Windows 10: SERIOUS HELP NEEDED: How To Store Files So They Can't Altered?

This sounds like a great idea, but couldn't the .JPEG/.PNG/.GIF files that are created by edited anyway?

 

Ultimately everything can be reversed engineered and pic files can be OCR'd or manipulated with Photoshop and similar but even the NSA and many others couldn't keep their docs safe so it's kind of depends how deep you wish to go and you can always use an encryption program which requires the same program to open the encrypted archives but since (And that's an assumption) you're a private person and you're not talking about state secrets it's probably best to protect the docs and eBooks as per the above posts and keep them on an external hard drive which can be locked away in a safe or hidden in some other ways

 

Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge with me. I really appreciate it! *Biggrin

I just want to store the .PDF files as if they were hardcover books in a library. Does this make sense? I'm thinking the earlier idea of using a DVD-R might be best for me... Is it possible for a DVD-R to be re-written to after the first time files are burned to the DVD-R disc?

 

No, but files could be added if session is not closed. There are Re-writable DVDs but their life is not as long as ordinary ones because of different substrate.

 

As long as the DVD session is closed then they cannot be written to again, (this is the normal and even if they are not closed the originals will not be overwritten).

There are still some issues however ...

A file can be copied off the DVD and read only status removed, (DVD files have the Read Only Attribute set as part of writing), allowing the file to be edited, or you could print the file to a PDF creator and the new file could then be edited.

What I would do is firstly create a full backup of the current state and archive that away ( in a password protected archive if you think it's needed).

Then edit the files to change the internal flags to Do not Allow Editing (or Printing), and save them to a DVD (non re-writable ) - You then have a distributable archive that may only be readable from the disk.

There is no way to prevent copying so if this data is extremely confidential I suggest an "open" password is also needed.

These options will require more than a simple PDF reader which will usually involve paying for the software. ( some or all of this functionality is available with PDFCreator )

 

Let's assume I use a DVD-R and I burn my ebooks to it, how can I make it so that it's not possible for any changes to be made to the ebooks on the DVD-R?

 

Close a session and no more can be written to it. Of what is written already, not one bit can be changed on that disk, nothing. As long as disk is not damaged, everything is safe.

 

I may be taking a less technical approach here, but is there a threat of someone else getting access to your external drive? If you back up your files to this drive, then disconnect it from your computer, it should be completely safe.

 

Thanks! Is there a way I can check that the PDF files on the DVD-R cannot be "re-written to" once I've finished burning the DVD-R so that I can be certain they can't be changed in the future?

 

The files can't be edited and saved to the same DVD-R they're written to but unless protected by an editing password or an opening password or both they can be edited and saved elsewhere as files can be copied from any medium such as DVD/CD so your best bet is still to password protect the files and store somewhere safe

 

I think I understand what you're trying to say.

You're saying that if I don't use a password on the DVD-R then it'd be easy for someone to duplicate the DVD-R and create a new DVD-R that contains files that have been edited and place the new DVD-R in place of the old DVD-R without me knowing?

You're a genius!

 

PDF files on DVD-R (and everywhere else) protected by password not disk itself. For added security, you could also place them in a folder before copying to DVD and lock the folder itself with something like this: Download Anvi Folder Locker Free - MajorGeeks
Just watch it, if you overdo with protection and forget or loose password, you may never again see that document.

 

Hmmm. So do you mean I can create an "encrypted container" on my PC's HDD and then burn that encrypted container to the DVD-R?

Thank you so much!

EDIT: Since it's a DVD-R and not a DVD-RW wouldn't it be impossible for me to enter a password to open the encrypted container?

 

Hardcover books in library can be modified quite easily. Do you know about such inventions as pencil, marker, pen etc..?
Lots of published .pdf books actually are harder to modify than you think they usually use protection to limit user access to copy, edit, etc..

 

But it'd be obvious when a hardcover book has been modified... Most of the .PDF files I'm wanting to store don't have this "protection to limit user access to copy, edit" as you say and they're easily editable...

I'd love to hear more ideas though!