How to Encrypt Your Data?

For off-line use, like NM Collector Software, it is best to encrypt your hard drive or selected folders on your hard drive using Operating System (OS) level encryption tools rather than application level tools. Learn why below.

Encrypted Hard Drive

Why encrypt your data when working off-line?

Before we discuss how to encrypt your data let's talk about why you might want to do so. Since you are not storing your data on-line you might ask why you should encrypt your data when your use is entirely off-line. The main purpose is to protect your data if your computer is lost or stolen. When I worked at Sandia National Labs, it was a requirement to encrypt our notebook computer hard drives for that very reason.

What are the risks of using encryption?

Bottom line, if you forget your password or recovery key (depending on the encryption method used) you will suffer permanent, unrecoverable, loss of data. Make sure you save those passwords and/or recovery keys in a safe place if you decide to use encryption. This is the only risk of Operating System level encryption.

No worries, my application does not require a password or recovery key.

If no password or recovery key is required, you should question how secure your data really is. Could that key be stored in source code so it can be discovered by technical experts? Is it the same key used for every user? If you are concerned about the privacy of your data you should know the answers to those questions and feel confident that your data really is protected.

What are the additional risks of using application level encryption?

In addition to the risk of lost data due to forgotten passwords or recovery keys, if you have application level encryption you face additional risks. The major risk is that you are relying on an application in which encryption is not its primary purpose. Mistakes can be made by the developer of the application causing vulnerabilities. Also, you are dependent on the developers of the application to remain active in supporting the application in case something goes wrong. Perhaps you trust the developer of your application more than the developers of your operating systems but not me.

How should you encrypt your data?

You have two options. One is to purchase a software application that encrypts your data for you. This might (if it is done right) make sense for data stored on the cloud in case it is compromised. However, it is not necessary, nor as we will see desirable, for data stored on your computer or device.

The second option is to use operating system (OS) level encryption where the OS itself manages the encryption of your data. Both Windows (except Windows Home Edition) and Mac computers have built in encryption as do iOS and modern Android devices. You could always upgrade to Windows 11 Pro for a small price (currently on $99.00 through the Microsoft Store) to obtain full OS encryption. I will provide instructions for using native Windows encryption later.

Note: NM Collector Software stores your data in the Windows App Data Folder.  In my case that is C:\Users\cjpry\AppData\Roaming\nmcollector.  Be sure that folder is encrypted or the entire drive is encrypted.  This is easily done with Windows 11 Pro using Bitlocker or EFS.  However, Windows Home often does not have Bitlocker or EFS so the best option is to encrypt the entire drive using VeraCrypt.  See below for more information.

How do I encrypt my folder with Windows 11 Pro?

If you have Windows 11 Pro the encryption is built in. Follow these steps to activate it for your nmCollector folder. You can always encrypt your entire hard drive which is an excellent idea to protect all of your data.

Note: You can also encrypt your entire drive if you want.

1. Right click the folder you want to encrypt and select Properties. In my case that would be C:\Program Files\nmCollector.net LLC\NMCollectorCP

Right click folder you want to encrypt and select Properties

2. Click Advanced...

Click Advanced

3. Select "Encrypt contents to secure data"

Select "Encrypt contents to secure data"

5. Click OK then Apply and choose whether to encrypt the folder alone or the folder, subfolders and files. I suggest Apply to all.

Select whether to encrypt just the folder or all

That's it. The folder is now encrypted and Windows is managing the encryption key for you. It is tied to the account you are logged in with.

Only this account can see the contents of the encrypted folder. If you copy the files to another machine they will be unreadable.

How do I encrypt my drive with Windows 11 Home Edition?

There is also a solid alternative in VeraCrypt. This product is dedicated to encryption and, as such, probably a much better choice than an application not developed for encryption.

Using VeraCrypt in Windows 11 Home Edition.

This is how to use VeraCrypt for nmCollector on Windows 11 Home Edition.

1. Download VeraCrypt Installer

Select the Installer for your computer (AMD or Intel)

2. Run the installer

Run the Installer

Click the Next button

Accept the license agreement

Accept the defaults

Click the Install button.

Wait for the install to complete

Click Finish button

3. Encrypt the whole drive

   1. Start VeraCrypt

      

      Run VeraCrypt in Windows

   Note: Unfortunately I couldn't capture screen captures of VeraCrypt. The steps below should be obvious.

   1. Click System → Encrypt System Partition/Drive

   2. Choose Normal (not hidden)

   3. Choose Encrypt the whole drive

   4. Select Single-boot

   5. Choose AES (AES-256) encryption (default)

   6. Create a strong password

   7. Move mouse randomly to generate keys

   8. CRITICAL: Save the rescue disk (VeraCrypt will prompt you to burn/save it)

   9. Choose wipe mode (1-pass is fine for most users)

   10. Pre-test runs to ensure system can boot with encryption

   11. Restart and let VeraCrypt encrypt your drive (takes 1-4 hours depending on size)

   After encryption:

   • You'll enter your password at boot

   • Everything is transparent after login

   • All files in AppData (including NM Collector) are encrypted

   • Data is protected even if laptop/drive is stolen

The decision is up to you.

You have to decide which approach is best for you. For NM Collector Software my choice is to let the experts in encryption handle the encryption while I focus on the features and functionality of software developed for collectors. I hope you give NM Collector Software a try and let me know what you think of it.

Thank you.

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About Clay Pryor

Clay is a veteran software and database application developer with more than 40 years of experience across government, corporate, and national laboratory environments.

His career began at the Air Force Weapons Laboratory in the late 1970s, followed by roles at IBM and the State of New Mexico’s Natural Resources Department in the mid 80's.

After that he spent 34 years at Sandia National Laboratories, where he designed and supported enterprise and desktop systems, modernized data‑driven applications, and led major improvements in enterprise search capabilities—earning recognition from Sandia’s Laboratory Director in 2018.

Clay continues to explore emerging technologies in search, data management, and application development, driven by a lifelong curiosity and a commitment to practical, effective solutions.