Tuesday, April 28, 2015

How to Run Windows 8 Directly from USB Drive

Windows To Go is a new feature in Windows 8 which allows you to install a portable version of Windows onto a USB drive, so we can run it from any computer we want. All you need is a USB 3.0 device with at least 13GB capacity (it will run on a USB 2.0 memory stick, but slowly), a copy of Windows 8/8.1 ISO image.

Part 1: Create Windows 8 To Go USB Drive 
  1. Download and install the freeware ISO2Disc on your computer.
  2. Plug in your external USB drive on the PC and launch ISO2Disc.

  3. Click on Browse button to select your Windows 8 or 8.1 ISO image. Please note that the program will format your external USB drive and delete its entire data, so it is always recommended taking a backup before you continue.
  4. Click on Burn to USB Flash Drive option and select your USB drive from the device list.
  5. Choose the GPT partition style if you want to create a UEFI bootable drive, or stick with MBR if you need to boot off a computer with a traditional BIOS.
  6. Under the Bootdisk Type, select "Windows to Go (install Windows to USB)".


  7. When you click Start Burn, it begins to install a portable version of Windows to your USB drive. This process can take a very long time if you use a USB 2.0 thumb drive. It's recommended to use an external USB mass storage device and this process can be done within about ten minutes.

Part 2: Boot from Your Portable USB Drive 

After creating, you can the portable version of Windows on whatever computer you want. To do so, just plug in the Windows To Go USB drive and set your USB device as the first bootable media from within the BIOS.

The first time it starts, it'll install the necessary drivers and take a while to boot, after which you can set up your machine just like you would a new Windows 8 PC. That's it!

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

How to Password Protect Windows Folders/Files

It's always a good idea to password protect your sensitive data. If you share your PC with coworkers, children or spouse, your private files might be under the threat of being reviewed. Lock My Folders allows you to create a secure folder that can only be opened or decrypted by others who know your password. The secure folder works like a vault, and Windows will automatically encrypt all files and subfolders in it.

How to Password Protect Windows Folders/Files?

Download and install the Lock My Folders program on your computer. The first time you launch the program, it will prompt you to set a master password that will be used to encrypt your files later on. Enter a password that you can remember as you'll need it to open and use the program next time.


To create an encrypted folder, click on Add button from within the Lock My Folders program.


In the popup window, type your desired folder name and specify the location where you would like your new secure folder to be created. The location can be a folder on your local hard drive or an external USB drive.


As soon as you clicking OK, your secure folder will be created immediately. This will encrypt every file in this folder and its subfolders. New files created or copied here will also get encrypted.

After you finish working with the secure folder. Just right-click on the secure folder and select Lock My Folder. When it's locked, anyone else who uses your computer are unable to view these files. If you shut down or restart your computer, all your secure folders will also be locked automatically for security reason.


If you need to read or modify your private files, you need to unlock the secure folder firstly. Right-click on the secure folder and select Unlock My Folder.


The program will ask you to enter your password. Upon successfully verifying the password, you can then open and access the secure folder again. It's that simple!