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To check if your USB flash disk (or other removable device) works with Rohos software, please check if Windows recognizes the disk as a removable drive. To check it, please, do the following:

1. Connect your USB flash drive (or other device) to the computer, go to Windows Explorer and check if any new drive letter (G:/ F:/) appeared after you have connected the device.
2. Right-click on this letter to select the “Properties” from the menu.
3. In the General tab of the Properties window you should see the Type property. Make sure you have the Type: Removable disk string.

Note: Normally, Rohos software recognizes your removable device after you have connected it to the computer.

What does an error mean?

“USB Key was not configured for this computer, it will be ignored”

You may see it in the following cases:

1. The USB key was not configured for this computer, i.e. it does not have a valid logon profile for this PC (no login profile with the local computer name or “” ).
2. This is a ‘stranger’ USB Key and it is ignored by Rohos Logon because the computer owner has already configured his/her USB flash drive for this computer.
   By default, Rohos bounds up to the first configured USB Key. Even USB Keys that were configured with a USB Key management utility will be ignored.The following registry value enables this security option:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Rohos – CheckUSBserial=1

   To correct this error:
   – Clear the CheckUSBserial value or set up this USB flash drive on the local computer using Rohos Logon Key main window.

3. USB Key was created by simple file copy operation from another USB flash drive. This is not allowed.

“The password in USB flash drive is invalid” error – Means that your system password or Rohos disk password were changed and you didn’t store new password on USB drive. Please, configure your USB flash drive again.

This error may happen if you reinstalled your Windows or changed Windows password using User Accounts dialog box from Control Panel.

To correct this error:
– Set up your USB flash drive again.

“USB Flash drive is write-protected” error – Means that you set a jumper on USB stick to make it read-only. You should turn-off this feature, configure USB drive for Rohos software and make it read-only again.

To correct this error:
– Switch a read-only jumper off.

This could be a NTFS permission issue, connected with Windows configuration or account rights.
Check your USB or HDD folder , for instance open folder f:\_rohos
1. Open properties dialog for f:\_rohos\rdisk.rdi
2. Choose Security tab
Check the permissions for file . “Write” should be enabled for user\group matched on client PC.

You may also check this permission right on the Client PC where you tried to open Rohos Disk.
Click on “Advanced” button and then “Effected Permission” tab will allow you to verify is a specific “User Name” has access to Rohos encrypted container file with write permissions.

“Demo USB Key has been found. Please register it.”
This USB Key was configured in the USB Key Manager tool without having a licenses list.

To resolve this error:
– Purchase a number of licenses and enter it into USB Key Manager tool. Then just open a Key using this tool and it will be auto-registered.

“Your Rohos license does not support this feature. Please upgrade your license.”

Usually it means that the USB Key contains several logon profiles and personal license is used.

To correct this error:
– Purchase PRO license or have only a single logon profile on the USB Key (clear it and re-configure again).

The benefits of PRO license:

• Use a single USB Key to log into multiple computers/user accounts.
• You can log into Remote Desktop login by USB flash drive.
• Support for Novel Client for Windows
• Support for Windows Domain, Active Directory.

“Your’s Rohos license does not support this feature. Please, upgrade your license.”

You may see it in the following cases:

Rohos Mini Drive is installed over Rohos Disk Encrytion. Virtual encrypted disk is opened and you try to connect other encrypted Rohos disk.

Note: if you have installed Rohos Mini Drive over registered Rohos Disk Encryption the software shows the interface of the Rohos Mini Drive and applies feature’s limits.

It may happen when use wants to encrypt USB flash drive. To avoid this error open Rohos Disk Encryption main window – select “Encrypt USB flash drive” option. In the opened dialog box choose the pen drive and set up configuration.

This article describes a new Credential Provider for Windows Vista/Seven, available in Rohos Logon Key. With this component, Rohos Logon Key adds two-factor authentication for Windows login: USB Key and optional PIN code password.

Contents:

• What is Rohos Credential Provider?
• Allow to log in only by using USB key
  
• Windows Safe Mode support
• Emergency Logon in case of loss of the USB Key
• Changing Password
• Accessing a Windows Remote Desktop with a USB Key
• Windows Active Directory support
• User Account Control (UAC) with USB Key
  
• Troubleshooting USB key logon

Rohos Logon Key offers complete support for the new Windows Seven authentication.
A new component, Rohos Credential Provider, has been designed specially for Windows Seven. It integrates into the Windows logon screen.

With this component, Rohos Logon Key makes it easy to use USB Flash drive as a new means of hardware-based authentication for Windows login.
Thus, the program solves the problem of “weak passwords” by moving to secure two-factor authentication on the basis of a physical USB key.
Rohos Credential Provider can be used both on individual PCs, and on computers connected to Windows Active Directory.

