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OSXFAQ Reader Tips

Hide files from even the most experienced Mac user :-)

OSXFAQ Reader Tip By John Doe

Open "Disk Copy" which is an application that lives inside the Utilities folder which is in the Applications folder.

From the File menu, select "New" and then the submenu "Blank Image" which presents you with the usual file saving dialog box. You should give the Disk Image file a name that you can remember, and possibly one which is not indicative about its contents, such as "Test Backup". The MacOS X will add the file ending ".dmg" for you. Do not press the Create button yet.

At the lower part of the screen, there are some further options and these are where the benefits start to arise. In effect, you will be hiding your sensitive files in an encrypted virtual disk.

The first item asks for the Volume Name of the virtual disk that will appear on your desktop. So, calling it "My Dodgy Fake Disk" would not be wise because the path would appear in certain "Recent Items" menus! Something like "Backup Disk" could be used as an example. Then, select a Size for your virtual disk. The default of 10MB can be amended to whatever you prefer and should obviously be large enough to accommodate your sensitive files. Leave the Format as "Mac OS Extended" although you could use other formats if you have a reason. In most cases, "Mac OS Extended" should suffice. Under the Encryption section, select "AES-128" as the preferred choice. Finally, press the Create button and Disk Copy will start to build the Disk Image file.

Because the option for Encryption was selected, another dialog box will appear. This will ask you to choose the password to access your files. Type it twice to ensure you have typed it correctly. There is good reason to ask you to type it twice, so do not try and use the Copy and Paste shortcut! It is essential that you do NOT select the "Save in Key Chain" option, so ensure you unselect it. Then press the OK button.

You should see an icon of a removeable hard disk appear on the desktop, with the name that you chose as the "Volume Name" in the earlier section. Treat it like a disk, so copy your sensitive files into that disk, add folders, custom icons, etc. Then, eject the disk in the usual way by dragging the icon over the Eject icon in the Dock, where the Trash can formerly stood in the same way that you would normally eject a disk.

Next time you want to access your sensitive files, simply select the disk image file from the location where it was stored and then open it as usual. You will see the password box appear, type your password and press OK. Again, avoid the checkbox asking you if you want to save the password in the Key Chain. If you password was correct, the disk will again appear on your desktop for you to continue your work.

The reason to avoid placing the password in your Key Chain is to ensure only you can mount the disk. It defeats the purpose if anyone with access to your machine can do it! If the password is stored in the Key Chain, it is accessible by anyone by default unless you change the default settings and most Mac users do not remember or even know about whether to change it! The Key Chain is usually unlocked at start up automatically.

The encryption is very strong and the disk image cannot mount in MacOS 9 so make sure you do not lose your password! If the files are extremely important, you would already have a standard backup on another disk like a CDROM and have put it away in a safe place, right?

The disk image file will still appear in your computer as a 10MB file, or whatever size you chose. You can hide the file using the file hiding techniques described yesterday as added safety, but either way, the content cannot be seen by even the most experienced Mac user without your password due to the strong encryption used to store the data within the Disk Image.

Since everything described is included free within Mac OS X, no additional software to buy! Preserve that pre-wedding "little black book of phone numbers" in style....!

Enjoy :-)

If you would like to see your tip here send it to us at contribute@osxfaq.com, You could be famous too!!


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