/winRaR so that you can extract the files on any computer even if there is no compression program installed

tip: also you can rename the file extension to any other format "i.e rename myfiles.exe to myfiles.dll" so that no one knows that it is .exe file, other than you.
* to do that you can use ms-dos type: help rename
** go to "my computer/tools/folder options/view" then uncheck "hide extensions for known files" after that you can rename the extension normally "same as the file name".

 

[RDK]

That sort of approach will also work with a number of other programs. PGP makes one with some solid password protection.

Unfortunately these files get extracted to the hard drive of the computer that I am using. Sometimes all I need is to get at one file, to extract the complete CD is a waste of time.

It also leaves the files that I was trying to protect in a recoverable condition on someone else’s hard drive.


Rick Kitson MBA P.Eng

Construction Project Management
From conception to completion

http://www.kitsonengineering.com

 

[Sparweb]

Is it still possible with Windows to create a "virtual drive" or a "ramdisk", as it was called in the olden days of DOS?

Considering the amount of space available in most computers' RAM these days, there may be some tools out there that would allow you to create a new "Z:\" drive in RAM. You could copy/unzip/run your programs from the "Z:\" drive knowing that once the computer is shut off, the RAM would be wiped.

An extra note, though not maybe relevant to your question, is that "autorun.inf" files are handy for automating the steps you might want to do to decrypt the CD. Conversely, you can tell a CD drive to not autorun when you pop it in by holding the shift key down (I just learned that today).

I'm interested in your results because I've made a few work CD's for myself at times, but never considered putting security on them. For our proprietary data CD's, I realize that would probably be a good idea.



STF

 

[RDK]

To use this I would have to reset the client’s computer to have a RAM drive.

What I need to do is insert my CD into ANY computer and access only those files that I need at the time, without copying the entire CD to a temp directory on the computer. I do not want to have to reboot the client’s computer or change any settings. I do not want to leave any files, either in a temp directory or elsewhere on the client’s computer.



Rick Kitson MBA P.Eng

Construction Project Management
From conception to completion

http://www.kitsonengineering.com

 

[FredGarvin]

This MAY be another approach...

WinZip, which I think is a pretty universal application, like Adobe reader, has a PW feature that you can put on every file in a zip file (not a self extracting zip, just a regular zip). Assuming that the host computer has WinZip you could place all of your files in a zip file on your CD. When you want one, you can simply browse the zip file for the file you want and if you double click on that file to open it, it will ask for a password.

When you view, not extract, a file from WinZip it goes in a temp folder, so most people probably wouldn't know where to start looking for it. Even so, a quick search would find it so you could delete it if you chose to do so.

 

[sean01]

RDK,

I sometimes do a similar thing to what you are trying to do myself - the solution that worked for me was to buy a USB hard drive (the one I got was called a disgo drive) This solution works with most OS (win98 with a driver - UNIX and WinXP, 2000).

A cool thing with this is that you can create private password protected areas on the hard drive to protect it from prying eyes when its plugged into the local computer and dynamically size them. You can install and run applications for this (sometimes you need to create sfotlinks or aliases to the new drive) When you remove the drive - there is no record of the application or files on the host computer. The only drawback with these is the size of them - the biggest I have come across is 4GB (pretty big I know) but if you are running an application such as FEA from them - they can run out of space.

Depending on the company you work with - some people may not want you plugging in drives to their system without some sort of virus checker - but you can easily install this on the drive and provide a clean certificate from your virus checker.

Hope this helps


sean

 

[Sparweb]

Rick,

You might have more luck if you use a removable USB memory sticks. Have you tried them?

Furthering my "autorun.inf" hint, you can also apply an autorun.inf to a USB pen drive -

http://www.microtoolz.com

Have you taken another crack at this nut since I last wrote?


"Simplicate, and add more lightness" - Bill Stout
Steven Fahey, CET

 

[RDK]

CD-lock does what I need.

Using a USB key simply transfers the problem to a different media.

I want to protect the files in case the CD goes missing and not transfer the files to the host computer (not into a temporary directory in any way).

I also do not want to put any programming on the host computer since most people do not like you installing programs on their computers. (Some clients have IT sections that lock down the computers in a way that does not allow users to install software.)




Rick Kitson MBA P.Eng

Construction Project Management
From conception to completion

http://www.kitsonengineering.com

 

[garit]

I had the same need and found that CryptCD did the trick for me. Try this link

http://www.cryptcd.com/

Good Luck