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A Few Ways To Hide Data On A Computerby El Mano on February 24, 2009

Table of Contents

A Few Ways To Hide Data On A Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Intro:   A Few Ways To Hide Data On A Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 1:   Making a “Hole-In-the-Wall” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 2:   Building a “Crate” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Step 3:   Constructing a “Strongbox”, Part 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Step 4:   Constructing a “Strongbox”, Part 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Step 5:   Creating a “Cache”, Part 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Step 6:   Creating a “Cache”, Part 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Step 7:   Putting on a "Mask" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Step 8:   Building a “Storage Bin” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

File Downloads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Step 9:   Nothing is ever secure! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

http://www.instructables.com/id/A-Few-Ways-To-Hide-Data-On-A-Computer/

Author:El Mano    Teenage Hypnosis“El Mano” is the masculine, albeit gramatically incorrrect, form of “La Mano”, which is Spanish for “The Hand”. I like to take ideas, whether they’re mineor not, and manipulate them to make them better. As a high school student, I don’t always have the time, materials, or money to physically make a lot of thethings I’ve read on Instructables, but I enjoy reading them anyway. I’ve loved tech for years, and that eventually led me to this site, but I also love music,stories, and sports. I’m fascinated by mental practices like astral projection and remote viewing, and I’m learning hypnosis . I plan on working in marketing,and completing a doctorite in making $&@%loads of money.

Intro:  A Few Ways To Hide Data On A ComputerA lot of people can't do more with a computer than type a Word document or make a "picture", so called, on Paint. Of course most people reading this instructable willknow a bit more about Windows than that. But even people whose knowledge is limited to browsing the Web have digital secrets they would like to conceal from pryingeyes (and chances are, the more you know about computers and related items, the more you will have to hide). This -ible is meant to give a few ideas to people who canreally use computers about hoarding information, teach people who know the basics a few ways to hide sensitive data, and perhaps inspire the computer illiterate to learnsomething (though the last group will most likely never get a chance to read this page).You need:

> A Computer> A Little Bit of Your Time> A Little Patience: this is my first instructable.

This instructable is not meant for people who are so completely "computer illiterate" that they do not understand computer basics, such as how to navigatedirectories, save documents, etc. If you have trouble saving a Word document to your desktop instead of My Documents, I advise you to learn the simple thingsfirst (just opening My Computer and browsing folders is surprisingly informative) before continuing here.

Image Notes1. This is my car!

Step 1: Making a “Hole-In-the-Wall”This is a very useful way to hide things from view, but if a nosy user searches for material hidden in this folder (yes a Hole-In-the-Wall is simply a folder) the material willemerge from hiding. These folders are very useful for storing Caches, Strongboxes, and Crates, which you will learn about later.Open C: and navigate to some little-opened directory. My favorite is C:\WINDOWS\system32, but you could build a Hole anywhere in the Master Drive (or any drive,really). Program Files is another good place; just build the Hole in the files of some random game. Once you have your "Wall" create a new folder (right-click, New,Folder) and name it. If you really want, you can name it "My Hole-In-the-Wall where I store my secret files" but this defeats the purpose. A Hole is supposed to beinconspicuous, so it is best to name it something like "sat" or "pta" (this is why WINDOWS is a good place; it is full of folders with names like "oobe" and "ras"). Now,simply put your files into your new hiding place and leave them there. It is a good idea to change the names of these files if they are really incriminating: use numbers orsymbols, or even type the names backward; this way someone poking through your C: won't be tempted to open them if they do stumble upon your Hole-In-the-Wall.Now just memorize the file path and you have a secret folder!

Search Instructables for "How To Make An Invisible Folder". This is useful too.

http://www.instructables.com/id/A-Few-Ways-To-Hide-Data-On-A-Computer/

Image Notes1. C:\WINDOWS Image Notes

1. The folder's contents.

Image Notes1. Here is our Hole-In-The-Wall.

Step 2: Building a “Crate”This method will only allow you store text, whether a sensitive document or the source code of some program. Simply type or paste text into NotePad and save asWhatever.jpg, then change "Text Document" to "All Program Files" and save somewhere. This exports your text into a JPEG picture file. You can also save them asBitmap (.bmp), PNG (.png), or GIF (.gif) images; simply replace ".jpg" with ".bmp", ".png", or ".gif". If you try to open a Crate with an image viewer, the program should justsay something like "No Preview Available", so to retrieve the Crate's contents, you have open NotePad, select File, Open, and navigate to the directory your Crate islocated in. Just as you did to build the Crate, change "Text Document" to "All Program Files", and then select your Crate and click "Open". Now you can view, edit, orcopy/paste the text concealed inside. Again, it is a good idea to name this file something inconspicuous and store it someplace safe, where your sibling won't"accidentally" delete it.

http://www.instructables.com/id/A-Few-Ways-To-Hide-Data-On-A-Computer/

Image Notes1. The Crate's contents.

