How to Hide and Lock Hard Disk Drives

Did you know you can secure the data on the hard disk drives by hiding or locking them? In Windows, use the steps below to do just that.

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Steps

  1. Click on the "Start" button. Go to "Run", type "gpedit.msc" and press enter.
  2. Wait for the "Group Policy" window to appear. Click on the "+" button behind "Administrative Templates". Then click the "+" button behind "Windows Components" and then "Windows Explorer".
  3. Search for "Hide these specified drives in My Computer" in the options that appear in the right column of the window. Double click it, enable it and choose the drive(s) you want to hide.
  4. Search for "Prevent access to drives from My Computer". Double click it and repeat the previous step if you want to stop accessing any drive by "command" (e.g, by typing "C:" in the address bar or "Run").
  5. Close the group policy window.
  6. Restart your computer for changes to take effect.

Tips

  • You can change any one of the options from "Hide these specified drives in My Computer" or "Prevent access to drives from My Computer". Just choose the option best matching your needs.
  • If you only want to hide the hard disk drives from "My Computer" and still want to access them via "Windows Explorer"; use the "Hide these specific drives in My Computer" option.
  • If you don't want to hide the hard disk drive, but only want to stop accessing them; then use the "Prevent access to drives from My Computer" option.

Warnings

  • If you are using the "Hide these specific drives in My Computer" option, your hard disk drives are still accessible by typing the Drive Letter in address bar or "Run".
  • Any user of the computer with Administrative Rights can change these settings. Realize your disk drives are not as secure as originally thought.

Sources and Citations

  • I have learned this Tweak from somewhere. All this knowledge is not mine. However I don't remember the source. Still thanking it!!!

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Hide and Lock Hard Disk Drives in "My Computer". All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

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