I wonder if I might ask the general body of knowledge at ATS to help with a problem?

As many know, I'm a college student and lets just say I have some real strong points in some areas of computers but where I'm weak? I'm simply non-functional until tutorials can be had. The product of self education as needs demanded over years. So it is I find myself with a major problem you'd think I'd know the answer to but have never had to deal with before.

Last week, I lost a flash drive from my Graphics program courses. I got it back so loss of data wasn't the point. I back up in multiple formats/multiple locations as a routine matter on every file save anyway. Lessons almost physically painful made that one burned in for life. However, it never occurred to me before losing one, just how much I have on my flash drives. This was was 15gb and over 80% full. Aside from stock photographs into the thousands of everything from rivers to skylines to textures I've shot, it had thousands of Brushes and Fonts I've busted hump to find or outright paid for. Additionally, I'd guess it had the reg codes and/or software itself for a couple thousand in programs. (I'd been helping a friend with some of what was on that drive.)

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^^^ So, if someone doesn't care WHY I need this, skip all that.

The bottom line is, what is the most effective way to lock and encrypt a flash drive so that recovering a lost one is totally worthless to the person finding it? It's bad enough to think my work and stock could be ripped off by losing one of these.....but as we all know, some of the registration codes on programs these days don't play well when someone else attempts to pirate it at the same time. I'd hate to lose Adobe access for even a short time over such a thing?

Any suggestions for workable solutions others actually, personally, make USE of? (reviews help..but I'm really hoping someone currently using a solution on a daily basis may chime in?)

Thanks in advance!

TrueCrypt.
2nd.

I may just upgrade Windows again. I upgraded to 7 Pro on the Laptop way back to have the XP core functional for school related things bit that wasn't enough for bitlocker of course. Oh heck, I ought to be using that on the laptop anyway to be realistic I suppose. In that way, I'm as bad as the Gov't or Corp people I help laugh at who lose a laptop basically sitting wide open to exploit. It just took briefly losing a big flash drive to realize it. Better this way than more I guess...