How secure is the DiskGO secure Guardian Flash Drive

By Matthew Lindhe (EDGE Tech Customer Support Technician)

Phone: 800-259-6565      Email: support@edgetechcorp.com

Edge Tech Corp’s DiskGO Guardian flash drive utilizes The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) which is a strong encryption algorithm that is commonly used worldwide. AES uses three different key sizes of 128 bits, 192 bits and 256 bits. The Guardian uses a 256 bit key, which is called AES256 and currently considered the strongest mathematical encryption algorithm in use.

AES was adopted from the Rijndael encryption algorithm and was chosen by The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which is a federal technology agency that develops and promotes standards. AES is fast, secure and is less resource intensive than other encryption algorithms.

By trying every possible key, such as in a brute force attack, it would take “far longer than the age of the universe to complete.”  When the AES process was completed, a scientist by the name of Bruce Schneier that was competing with the Rijndael team said in a quote, “I do not believe that anyone will ever discover an attack that will allow someone to read Rijndael traffic.”

Now, with all of this being said, the weakness in this method is the user’s password. It is much more likely for a hacker to crack the password on the unit than the encryption algorithm. The Guardian requires a strong password which requires uppercase letter, lowercase letters and symbols to be used. An example of a strong password is Edg3Te(h. Do not use cognitive passwords since they can be easily detected through the use of password cracking programs.

Excerpts for this article were taken from: CompTIA Security+ by Darril Gibson.

You just bought an external hard drive and it won’t work on your MAC – Please read.

                        Email: support@edgetechcorp.com       phone: 800-259-6565

            By default, all of EDGE Tech Corps external hard drives come preformatted in NTFS (New Technology File System) which is not a supported format for MAC OS. There are a few easy steps you would need to perform in order to make the external drive function properly on your MAC.

For Functionality on MAC only when the drive is <1 TB in size:

1)      Connect the drive to the system using your preferred connection type (USB/Firewire/eSata)

2)      Wait for the drive to mount and show up as an icon on your desktop.

3)      Open Disk Utility. This file path is: GO > Utilities > Disk Utility.

4)      Select the DiskGo! From the menu on the left hand side of the Disk Utility Window.

5)      Once the proper drive is selected, choose the erase tab on top of the window.

**Note** Formatting the drive will erase all data that is currently on the drive, so if you already have transferred data to the drive, please back up your data before continuing with this next step. Also, please be aware that this format will render the drive unreadable on any other operating system.

6)       Select MAC OS Extended from the file table drop down menu and click the erase button to begin             the format.

Once this process is finished close the disk utility window and begin using your new EDGE DiskGo!

For functionality on MAC only when the drive is >/= 1TB in size:

1)      In MAC OSX, you can use the built in Disk Utility to partition and initialize the drive so it will appear          on the desktop.

2)      Open the main drive (the drive that contains the operating system).

3)      File path: Applications folder > Utilities folder > Disk Utility.

4)      The drives are displayed on the left side of the window. Click on the drive that you wish to                      partition (the top drive listing for the hard drive that you want to work with). EDGE DiskGo!

5)      Once you have selected the drive click on partition.

6)      Click on the options button to select the partitioning scheme.

7)      Click on Apple Partitioning Scheme, Apple Partitioning Map, or GUID and click on the OK button. ( I          recommend using the GUID option)

8)      You will see several options for setting up the drive. Once you have selected the number of                    partitions, format type desired and a volume label, click the Partition button.

9)      Once the formatting is completed the drive will appear on the desktop and you can now use your            new DiskGo! Hard drive.

For functionality on both MAC and PC (Using Windows XP):

1)      This can be completed on both MAC and PC; however it is recommended that this procedure is                completed on a PC.

2)      In Windows XP you can only create a partition that is 32GB (32000MB) or less in Fat32.

3)      File Path: Start menu > Control panel > Administrative tools > Computer management > Disk                Management.

4)      Right click the drive you want to format and click ‘new partition’.

5)      Select ‘Primary partition’ and select next.

6)      Change the partition size in MB to 32000 and select next.

7)      Leave the drive letter at E: and select next.

8)      Choose the ‘format this partition with the following settings’: File System – Fat32, Allocation unit            size – Default, and Volume label – whatever you want to name it. Check the Perform quick format            button and click next. Then click finish.