Image Notes1. Include the extension ".jpg" and set as "All Files".

Step 3: Constructing a “Strongbox”, Part 1This follows the same idea as a Crate, in that it stores data inside another file, but a Strongbox is password protected. This involves batch, which you can easily learnabout from the countless "How-To-Do-Batch" instructables on this site. Simply copy/paste the following into NotePad:

@echo off

set key=*****

title ::color 0aecho Please enter your password.set/p "pass= >"if %pass%==%key% goto UnPackclscolor 0cecho That is not the password! Aborting unpack!echo.pauseexit:UnPackset dest=C:\Contents.txtclsecho That is the correct passord!echo.echo Your data will unpacked and sent here: %dest%echo.echo Please make sure this file does not already exist befor continuingecho as this may ruin your data.echo.pausecls

echo $$$$$>>%dest%

echo Unpack complete!echo.echo Your data can be found here: %dest%echo.pauseexit

http://www.instructables.com/id/A-Few-Ways-To-Hide-Data-On-A-Computer/

Image Notes1. Your password will be here when you set this up.2. The contents go here.

Step 4: Constructing a “Strongbox”, Part 2At the top of the script you will see "@echo off", followed by a space. Below this is a line that says "set key=*****". Replace "*****" with the password that will unlock theStrongbox. This password can't have any spaces, so use an underscore ( _ ) to separate words.Ex: set key=Helloset key=unlock_this_box

Also, make sure there is no space between "key=" and your password.Now the annoying part: packing the contents. Eight lines from the bottom of the script you will see a line that reads "echo $$$$$>>%dest%". "$$$$$" represents a line oftext. Type or copy/paste a strand of text here.Ex: echo Hi>>%dest% (notice the dollar signs are replaced by "Hi"echo I am really a potato in man's clothing.>>%dest%

For every line in your document you must place "echo" before your words and ">>%dest%" after them (it is much easier to copy "echo $$$$$>>%dest%" and paste itonce for each line, and then go back and insert your words).

Ex: echo Potatoes are not geniuses.>>%dest%echo El Mano is a genius.>>%dest%echo Therefore, El Mano is not a potato.>>%dest%

Make sure not to change ">>%dest%" or the program won't unpack correctly.

Once you have set a password and packed your contents, save this text file as Anything.bat (.bat is extremely important! Don't leave it out!), and change File Type to "AllProgram Files", then save. If you live with someone who knows batch, you might want to compile this as an .exe file so they can't open it through NotePad. To open yourStrongbox, run your new .bat program, type in the password you set, and press enter. The program unpacks your words as "C:\Contents.txt", so make sure this file doesnot already exist, then hit any key. Your words are now unpacked!

I can't get this to work with pictures, sounds, executables, movies, and the like. If you have any suggestions or ideas, please post them.

http://www.instructables.com/id/A-Few-Ways-To-Hide-Data-On-A-Computer/

Image Notes1. Your password.

Image Notes1. Here is the text you packed.

Step 5: Creating a “Cache”, Part 1Crazy Leprecaun has an entire -ible on this process (which you can find here: http://www.instructables.com/id/How_to_Hide_Files_Inside_Pictures/ ), but I wrote a batchfile that makes it a little easier than using Command Prompt. This simply stores an archived folder inside a picture. First, copy/paste the following script into NotePad andsave as a batch program (name.bat, All Program Files):

@echo offtitle Cache Creator[color 07:InAclsecho Cache:echo Contents:echo Destination:echo.echo Please enter the name of the Cache.echo (must be an image, must contain no spaces)echo.set/p "cache= >"if Exist %cache% goto InBclsecho The file could not be found.pause

http://www.instructables.com/id/A-Few-Ways-To-Hide-Data-On-A-Computer/

goto InA:InBclsecho Cache: %cache%echo Contents:echo Destination:echo.echo Please enter the name of the Contents.echo (must be a zipped file, must contain no spaces)echo.set/p "contents= >"if Exist %contents% goto InCclsecho The file could not be found.pausegoto InB:InCclsecho Cache: %cache%echo Contents: %contents%echo Destination:echo.echo Please enter the Destination.echo (must contain no spaces, must have same extension as Cache)echo.set/p "destination= >"clsecho Cache: %cache%echo Contents: %contents%echo Destination: %destination%echo.echo Do you wish to build a Cache? y/nset/p "com= >"if %com%==y goto Holeif %com%==n goto InAclsecho That is not a valid command.pausegoto Select:Holecopy/b "%cache%"+"%contents%" "%destination%"echo Cache created.pausegoto InA

