I recently got an external hard drive. I have put many important confidential files on it. I was wondering is there any software or way I can lock those folder or the drive so not matter what computer the hard drive is connected to it will always be protected with password or something like that?
you have not said what operating system you are running, or what filesystem is on your external drive.
If you are using Windows, there are a number of software applications which can lock folders on external drives, or the whole drive.
Google for "lock folder external drive" and you'll see what I mean.
On the other hand, IF you are using a version of Windows XP higher than XP Home, AND the drive uses the NTFS filesystem, you can encrypt the folder or folders. After that is done, people can list the folder, but not open any document or file.
Beware! It is possible, under certain circumstances, for the data to get scrambled beyond recovery if you, for example, unplug the drive at the wrong time, or if you have to reformat the main computer and recreate user accounts.
If you are worried about that or if you are using XP Home you should investigate third party data locking software.
