Is there a way to Password Protect the USB Ports in Windows 8 so that every time a USB is inserted a prompt comes out asking for a password before it can be used on the PC ? Is this possible without 3rd party software ? Can it be done in Windows Group Policy ? If not i would like to hear suggestions about good 3rd party software.
Group Policy Solution
In Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → System Removable Storage Access when enabling the policy All Removable Storage Classes: Deny All Access, my PC stops unauthorized access for all USB ports and all removable storage. That is what I actually wanted, but it is annoying that every time I want to use a USB port I have to open my Group Policy and disable the Removable Storage policy. A Prompt asking for administrator rights or a password prompt would be much better.
Best Answer
(I know this is an old thread, but I feel that the information below is useful for anyone who is trying to accomplish what the OP asks.)
The following solution works in a domain environment and does not require the use of any third-party utilities.
Setting the Removable Storage Access policy under Computer Configuration applies the policy to the whole computer. By setting the same policy under User Configuration instead, you can apply the policy to a group of users (using security filtering), including your non-administrative account.
You can then leave the administrative account out of the security-filtered group.
When you need to access the drive, you will need to switch users (log in to Windows with your unrestricted administrative credentials).
You can launch explorer.exe as a separate user, but it requires making some registry changes. Please review this post for details.
NOTE: The above is written for domain environments, where the policy can be applied per-user using domain group policy management. You can apply group policy on a per-user (or per-group) basis in a standalone environment, but it is more difficult.