SafeGuard PrivateDisk for Windows

Used SafeGuard PrivateDisk for Windows?

Editors’ Review

Download.com staffNovember 7, 2008

The program provides refuge for your confidential data, but only when it's dismounted. SafeGuard PrivateDisk starts well with a step-by-step wizard that walks you through the process of generating virtual drives. With the wizard, you easily set the size and letter of the drive, file system, and enable password protection. While the program is running, the virtual drive is treated like any Windows drive. That makes it convenient to use it from most programs, perform common file-managment tasks, and share it over a network. A caveat: other users can access mounted drives without entering the password. It's easy to mount and dismount virtual drives via the program's tray icon, though hot keys would be nice. SafeGuard's autodismount of inactive virtual disks worked very well during our tests. When dismounted, the virtual drive is merely an encrypted file on your PC and inaccessible without the password. SafeGuard PrivateDisk employs the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) to encrypt drives, though we wish there were additional alternatives. Secure and easy to operate, this encryption utility is a good tool for privacy-minded users.