Lexar JumpDrive 2GB. Part 1. Ceedo

lexar-jumpdrive

Recently we occasionally encountered the USB flash drive Lexar JumpDrive 2GB with embedded USB drive encryption software. The set of the USB device includes the mobile platform PowerToGo (aka Ceedo), and it in its turn has the mobile application Lexar Secure II – that represents a great interest for us. By the way there is an indicator of the free space on the frame of the USB flash drive (see the Figure above) – that is a very useful thing :).

Lexar Secure II allows to create encrypted containers on the USB flash drive (like Rohos Disk). We would like to clear out how the program Secure II (and the platform PowerToGo in whole) works when the computer has no Administrator privileges, and in general the quality and convenience of this program.

1. So, First Starting Up…

powertogo-1

During the first start the application PowerToGo i.e. Ceedo starts. Ceedo is an analogue of the U3 platform for mobile applications from the USB drives. We are briefly familiar with U3 at our blog. To my mind Ceedo is a more sophisticated platform. At Ceedo start-up the pro-active protection of my Norton antivirus rejected almost each operation – that confirms that the platform is very “obsessive” and leaves many tracks on PC.

While starting, Ceedo checks its updates and downloads them without prior asking. This cheers up as Ceedo identified my German Windows and also switched to the German language. It also automatically “mobilized” my MS Word, Excel and MS Outlook Express. Next time I will write a  more detailed information about “Mobilization” of the regular applications with the help of Ceedo Aplication Virtualization.

So the Window of the Ceedo Auto-Start is:

autoplay-menu

The Ceedo Main Menu is:

glavnoe-menu

Briefly about Ceedo:

  • Ceedo may function at any USB flash drive
  • Ceedo may be downloaded and installed independently. (45 day trial. 30$)
  • Ceedo may virtualize the application (Ceedo Application Virtualization). Briefly speaking, it transfers any application at the USB drive and starts it there under its supervision. Herewith AV-programs simply go crazy because Ceedo imbeds into processor’s memory, substitutes Windows API calls to the access functions to the registry and files.

My Norton antivirus cannot stand Ceedo – because the pro-active protection constantly sees the Virus in it. However, it has added it for the 15-th times in the trusted zone and permits all actions.

2. Applications at Ceedo:

ceedo.outlook

As I already told Ceedo transferred to my USB drive MS Outlook Express. While starting Outlook from USB flash on my PC, it did not show my current mail and news accounts. The Outlook window is framed in red and headed with the Ceedo logo icon -  it means that the program works in the virtual environment of Ceedo. The program does not see the local computer (registry) and all the data are transferred to USB disk.

A very interesting idea. It resembles the virtualization of the applications in Windows Vista, the same with UAC, when unauthorized application “does not see” the local registry, and all records “are transferred” to another place of fake-registry.

At starting MS Word 2003, Ceedo virtualizes the folder “My Documents” and at the end it saves all at USB drive folder “My Documents”.

A very important moment – Ceedo did not copy Outlook Express and MS Word into my USB drive, it started from my computer.

Among the embedded applications Ceedo has only 2: Secure II, EverNote. I particularly want to note that EverNote is a very nice diary –notebook, a pleasant interface, import of texts and drawings in its notes from different sources. All the remained apps are the “mobilized variants”, i.e. the programs (.exe) already exist at your or guest computer.
Besides mobilization of the standard applications Ceedo allows to install “plug-ins”, for example Argo that allows mobilizing any application, as far as I understood completely with the transfer of its .exe files. We will discuss this function and data protection at Ceedo in the second part. There is also Ceedo Backup.

2. Start at the Guest computer.
While starting at the computer with limited user account Ceedo was very “quiet” (and my AVs kept silence). Ceedo showed its Auto-play Menu and I chose “Start PowerToGo”. The Menu opened and I could start MS Outlook Express.
Everything worked out – Outlook Express recognized the mail account that I adjusted before at my PC (under Ceedo). I could even check my mail box and send a letter. At starting MS Word, the local Word 2007 started and the dialogue window for opening documents I saw my Documents USB Drive.
I switch on the Ceedo and eject the USB drive. I again start Outlook Express, in order to be assured that nothing is left, everything is clean, my mail account does not exist any more.

The Review Summary: Ceedo is undoubtedly an interesting solution. But we should not complement it. We would wait tlil the end of all the test results including plug-in Argo. We would like to note the Ceedo approach: in difference from U3 that appeal the developers to create U3 –compatible programs (U3 SDK), Ceedo follows the way of “mobilization” of already existing application. The next step is to verify the data protection on the ceedo…
P.S. On the ceedo web you can learn the list of applications they suggest you can mobilize.

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