Several external hard drives integrate hardware password-protected encryption. If yours is an open drive, you can use a software encryption program to prevent unauthorized users from accessing your data. If you have Windows 7 Ultimate or Enterprise edition, you can do it with the help of preinstalled utility called BitLocker Drive Encryption. Other Windows 7 editions must rely on third-party software, such as the free and open-source TrueCrypt program. Such open-source programs may seem less secure, because the source