What is Rohos Credential Provider?

Credential Provider is a special authentication component for Windows Seven, which implements a new user authentication method.

Rohos Credential Provider appears on the Windows logon screen in the form of an icon of a USB key. Connect a configured USB Key, and the Rohos Logon Key  will perform user authorization into Windows. If necessary, it will also request user to enter a PIN code for  the USB drive security (two-factor authentication).

Supported authentication tokens in Rohos Logon Key: USB Flash drive, OTP tokens, PKCS#11 tokens etc…

Rohos Credential Provider

Rohos Credential Provider automatically detects your USB drive and reads logon profile data from it. When you press the arrow button, the program scans all connected USB drives and searches for a valid USB Key.

The Option “Allow to log in only by using USB Key”

This option makes Windows login possible only by means of the USB drive; manual login with passwords becomes impossible both for local and Remote Desktop login.

When this option is ON – Rohos disables existing Credential Provider. Thus, all user icons disappear, and only the Rohos Logon Key green icon remains active.

This function can be configured in the ‘Rohos Options’ dialog box by checking ‘Allow to log in only by using USB key’.

Note: Disabling the standart Credential Provider also affects the following Windows elements:

• In the User Account Control dialog (requesting the administrator’s password) the administrator’s icon will not be available. Instead you need to use the USB key.

Now whenever you log in, the logon screen will show only the Rohos icon. If the USB flash drive is lost or damaged, you will be able to log in only with the help of ‘Emergency Logon’ function or by Safe Mode.

Note: Safe Mode on default will also be blocked by the program and it will be impossible to login by a regular password entry.

Windows Safe Mode support

When starting Windows Seven in Safe Mode, only the built-in Credential Provider will be available on the logon screen. Other 3rd party credential providers providers do not work in Safe Mode. Rohos Logon Key integrates into the Safe Mode logon screen a special icon of the USB key which performs two tasks:

1. Allows using the configured USB key for the login.
2. Disables manual password login when option “Allow to log in only by using USB Key” is ON.

Safe Mode Support

How Rohos Logon Key works in Safe Mode

Emergency Logon in the case of loss of the USB Drive

‘Emergency Logon’ provides login to Windows, if the USB key is lost or damaged or you forget PIN code.
To use this function, you must simply answer a few questions. Only you should know the answers to these questions – otherwise, access to your account would be open to everybody.
You can configure this function in the main window of the Rohos Logon Key program. (Configure USB drive -> Configure Emergency Logon). This will open a dialogue asking for answers to suggested questions (it is also possible to choose your own questions).

The Emergency Logon also works differently across different versions of Windows. In Windows Vista, clicking the ‘Emergency Logon’ link on the login screen will open a window. In this window you can first choose a user name, and then answer the questions.

After this you can:
* Choose a new password – if you want to set up a new password and then continue to use it.
* Leave it blank, to preserve your existing password

After restarting Windows, the login screen will show the user icons that were previously dormant (if you chose the ‘allow to log in only by using USB key’ option). Now you can log in under your name just by entering a simple password.

Changing Windows password

With Rohos Logon Key 2.4 it is possible to change your password by pressing the keys Ctrl + Alt + Del and selecting the option “Change Password”. Once the password is set, it will be immediately synchronized with the USB Key.

If your computer is connected to a Windows Active Directory, then the Update Password policy will be followed as usual. Users will be prompted to change their password on the logon screen.

The ‘Other Credentials’ button on the change password screen allows you to change a password using the standard credentials provider. Please note that this password will not be saved to the USB key.

If the option ‘allow to log in only by using USB key’ is set, users will be unable to set a password using the standard credentials provider in Windows Vista. The ‘Other Credentials’ button will not be shown.

Accessing the Windows Seven Remote Desktop with a USB key

Rohos Logon Key makes it possible to access a Windows Seven Remote Desktop with the help of a USB key connected to your local computer.

NOTE: For this, the USB key must be correctly configured in the key management utility (the Domain field should contain the name of the terminal servers, or “\\Domain Name”

Login Windows Remote Desktop in a secure way by USB key

Logon to a Windows Seven computer connected to a Windows Active Directory

Windows authentication by USB key can also be used on computers connected to Windows Active Directory (Windows domain). For this it is necessary to install the Rohos Management tools (freeware), and to correctly configure the USB key.

This is the screenshot for Rohos USB Key manager setting up Usb Key logon profile for AD login:

Rohos Management Tools

User Account Control (UAC) with USB Key

User Account Control (UAC) automatically limits the permissions of all the programs that the user is going to run. User need to confirm privileged operation or program by his password.

