Is this possible with a usb flash drive?

[tantegel]

I am looking for a way to saftly keep some personal information (contacts personal files) ,maybe a journal on a usb flash drive with some sort of password protection on it. So when I plug in my flash drive it would prompt me for the password and I can then work on the files. When im done I save and all my info goes back to the flash drive. Is this possible? Free maybe even? I have done some searching online but so far the only option I seem to have is install linux on it. I tried one version but it ended up saving files on my main computer.

[Mak213]

password protecting a USB Thumb drive - Google Search

Looks like is a lot of solutions for using password protection/encryption for USB Thumb drives for extra security.

[tantegel]

Hmm. Yes i have found password protection software. But i was looking for something with all of those things on it. Correct me if im wrong but if i had a file with information on my flashdrive and saved it wouldnt it also drop the file in my documents or recent documents. Im trying to keep the info strickly on the flash drive. I figured maybe there was some kind of suite out there that did all of the above. Maybe i phrased my original post incorrectly.

[Mak213]

No. If you save a file to the flash drive it will only be on a flash drive. It will not also save a copy to the documents folder. To make sure of this the PC you are using turn off the auto Save feature so that it will not auto save a backup anywhere but the place you specify.

Plus if you save it to the flash drive and by chance it was in the Recent Documents area....they could not access it cause it would not be stored locally.

The stuff you are looking for is more based on the OS operations not the USB Drive operations.

You would have to look for a portable version of OpenOffice to install on the flash drive and then work strictly from it with all your documents and that.

Working from a local PC there will be some form of the document on there. Be it from teh Recent Documents or from teh Temp Data. The only way around that truly is to either work from the USB drive fully or to only use a PC you fully trust.

[tantegel]

Understood. So the only way to REALLY get what i want would be to find some kind of small compact OS and install it totally on my flash drive and then use the bundeled software that OS comes with.

Or wait till someone makes exactly what i want

[Mak213]

You would be better off running something from your USB. I highly doubt that anyone will make something like that since it is not in very high demand.

Check out PortableApps.com - Portable software for USB drives | Your Digital Life, Anywhereâ„¢

I am sure they haev something there that you can use to modify and edit document files.

Just a quick search i found Notepad++ on there. In the suite they have there is OpenOffice Portable. That will be exactly what you want.

OpenOffice.org Portable | PortableApps.com - Portable software for USB drives

Install and run that from your USB Drive. No need for a OS just this. Install it to the thumb drive and work from it exclusively and you will not encouter the file being saved anywhere but your USB drive.

[tantegel]

Cool. Thanks for the time.

[Mak213]

Check my edit. I found the perfect thing for you. Glad to be of service.

[tantegel]

Yes! Thats perfect. I could actually use a couple of the other things from that website also after looking through it. Quite handy! Thanks again thats the fastest ive ever gotten a reply on any forum.

[Mak213]

Not a problem. Glad you found it useful.