9)      Once the formatting is done you will see one “Healthy” Volume and one “Unallocated”.

10)   Right click the unallocated and perform the above steps again; however you can use whichever file           format you choose.

11)   You will now be able to use the 32GB partition on your MAC and PC.

For Functionality on both MAC and PC (Using Windows 7):

1)      In Windows 7 you can only create a partition that is 32GB (32000MB) or less in Fat32.

2)      File path: Windows Orb (start) > Control Panel > Administrative tools > Computer Management >          Disk Management (Side Bar).

3)      Right click the drive you want to format and select “delete volume.”  The drive should now show as          unallocated.

4)      Right click the drive again and select “New simple Volume.” Set Simple Volume size to 32000MB,              assign a drive letter of your choice, set File System to Fat32 and check the “quick format” box.                Select Next and Finish.

5)      Once the formatting is done you will see one “Healthy” volume and one “unallocated”.

6)      Right click the unallocated and perform the above steps again; however you can use whichever file          format you choose.

7)      You will now be able to use the 32GB partition on your MAC and PC.

                                   CF Cards – Fixed Disk vs. Removable Media

By Matthew Lindhe ( EDGE Support Technician)

Email: Support@edgetechcorp.com                             Phone: 800-259-6565

Compact Flash cards are small storage devices that can be used in various applications such as Digital Camera’s, Digital Video Recorders, card readers, and as bootable devices. In this article we will explore the differences between “fixed disk” cards and removable media cards.

Removable media Mode: Once inserted into your computer the CF card will read as Removable Disk (Below left picture) and you can safely remove the card by simply right clicking and selecting ‘eject’. This type of CF mode is common when using the card as portable storage and it can be easily moved from device to device.

               Removable Media Mode                                        Fixed Disk Mode

Fixed Disk Mode:  Once inserted in your computer the CF card will read as ‘Local Disk’ (above right picture) and you can safely remove the card by selecting ‘safely remove hardware’ and stopping the drive like you would an external hard drive. The use of ‘fixed disk mode’ is to use the CF card as permanent data storage. You can create fixed partitions, install Operating Systems and set it up as a bootable device.

What is BIOS by EDGE Support Team

Email: support@edgetechcorp.com      Phone: 800-259-6565

What is BIOS? I hear this question all the time from consumers when we suggest they do a BIOS update. B.I.O.S stands for Basic Input/output System.  Basically, the BIOS is what helps the operating system get going and is the first code run by a pc when it is turned on.  It is used to identify, test and start hardware such as hard disk and video display cards. This is a program that is built into the computer. 

Most computers will let the user change or set the BIOS options by utilizing special screens or a set of screens.  Please note BIOS is not used in Mac Systems; It is only found in windows based machines.

The BIOS uses a basic set of instructions to boot the computer. The BIOS is always in the machine and these routines are usually stored in ROM (Read Only Memory). The system board has a ROM BIOS which it uses to support its standard functions.  

BIOS Upgrade: This means an upgrade to the programs stored on the ROM Memory (motherboard). This upgrade will update the BIOS, POST AND SET UP of your PC.  Note: Use only updates directly from your manufacturer.  

How to do BIOS Update:

1. Make sure you copy down your BIOS ID String.

2. Identify your pc or motherboard type on the manufactures website.

3. Download the correct BIOS file from the manufactures home page.

4. Download the correct flash program from your manufacturer’s home page.

5. Flash Your BIOS (following instructions outlined by your system manufacturer.)

External Drive Care Tips by Melissa Moore (EDGE Support Technician)

Email: support@edgetechcorp.com           Phone: 800-259-6565

There are a few items that you will need for proper External Hard Drive Care: Small Fan, Optical Cloth, Canned Air, and a Surge Protector.

1. Make sure your External drive is on a flat, stable, clean surface.
2. Try to keep your External Drive away from heaters, air conditioners, humidifiers and drafts.
3. When your External Drive is in use try to avoid moving it.  Moving it while in use can result in physical damage.
4. If you drive is getting really hot you can plug a small fan by it to keep it cool.
5. Dust your External Drive every so often with a soft optical cloth, and spray the opening of the drive with canned air to remove any dust build up.
6. Instead of plugging your External Drive into a direct outlet use a surge protector. This can help protect the drive against voltage spikes.