The icon of Rohos Logon Key is already integrated in this dialog:

User Account Control

The administrator’s password for the requested action will be taken from the USB key.

USB key can be configured for two accounts:

• Regular User – login under regular user without administrative priveleges.
• Administrator – is used in the User Account Control and the request of the the administrative password.

Now increasing of the permissions works by one click on the button OK, without typing the administrative password each time.

This feature also works on the Remote Desktop.

Note: In case of using the option “Allow to log in only by using USB Key” the administrator’s icon in the given dialog will be absent.

Troubleshooting

It is very important that the username and domain name be correctly written in the Logon profile if the user’s connection is through a domain, since this is often a mistake in authorization

If such an error occurs, the welcome screen will show the user name and domain name, which caused the error. The parentheses contain the username, followed by the name of the computer or domain.

Furthermore, the Administrator can check any key in the USB Key Management utility, and can troubleshoot problems.

Summary: There are a lot of utilities over the web that can hide particular files or folders on the Windows. These utils offer an easy way for hiding files – by means of file system request filtering. But it does not mean 100% data security. Actually the hidden files and folders can be seen in other way. If you need a more effective security you should choose virtual encrypted disk tools.

How to hide folder or restrict access to it for other users

It’s reasonable that everyone wants to hide private documents, programs or other data from too curious persons, especially if your information is secret. You can use:

1. Special programs for files\folders hiding. Such programs like Folder Lock, Hide Folders XP and others can hide folders and files or lock them by a password.
2. Windows built-in features: Set folder\file attributes as hidden. Or use NTFS permissions. This feature is used to set up access rights to particular folders or files on NTFS volumes.

Folders and files with “hidden” attribute:

• Invisible in File Explorer to the other users, if the user has turned on the option “Do not show hidden files and folders”
• Visible through Total Commander or FAR file manager  that don’t use standard dialog to display folders and files.

It’s convenient to use this method because no additional efforts are needed to hide information. One mouse click is enough to make folder or file invisible.

How to hack hidden folders (reveal them)?

Not all the “Hide Folder” tools will securely hide your data.

A lot of such programs can hide files only for a current operating system. But what happens if two or more OS are installed on the computer? What if you need to hide a folder on USB flash drive or portable HDD ? Information will be hidden on your Windows, and visible in another one.

Simple hiding or changing access control can be broken in the following cases:

• Your computer was loaded in other operating system (OS) or the other OS was loaded with CD-ROM, e.g. Live CD with Windows or Linux. All the files and folders will be visible. In other Windows which will be linked up to your HDD disk, all the files will be visible because there will be no security and any limits.
• Windows startup in Safe Mode. All the files and folders are visible in Safe Mode, even those ones that were hidden by hiding programs. While loading in Safe Mode Windows is loading the drivers necessary for system work, and leave out the driver-filters in order to prevent all possible soft faults.
• If you use Portable HDD or USB flash drive
  If you hide a folder on USB flash drive and connect it to other computer, you can see and open all the hidden files and folders. You may also see the folders the access to which was prohibited (in NTFS). There is the other way to see the files hidden by the hiding programs. You should have the Admin’s rights (an account with admin’s authorities). Thus, if you are a system administrator, you can uninstall (delete) the hiding programs, or to load the computer in safe mode. In that case all the hidden files will be visible.

Data Encryption for strong security

How to avoid the difficulties aforesaid (to hide a folder and protect it from unauthorized access)? Encryption is one of data security methods. You select the data and enter the password to access it. If you are the only password keeper, only you will access the information!
Data can be encrypted for robuster security. By means of special encryption algorithms the data is changed so that even if the file is open, it will be impossible to read it – it will look like a mess. In order to see the original data, it must be decoded by the same encryption algorithms.

Using disk encryption you can:

• Hide your sensitive files and folders
• Protect your information from unauthorized access

Rohos Disk: Encrypts and hides

If you use several methods of security, your information will be stored more securely. This method was used in Rohos Disk.

This is how Rohos Disk works:

• All the data is stored on the virtual encrypted disk created by Rohos. The data is being encrypted on the fly with an AES encryption algorithm.
• When you stop working with files from virtual encrypted disk, you just turn off the disk. The disk and all the data stored in it becomes inaccessible until you turn it on again. The disk is a file having the size of the same disk This file can be seen, but it can be encrypted, thus the data stored in it is inaccessible.
• You may have a USB token instead of a password in order to open virtual encrypted disk.
• Portable encryption allows to hide and protect a part of USB flash drive.
  

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  See also:

  Virtual encrypted disk inside-out