Predator Free Edition (64-bit) for Windows

If you leave your PC unattended and running in a public area, how do you keep people from using it? You have several options, but one of the easiest we've tried is Predator Free. This free security tool locks and unlocks your PC when you remove or insert a USB drive. When your thumbdrive is removed, Predator locks your PC and darkens your screen if anyone tried to use it without entering the password. You can enable passwords for every operation or just once, which adds convenience if you're often away from your desk. It also logs activity and can sound an optional alarm. If you lose your USB drive or don't have it handy, you can still unlock your PC with your password.

Predator Free Edition is known for its simplicity and effectiveness. Here are some of its main features:

• USB Key Lock/Unlock: You insert the USB drive to work on your PC and remove it to lock it, which secures your screen and inputs.
• Automatic Locking: The software locks your computer automatically when you remove the USB drive, keeping it safe from others.
• Easy Setup: It's simple to install and use, even if you're not good with computers.

Predator doesn't just control access with a USB key. It also has more ways to keep your computer secure:

• Session Security: You don’t need to end your Windows session, so you can leave and return quickly without entering your password again.
• Security Alerts: You can set it to send you emails or text messages if someone tries to breach your security.

Predator Free Edition goes beyond basic locking with these advanced features:

• Event Logging: It records all actions related to security, like when the USB is removed or if someone tries to access the computer. This helps you keep track of security issues.
• Code Security: It changes the security codes on your USB drive often. If someone copies your USB drive, it won't work because the codes will have changed.
• Emergency Access: If you lose your USB drive, you can use a password you set up earlier to get back into your computer.

Predator Free is available in separate downloads for 32- and 64-bit versions of Windows. To set up the program, you need to create a password and a security key, but it's easy to do. When Predator's monitoring is active, it places an icon in the system tray that lets users Pause or Edit the program, view log files, and access the Preferences, which include password and encryption key tools, alarm options, and Advanced options, including the ability to enable Twitter-based logging. Predator is very easy to use. We removed our USB drive using the Safely Remove Hardware function in Windows, automatically activating the security key in the set time. We started to use the PC, but the screen went completely blank in seconds. Reinserting the USB drive restored our normal functions.

Some of the program's Advanced options are disabled in the free version, such as the splash screen option and Task Manager. But all the essentials are there, plus some useful extras, such as the ability to use your own sound file for an alarm. For office workers who must leave their PCs on but want to limit access, for students in dorms, for families, or for anyone who wants to restrict unattended access to a running PC, try Predator Free.

• If there are several user accounts in your computer, now you can define different Predator settings for each user.
• When several user sessions are opened simultaneously Predator protects each of them with its own settings.
• Snapshots, email messaging, ftp are easier to configure: new input fields have been added to the Preferences window.
• A built-in scheduler limits the users sessions to the times of day you have selected in a weekly calendar.
• You can define custom commands to be executed for all Predator events: run your own program when an alarm is raised, shutdown the PC, etc.
• Predator can use any type of flash drives, even those that Windows sees like fixed disks (mostly from SanDisk).
• You can choose a background picture that Predator will display when your desktop is locked, instead of a black screen.
• The Predator process is protected and cannot be killed anymore by system utilities.