Nowadays it frequently happens that you have to lend a USB stick to another person, which could be a friend, family member, colleague or just an acquaintance. However, it may contain personal files and folders that we do not want to come into possession of strangers. If you want to know how to hide all files and folders on a USB stick from prying eyes with a simple click of the mouse, read on.
Steps
Step 1. Open the "Run" window by pressing the "Windows + R" hotkey combination
Type the command notepad into the "Open" field and press the "Enter" key.
Step 2. The "Notepad" system editor window will appear on your computer screen
At this point, transcribe the code in the image of the passage or download the program ready for use from the following URL: https://www.tinyurl.com/FFHider (the password to decompress the file is
fld32G
).
Step 3. Now extract the file and place it inside a USB stick containing the files and folders you want to hide
If you have chosen to create the file manually, once you have finished your work, save it to the USB device.
Step 4. Run the program file and press the button
2
on the keyboard (related to the function to hide files and folders), press the "Enter" key, type the name of the file or directory you want to hide, then press the "Enter" key again.
At this point the indicated folder or file will automatically be hidden from view and no one will be able to locate it unless they have good computer skills and an excellent spirit of observation.
Step 5. The same program can be used to restore the visibility of the modified elements
In this case, after starting it, press the key
1
followed by the "Enter" key, type the name of the folder or file you wish to make visible and press the "Enter" key again. If you no longer remember the name of the file or directory that you previously hidden, open the text file "Folder and files hidden.txt" which contains all the elements processed by the program.
Step 6. If you wish, you can modify the source code of the program to improve its execution or to customize the name of the log file that is automatically generated
To do this, you can use a text editor such as "Notepad".
Step 7. Finished, have fun
Also read the "Tips" and "Warnings" sections for more information about the program described in the article.
Advice
- It is possible to modify and customize the indicated program using any text editor available. However, the one that offers the best results is definitely Notepad ++.
- Once you have finished using the program and your personal files or folders, delete them from the USB stick.
- If you wish, you can customize the code using the Notepad program.
-
You can use the indicated program to change the attributes of files stored on external hard drives. However, it is not recommended to use it inside the hard drive
C:
- , which is where the operating system installation normally resides, or in conjunction with any other disk or drive that contains system-critical data.
-
If you have made a mistake by modifying the source code of the batch file and consequently have hidden files that should be visible instead, run the command
cmd
access the folder that contains the files in question, type the command
attrib -r -h -s *. *
- and press the "Enter" key. Any existing files should reappear.
-
The password to unzip the archive that contains the ready-to-use program is
fld32G
Warnings
- The author of the original code assumes no responsibility in the event that some personal data should be lost due to incorrect and lacking in common sense use of the program indicated.
- Nowadays, thanks to the widespread diffusion of technology and the internet, people have reached a higher level of technical knowledge and may already be aware of the information in this article, so they may already be able to trace your files stored on the USB stick.. For this reason, consider very carefully to whom to hand over your personal data.
