Vault FAQ

The Vault provides a secure password-protected place to store your sensitive files. When you report your computer as lost or stolen, the Vault automatically seals shut, blocking access to everything inside, even if someone has the correct password.

The Vault uses the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm with a 128-bit key to keep files secure. Only by using highly sophisticated decryption tools could someone access the files within a reasonable amount of time. Your security also depends on the strength of your password, so make sure not to choose an obvious one.

Providing an email address and password to initialize the Vault protects the contents and allows you to recover the password if you forget it.

Access the vault by double-clicking the Vault icon on the Windows desktop. If locked, the Vault will request your password.

Right-click the Vault desktop icon and select the option you want. You will need to provide a password when unlocking the Vault.

You might want to use the Vault to protect files like these:

• Local copies of online receipts or confirmation messages from online purchases

• Password lists

• Confidential business files

• Files containing personal information

You can retrieve your password using the email address you provided when setting up the Vault. To access the password-retrieval system, right-click the Vault icon on the desktop, and then select either Open or Unlock Vault, and click the Retrieve your password by email link in the window that opens.

Trend Micro will automatically send your password to the email address provided when you set up the password, so make sure that you can access that account. If you provided the wrong email address, then someone else might receive your password instead.

Keep your password confidential to ensure that your files stay safe. If someone else learns your password, change it immediately.

To edit your password, open the main console of your security software, click the Settings button, expand Other Settings, and select Password.

Follow the guidelines below to select a password that others will find difficult to guess:

• The longer the password, the better.

• Avoid names or words that would appear in a dictionary. If using common words, use phonetic replacements to obscure them. For example, you might use "l8" for the word "late," or "f@st_t@lk3r" instead of "fast talker."

• Use a combination of mixed-case letters, numbers, and other characters.

• Avoid simple patterns like "101010" or "abcde."

Follow the steps below to edit the email address that should receive your password reminder.

1. Open the main console of your security software and click the Settings button.

2. Expand Other Settings and select Password.

3. Click the Change email address link, then provide your current password and the new email address that you want to use.

Trend Micro designed the vault for storing files and folders. You can copy and move files into the vault just as you would with any Windows folder. However, the Vault differs from a normal Windows folder in a few ways:

• Dragging a file or folder into the Vault will move it there, rather than just copying it, even if you hold down the CTRL key while clicking the file.

• When you drag a file or folder out of the Vault, a backup copy of the file remains in the Vault.

• You cannot create new files in the Vault directly, but you can move or copy new files created elsewhere into the Vault.

• You cannot click and drag a file already in the Vault directly into a folder also stored within the Vault.

Yes, you can directly open files stored in the Vault.

If you have a file inside the Vault open when it locks, just provide the Vault password before saving the file again.

You can create folders directly in the Vault, but not files. When you finish working on a sensitive file, move it into the Vault.

People who log into the same computer using another user name and password will not have access to the Vault.

If your computer is lost or stolen, seal the Vault immediately through the Report Stolen service. To access the service, you need the email address and the password you provided during initialization. After you report the computer as lost, the Vault will disappear from the desktop and seal itself shut. Nobody can open a sealed Vault until you report the computer as found.

With an Internet connection available, the Vault regularly contacts Trend Micro to check on the status of your computer. If you report your computer as lost or stolen, the Vault will disappear from the desktop and seal shut immediately whenever the Vault next checks in.

When your computer restarts, the Vault will be locked for your protection. The Vault also locks when your computer returns from Screen Saver mode.

You need to report that your computer has been found through the Report Stolen service. The Vault checks with this service regularly to determine the status of your computer. The Vault will reappear on your Windows desktop and unseal itself automatically once your report that the computer has been recovered. After unsealing, the Vault will remain locked until you provide the correct password.

You cannot delete the Vault icon from the desktop, but you can delete the folder itself in other ways. Deleting the Vault folder also deletes all of the protected files inside.