SafeHouse Explorer includes a few options and preferences which you might want to be aware of. These are explained below.
Choose Tools | Options from the main menu.
SafeHouse Explorer has the ability to detect that another SafeHouse product is installed and automatically add new menu options which allow you to take advantage of some additional features. Please check the Integrate with other SafeHouse products box to allow this automatic integration. This checkbox also controls whether or not the software will use the optional performance enhancements described below.
We recommend that you keep this box checked unless you have a specific reason for leaving it unchecked.
Another interesting aspect of this automatic integration with other SafeHouse products is that the Create New Volume and Change Password wizards will be replaced by the slightly more-powerful wizards available in our other software. This is especially useful with SafeHouse Professional Edition which includes a number of desirable features for business users, including password management and policy controls.
SafeHouse Explorer will operate faster and with greater compatibility with your favorite Windows applications if you install its performance enhancements.
This set of features requires the use of a special kind of file called a device driver. For security reasons, Windows only allows administrators to install device drivers. If you're running a machine from home, you'll almost always be your own administrator; however, in work environments, this level of access might require assistance from your IT department.
When you install SafeHouse Explorer using its traditional setup utility, we know you have administrator rights and these enhancements are installed automatically. However, if you are running the software directly from a memory stick on some other computer, you may find it helpful to be able to install these enhancements on demand using the Install Performance Enhancements link. This link will be disabled when the enhancements are already installed.
There is no harm in trying to install these options even if you are not an administrator. You'll be notified if you don't have the required administrator-level access rights.
Windows Explorer icon associations are installed for SafeHouse volume files.
Open volumes are associated with a Windows drive letter.
File operations within open volumes will be much faster.
Compatibility with Windows' built-in check disk and defragmentation features.
Windows applications can directly read and write files to open volumes using the associated virtual drive letter.
You simply might not have the administrator access rights needed to install these files.
You might be using another person's computer and you don't want to install anything on their machine.
You might be using a computer in a public library or coffee shop which forbids you from installing third-party software.
If you are using SafeHouse Explorer in a work environment where it's important to have as much compatibility as possible with popular Windows applications, we recommend that you take a look at some of our commercial SafeHouse products which offer important conveniences such as permanent drive letter associations and automatic mounting of volumes at Windows startup.
SafeHouse Explorer includes a secure delete feature which is available from the File menu. The default number of times old files are overwritten before they are destroyed is 2. If needed, you may change this value using the drop list on the Options dialog.
Generally speaking, 2 is plenty for most ordinary use at home or at work. However, if you're working with extra-sensitive information and you believe that people who might try to snoop your files have access to highly-sophisticated equipment and forensic technicians, then you may wish to increase this value to five or six times. This will take longer when deleting files, but the peace of mind may be worth it for you.