http://www.instructables.com/id/A-Few-Ways-To-Hide-Data-On-A-Computer/

Step 6: Creating a “Cache”, Part 2Now follow Leprecaun's instructions: compress the files you want to hide in an archive such as "Archive.7z" (7z Portable is a very good archiver; WinRar is too, but youhave to buy it). The file-to-be-hidden MUST be an archive if you ever want to retrieve its contents! Second, choose a picture to be the Cache; I like using PNG and BitMapimages, which you can easily make using Paint. Place both your archive and your image in a directory with no spaces (C:\z), and run Cache Creator. Type in the file pathfor your Cache (C:\z\Image.png) and press ENTER. Now type in your contents (C:\z\Archive.7z). You can't enter the archive before the image; if you do, the picture willnot be displayed when you open the file and someone might delete your Cache, thinking it is a mistake. Finally, enter your Cache's destination, the place it will be createdin, and make sure to include the same extension as the image you used. I use the same folder as my archive (in this case C:\z\Cache.png). Type in "y", hit ENTER, andyou have a Cache! To retrieve its contents, open up 7z Portable/WinRar/Whatever, select your cache, and hit "Extract". If you password-protected your archive (a verygood idea) you will have to enter the password. The resulting files should be exactly the same as the ones you buried in your Cache.

http://www.instructables.com/id/A-Few-Ways-To-Hide-Data-On-A-Computer/

Image Notes1. Your Cache, Contents, and Destination.

Image Notes1. The finished Cache.

http://www.instructables.com/id/A-Few-Ways-To-Hide-Data-On-A-Computer/

Image Notes1. Extract.

Step 7: Putting on a "Mask"A Mask is simply a file that has been renamed, so it won't function in a way that someone will want.To make one, open Command Prompt and type "rename *YOUR FILE HERE* *THINGIE.EXTENSION*"

Example: rename C:\MyProgram.exe C:\MyProgram.txt

Not only does this change the file's name, it changes the extension. Instead of opening "MyProgram" as an application, the computer will use NotePad/WordPad to viewit. It is now hidden from plain sight. To return it to its original state, once again type "rename *YOUR FILE HERE* *THINGIE.EXTENSION*", and give the file its originalextension (in this case ".exe") once more.

rename C:\MyProgram.txt C:\MyProgram.exe

You can rename any file/program/document so it pretends to be anything else. Changing something to "Name.fil" or Name.dat" is a good way hide it, as Files andDatabases are difficult to open without the right software.

This rename thing has another incredably useful trick: you can use it to email things that your provider wouldn't normally allow. My email (Gmail) doesn't allow thesending of Executables for security reasons, but you can rename an Executable as a text file or something, and then attac/send it. The reciever can then simply rename it".exe".

Image Notes1. The File-to-be-Hidden.2. The command.

Image Notes1. The new text file.

http://www.instructables.com/id/A-Few-Ways-To-Hide-Data-On-A-Computer/

Image Notes1. What NotePad makes of the binary behind my .gif image.

Step 8: Building a “Storage Bin”A Storage Bin is a hidden, password-protected folder you can use to store whatever you want. To my knowledge, the contents of this folder are search-proof, making itperfect for hiding things others know you have. This hiding place is very easy to make: just download and run the attached file; it will walk you through the setup process.Use your new Storage Bin to hide sensitive documents pictures, programs, or whatever.

Storage Bin Creator is not a virus. If for some reason it harms your computer in any way, I'm extremely sorry. It's a compiled batch file with no other purpose thento create a hidden folder and a PadLock file to open it.

Image Notes1. Your file's future name.

Image Notes1. The password that will open your Storage Bin.

http://www.instructables.com/id/A-Few-Ways-To-Hide-Data-On-A-Computer/

Image Notes1. The number of tries you have before the PadLock exits and shuts down yourcomputer.

Image Notes1. Make sure you get this path right!

File Downloads

Storage Bin Creator.exe (94 KB)[NOTE: When saving, if you see .tmp as the file ext, rename it to 'Storage Bin Creator.exe']

Storage Bin Creator2.bat (2 KB)[NOTE: When saving, if you see .tmp as the file ext, rename it to 'Storage Bin Creator2.bat']

Step 9: Nothing is ever secure!I hope this Instructable was worth the time you spent reading (and perhaps experimenting with) it. If you have any comments, questions, ideas, or useful facts, pleasepost them.

