Lazybit

Note: The download link is obsolete, copy the final release version instead

A new version of Secrets Keeper is about to be released. It will be called Keeper. You can download a preview from this address: http://files.dekart.com/beta/Keeper-nohands.zip

An installer is not yet available, but we're working on it. At this point just unzip it. Run the included BAT file to enable the integration into MS Office and Windows Explorer.

Of course, no story is complete without screenshots, so here we go (screenshots are clickable):

Keeper's main window, nothing special in it, but notice that the main menu is not shown by default.

The key management window enables you to manage the passwords and contacts stored on your keys. Keeper will generate passwords for you, as well as evaluate their strength. You can have an unlimited number of groups and contacts in each group.

The email addresses will be used when you click the "encrypt and email" option.

The file encryption dialog. You can choose whether you wish to use a password from a key connected to the system (otherwise type it by hand). If you use a password from the key, you can choose which group to encrypt the data for.

• You can create self-extracting archives, so people who don't have Keeper on their computers can still decrypt the files you sent them (if they know the right password, of course);
• You can wipe the original files, to make sure they cannot be recovered using forensic methods. This is handy if you're encrypting your po world domination plans;
• Encrypt and email will automatically start the default mail client and create a new message, with the encrypted file attached to it.

The settings window looks like any other settings window.

Note that the update checking feature does not work yet, therefore if you wish to track Keeper's progress, check this page every now and then.

Keeper integrates itself into the Microsoft Office suite, enabling you to encrypt files or decrypt them from within Word, or other programs from Office.

Keeper 4 also integrates itself into the context (right-click) menu of Windows Explorer. This gives you quick access to features such as:

• File wiping - remove sensitive data without leaving a trace
• Encrypt
• Encrypt and email

If you right-click an encrypted archive, you will see options such as:

• Decrypt...
• Decrypt here
• Decrypt to <name of file>
• Decrypt each archive into separate directory (when selecting multiple archives)
• Decrypt each archive into separate directory and make me a cup of tea

As you can see, Keeper 4 is a huge step forward from Secrets Keeper 3.5. The new version is prettier, it provides an excellent user experience, and it will run on platforms other than Windows ;-)

SIM Manager 2.5 is finally here, so far it is officially available only as an English version, but the other versions are on their way; it can be downloaded from this address: http://files.dekart.com/RC/SIMManager-25-RC2.exe So, what's new?

3G USIM extended phonebook support

SIM Manager is able to read all the 3G phonebook details, including the extended fields:

• second name;
• group;
• second number;
• second number category;
• email.

(click to view larger version)

(SIM Manager's edit USIM contact dialog)

A group management and secondary phone category tool is included as well. Now you can unleash the full potential of your 3G USIM card, explore all its contents and use its features to the maximum.

The best part is that you have all these contact details at your fingertips, you can manage them easily, using the full power of a computer (a real keyboard, a large screen) - no need to go through the pain of trying to do this with your phone's tiny keypad.

PLMN management

A PLMN is a "public land mobile network", and every SIM card contains several lists of mobile operators to which it will connect or not.

(click to see a larger version)

SIM Manager can help you manage the list of mobile networks to which the phone is not allowed to connect (FPLMN) and the list of networks to which it will connect if they are reachable (PLMN).

How is this option going to benefit you? It's primary purpose is to help you keep your bill under control.

When you travel, you leave your operator's network and enter the network of a partner mobile operator that has a roaming agreement with your mobile company. Agreements with different operators can have different fees, therefore it is in your best interests to choose the one which is the cheapest for you.

Use the FPLMN (Forbidden PLMN) list do indicate to which mobile networks you don't want your phone to ever connect. This list should include the serious offenders who charge a lot for their services.

The PLMN list contains a list of mobile networks to which your phone will try to connect when they are in range. First it will try to connect to the first network, if that fails - to the second one, and so on. With SIM Manager you can prioritize this list and change the order of preferred mobile networks.

The lists of mobile operators will contain some details you may find interesting, such as: the MCC (Mobile Country Code) and MNC (Mobile Network Code) of each operator. You can also determine the country and the name of each mobile network.

Armed with this tool, you can make sure that your vacations will never be ruined by the bills again - you have an instrument that gets you in control of the situation, so accidents simply won't happen.

Detailed reports

SIM Manager can generate a printable report of a SIM card, containing the entire phonebook, the SMS archive, as well as the lists of mobile networks.

This comes handy if you need a hard-copy for archival purposes.

Other changes

The new version includes several bug-fixes, as well as changes in the interface (now there is a Dutch translation, as well as a reviewed German and French interface).

A new release is going to be made public in the nearest future - Private Disk 2.11 is here. This version brings us one step closer to Private Disk 3.0, adding some new features.

Private Disk Explorer is the major new feature of this release - it enables you to access your encrypted disks even on systems where you don't have administrator privileges.

Yes, that's right! Private Disk is the first program of its kind that can run on any computer, in any circumstances; from Windows 9x to Vista and the not-yet-official Seven - your encrypted files are at your fingertips.

You will be able to explore NTFS and FAT32 images, regardless of their size, having the possibility to add new files to an image, remove existing ones or replace them with updated versions.

From now on Private Disk is unarguably the best option for those who need rock-solid encryption and mobility.

Other changes include:

• faster start-up times - the 2.10 had a noticeable delay in its start up time, caused by the run as a service mode. This problem has been addressed, and now Private Disk is as quick as snappy as it used to be in the old days.
• improved Disk Firewall mechanism - Disk Firewall is another unique feature of Private Disk, we continue to tweak it and bring it closer to perfection, and to what it will become in the 3.0 version of Private Disk. In the 2.11 release the Disk Firewall is quicker and more stable.
• better portability support - in 2.10 we added a feature that created encrypted key backups automatically when the image was mounted; this feature is a great idea, but it lead to errors in cases when the image was stored on read-only media, thus making it impossible to write the backup somewhere. This problem has been fixed now.

Overall Private Disk became more polished and more reliable. Currently only the English and the Russian versions are available, other language versions will follow shortly.

I am on Private Disk v 2.09. I close my files and every time I try to disconnect a drive letter I get the message:

There are files currently opened on disk Z:\

I feel that my data is not closing correctly. My question is how do I find out what file(s) are still open and how do I close them?

Quite often a volume can be used by a service, or another process that is running in the background - which makes it difficult to detect. In such cases, the best approach is to use a tool that monitors all the file activity that goes on in the system, and examine the list of processes that interfere with files located on the specific volume.

One such tool is Process Monitor; among many things, it can show which programs are working with data on a specific volume.

• Start Process Monitor and make sure the File System Activity monitor is enabled
• To simplify the task, create a new filter that will only show the activity that involves the volume you are interested in. The screenshot below illustrates how to add a rule that will only show which files are open on disk D:\
• As you can see, in this example the non-system programs that are using files on disk D:\ are TheBat, Trillian.

All you have to do is close these programs, and try to dismount the volume again.

If you see an unknown program accessing the volume, and you don't know how to close it (or you are not sure whether "killing the process" will have any serious consequences or not), look up the name of the program in a search engine and that will give you enough details to make a correct decision.