Several people have commented that these methods of concealment would never hide anything from the police/FBI/CIA/NSA/Computer Technicians. This is very true. Toquote myself, nothing is ever, ever , completely secure. If you can access something, there are probably six ways to crack, trick, or manipulate it. These are ways youcould hide things from nosy family members, coworkers, and/or friends, ways to hide things like the family picture you use to blackmail your brother, and the book you'rewriting but are too embarrassed to ever let your mom see. If you really want to hide something, use TrueCrypt (look for Instructables adout it; I didn't mention it because Ireally haven't figured it all out yet).

I wrote this Instructable as a way to help people who need to hide data but don't know how. I can't control what you do with this information, but please respect me, myideas and yourself and don't use it to hide anything thoroughly sordid.

******************************

El Mano:

Build your own CMD Prompt

Keep your Eyes working Great

This simple health switch will Keep you Warm

http://www.instructables.com/id/A-Few-Ways-To-Hide-Data-On-A-Computer/

Wreak Havok with this simple Computer Virus

******************************

Related Instructables

How to MakeSystem HiddenFiles andFolders by CrazyLeprecaun

How To HideFiles InWindows bySkateboardingForLife

Hide Files usingCMD (Not dFolder OptionMethod) byminkirax

How to HideFiles InsidePictures byCrazy Leprecaun

Make A HiddenAnd EncryptedHard-DrivePartition ForFree byScytheon3

How to hide oneimage inanother (Anintroduction tosteganography)by joe57005

Comments

32 comments Add Comment

 llamma1010 says:  Apr 13, 2010. 12:17 PM  REPLYOk i'm sorry to break it to you but your thinking to hard. some on can just right click on the batch press edit and get pass.  i suggest that you put the batch  ina hole in the wall.

 Saturn V says:  Jun 29, 2010. 6:24 AM  REPLYIf you don't want that to happen, go to f2ko.com and download their .bat to .exe converter.

 nutsandbolts_64 says:  May 23, 2010. 3:46 AM  REPLY How about disguising a batch file in a steganograph? Check my recent instructable "steganography the easy way " to know how, or maybe just disguise thefile with steganography in the first place...

 super_mario says:  Apr 15, 2010. 10:58 PM  REPLYFuel bills would be a bit expensive =)

http://www.instructables.com/id/A-Few-Ways-To-Hide-Data-On-A-Computer/

 DarklordNinja987 says:  Oct 10, 2009. 6:05 AM  REPLY Very Very Good, but i was wondering why, whenever i open the Batch file that the text has filled another line. Please help me.

 El Mano says:  Oct 11, 2009. 11:23 AM  REPLYI'll try to answer both questions at once. 

By "multiple files" I'm guessing you want to get sveral identical text files unpacked, perhaps in seperate locations?

Where does this extra line appear?

 DarklordNinja987 says:  Oct 13, 2009. 8:51 AM  REPLY The  text appears underneath the original text, and i wish to make more than one DIFFERENT batch files please help

 El Mano says:  Oct 28, 2009. 9:52 PM  REPLYFor each line you want unpacked, put it between "echo" and ">"/">>"

echo Hello! I am a text file.>X.txtecho This is a second line beneath the previous one.>>X.txtecho The End>>X.txt

This would create a txt file with three lines, line one saying "I am a text file," and line three saying "The End."

To create multiple files:

echo I am file # 1>PATH\File_1.txtecho I am file # 5345422A>PATH\File_5345422A.txt

 nivekcizia says:  Oct 17, 2009. 2:52 PM  REPLY you can right-click->edit a batch file and it'll show everything in it. This isn't a very good way to store things

 DarklordNinja987 says:  Oct 10, 2009. 6:07 AM  REPLY and how do i create multiple "batches"?

 radicalhacker says:  Aug 25, 2009. 6:44 AM  REPLYon my pc it saves the files as .tmp....is that problem from my pc or????

 WhiteDemon says:  Jul 7, 2009. 3:54 AM  REPLYTry to make a "Cache" with the .txt document instead of archive.That text can be seen when you open your picture with notepad.It will be situated at the endof the whole text in Notepad.And your picture can still be opened as a picture

 El Mano says:  Jul 8, 2009. 8:34 PM  REPLYGood idea...It wouldn't work with most files, but it would be a handy way to hide passwords.

 erikals says:  May 25, 2009. 3:10 AM  REPLYMate, thank you for the great 'ible. This instructable has unlocked secrets of xp I did not even know existed. Thank you again.

 commander1332 says:  May 8, 2009. 9:32 AM  REPLYyou could also change the font on all of your word documents into the symbols and then place them into the secret file

 jchar77 says:  Apr 16, 2009. 5:46 PM  REPLYNice car! Where did you get it from? :D

 rohxas says:  Mar 12, 2009. 5:16 AM  REPLYhmmm, good idea, but the program doesnt seem to be working for me. any idea about that?

http://www.instructables.com/id/A-Few-Ways-To-Hide-Data-On-A-Computer/

 El Mano says:  Apr 1, 2009. 6:02 PM  REPLYStorage Bin Creator is in batch now. Let me know if it doesn't work.

 El Mano says:  Mar 12, 2009. 3:14 PM  REPLYI know that two of the three computers in my house have AVG 8 virus protection, which prevents the program from running, showing a message titled"Storage Bin Creator.exe has encountered a problem and needs to close...", followed by a "Threat detected; Heal, Move to Vault; Ignore" window. I hadto uninstall AVG to compile the batch file. I compiled the .bat file because the safe icon looks better than the batch file icon, but there's no point if onecan't run the program; I'll add the batch version as soon as I can.

 Rs master says:  Mar 2, 2009. 5:02 PM  REPLYwell this was nicei say this know that im REALLY good with pcsi would like to know how to compile a .bat file to a .exe file

and you should add a step about turecrypthttp://www.truecrypt.org/

 El Mano says:  Mar 4, 2009. 8:59 AM  REPLYYou can find a fairly good batch compiler http://www.f2ko.de/English/b2e/download.php . I couldn't get this program to work until I disabled my virusprotection; AVG immediately tagged any .exe it compiled as a virus, and promptly destroyed it.

Yes I know about TrueCrypt. Ironically, I discovered it literally five minutes after I published this instructable.

 Rs master says:  Mar 4, 2009. 6:58 PM  REPLYwow thats funny and thanks for the link

 Rs master says:  Mar 2, 2009. 5:38 PM  REPLYbtw is that a Ogame background?

 terrapinlogo says:  Mar 2, 2009. 10:09 PM  REPLYsure looks like ogame or evogame

 El Mano says:  Mar 4, 2009. 9:08 AM  REPLYIt is simply a wallpaper. I needed a picture for the intro, so I took a screenshot of my desktop.

 gschoppe says:  Mar 3, 2009. 2:39 PM  REPLYas a technician, I can say that in the course of diagnosing a computer, I would likely discover or delete any and all data stored in these manners... I wouldread any bat files I find, definitely check out any nonstandard folders, and open any "misbehaving" image files with a hex editor ... these are common virustechniques for basic obfuscation... I would not trust them for anything more than simple "security through obscurity" ... which is only useful if no one skilledwants your information.

 El Mano says:  Mar 4, 2009. 9:07 AM  REPLYFirst of all, nothing is ever, ever , completely secure. If you can access something, there are probably six ways to crack, trick, or manipulate it. Theseare ways you could hide things from nosy family members, coworkers, and/or friends, but yes, as you made clear, no one with expert PC knowledge anda couple of good programs would be fooled.

Second, what is a hex editor?

 gschoppe says:  Mar 4, 2009. 3:56 PM  REPLYa hex editor is a program that allows you to view and change any file as straight hexadecimal numbers... most hex editors also show binary and ascii(or unicode) representations... they are pretty darn useful in reverse engineering or editing compiled programs or file formats that don't provide aspec... also useful for figuring out when a jpeg isn't a jpeg, or when programs' skin files are really renamed zip files or such things...

 jdege says:  Mar 2, 2009. 6:09 PM  REPLYIf the cops are looking at your computer, they'll hand it off to a computer forensics specialist who will run a program that scans every disk block, searching forincriminating content. It will even pick up deleted files - hiding things with odd file or directory names won't help. The only security is encryption - and eventhat is true only if you can ensure that non unencrypted copy is ever written to disk.

 El Mano says:  Mar 4, 2009. 9:14 AM  REPLYAs I said above, these are methods of hiding things from your family and friends. They would never keep anything from a skilled technician. If you havereciepts for murder weapons or files you use on your underground Anti-Obama radio show and the cops are closing in on you, I advise you to A) Encrypteverything on your computer, or B) Place a large pile of thermite on top of your poor PC and cremate it.

http://www.instructables.com/id/A-Few-Ways-To-Hide-Data-On-A-Computer/

 Oroka says:  Mar 3, 2009. 6:22 PM  REPLYPersonally I use a separate partition. When not in use, I go into Disk Management, and remove the drive letter. The drive goes away until you reapply a driveletter to it in Disk Management. I am sure you can apply more security to this 'hidden' drive, but it serves my purposes ;)

 portpatty says:  Mar 3, 2009. 4:45 AM  REPLYI would suggest just using a secure USB drive