Follow this guide and you will not lose any data.
Think of encrypting as an imaginary safe. The safe will need a code and a key to open it. Whatever you want to protect from theft or unwanted viewing you put into the safe. The key file is like a key and the password is like the combination.
There are some differences between encryption and a real safe.
Password Protect Folders
For you as a user this means that:
- The advantage of encryption is that it is almost totally impossible for anyone who does not have the correct password and key files to read or copy the data.
- The disadvantage of encryption is that if you have lost your password and or key file that you cannot access (read or copy) your own data.
- Also you will lose some speed, because before you can work on your data the data must be decrypted = made useable.
In any case it is for you to decide whether you are going through the trouble and the risk of encryption. Most people don't use encryption on their computers or laptops. It is just too much trouble.
Most users put a mixture of documents on their computers; some documents or pictures do have any sensitive information, some documents and photos can be very sensitive. It is for you do decide to keep all documents together or the separate them. I recommend not to separate but to store the documents and pictures in folders, which have names that make sense to you.
Windows and most programs put documents by default = standard in the My Documents folder and all pictures in the My Pictures folder.
After a while the amount of documents and pictures becomes so much that it is almost impossible to find the document of picture you want if you have not properly named it. Also your emails are stored at a standard place. You can actually tell your email program where the pace of the emails should be. It is up to you whether you want to encrypt your emails as well. If you do decide to you encryption then I recommend the following:
- Use a free program called TrueCrypt. It is in my opinion one of the best encryption programs that you can get.
Please read the manuals online. Certain mistakes and you will loose your data and you will never ever be able to get your data back. Believe me you will loose any data which is not stored anywhere else.
These mistakes are:
There are paid and free programs to do that.
Also a thing to consider is the amount of your data and emails, make sure that you will have enough space.
Once you made an encrypted volume you cannot make it bigger in a later stage. If you run out of space you either have to make a second encrypted volume or copy all the data to another place and make a new bigger container. It is the same with a real safe; there is only so much space in a real safe as well. When you start TrueCrypt for the first time the program will ask you to create a volume. A volume is like a virtual = imaginary drive, Windows will see the volume as a drive. As I said please make sure that the volume is big enough for your documents and if you want to emails. I would recommend at least a container of 50 GB to 100 GB. You will also have to choose a drive letter for the volume; I recommend starting with Z.
TrueCrypt gives you the option of creating a hidden TrueCrypt volume or a standard TrueCrypt volume. Unless you really, really have a need for the hidden volume I would not recommend to you this. TrueCrypt calls the need for a hidden volume "Plausible Deniability". Basically this means that if you are forced is some way to open up your TrueCrypt volume there is no way of telling that there is actually a hidden volume within the standard volume.
TrueCrypt recommends just putting files, which have no real value in the standard volume if you make use of a hidden volume.
TrueCrypt volumes open up by using the correct passwords and key files.
For example when your outside volume or virtual drive would be Z in the hidden volume or hidden drive would be Y.
To get to a hidden volume you would first open the standard volume by entering the correct password and key file for the standard volume. Then you mount = go into the standard value. Then you enter a second password and key file and only then the hidden volume opens up.
There is one problem: If you open (mount) the standard volume and you do not open up the hidden volume and you copy data into the standard volume you will damage the hidden volume.
That is why I recommend that you only use standard volumes only.
How to start:
I would recommend you to do the following, mistakes are fatal.
Folder Encryption
Jan Holtman is the area manager of ITCrimes USA ltd. ITCrimes USA has a unique patented solution combating laptop and computer theft. Even if your laptop is not able to connect to the internet or is disassembled it is still traceable.
Folder Lock
Think of encrypting as an imaginary safe. The safe will need a code and a key to open it. Whatever you want to protect from theft or unwanted viewing you put into the safe. The key file is like a key and the password is like the combination.
There are some differences between encryption and a real safe.
Password Protect Folders
- If the safe key gets lost, normally a replacement key can be made. Once the key file is lost it cannot be re-ordered or remade.
- If the combination gets lost you can call in an expert to open the safe for you, if you lose your password no new password can be made.
- Normally the encrypted volume is big and if you accidentally delete it the encrypted volume cannot be restored in most cases. Never ever delete your volume.
For you as a user this means that:
- The advantage of encryption is that it is almost totally impossible for anyone who does not have the correct password and key files to read or copy the data.
- The disadvantage of encryption is that if you have lost your password and or key file that you cannot access (read or copy) your own data.
- Also you will lose some speed, because before you can work on your data the data must be decrypted = made useable.
In any case it is for you to decide whether you are going through the trouble and the risk of encryption. Most people don't use encryption on their computers or laptops. It is just too much trouble.
Most users put a mixture of documents on their computers; some documents or pictures do have any sensitive information, some documents and photos can be very sensitive. It is for you do decide to keep all documents together or the separate them. I recommend not to separate but to store the documents and pictures in folders, which have names that make sense to you.
Windows and most programs put documents by default = standard in the My Documents folder and all pictures in the My Pictures folder.
After a while the amount of documents and pictures becomes so much that it is almost impossible to find the document of picture you want if you have not properly named it. Also your emails are stored at a standard place. You can actually tell your email program where the pace of the emails should be. It is up to you whether you want to encrypt your emails as well. If you do decide to you encryption then I recommend the following:
- Use a free program called TrueCrypt. It is in my opinion one of the best encryption programs that you can get.
Please read the manuals online. Certain mistakes and you will loose your data and you will never ever be able to get your data back. Believe me you will loose any data which is not stored anywhere else.
These mistakes are:
- Losing you key file
- Losing your password
- Accidently deleting the file which has the encrypted volume inside
There are paid and free programs to do that.
Also a thing to consider is the amount of your data and emails, make sure that you will have enough space.
Once you made an encrypted volume you cannot make it bigger in a later stage. If you run out of space you either have to make a second encrypted volume or copy all the data to another place and make a new bigger container. It is the same with a real safe; there is only so much space in a real safe as well. When you start TrueCrypt for the first time the program will ask you to create a volume. A volume is like a virtual = imaginary drive, Windows will see the volume as a drive. As I said please make sure that the volume is big enough for your documents and if you want to emails. I would recommend at least a container of 50 GB to 100 GB. You will also have to choose a drive letter for the volume; I recommend starting with Z.
TrueCrypt gives you the option of creating a hidden TrueCrypt volume or a standard TrueCrypt volume. Unless you really, really have a need for the hidden volume I would not recommend to you this. TrueCrypt calls the need for a hidden volume "Plausible Deniability". Basically this means that if you are forced is some way to open up your TrueCrypt volume there is no way of telling that there is actually a hidden volume within the standard volume.
TrueCrypt recommends just putting files, which have no real value in the standard volume if you make use of a hidden volume.
TrueCrypt volumes open up by using the correct passwords and key files.
For example when your outside volume or virtual drive would be Z in the hidden volume or hidden drive would be Y.
To get to a hidden volume you would first open the standard volume by entering the correct password and key file for the standard volume. Then you mount = go into the standard value. Then you enter a second password and key file and only then the hidden volume opens up.
There is one problem: If you open (mount) the standard volume and you do not open up the hidden volume and you copy data into the standard volume you will damage the hidden volume.
That is why I recommend that you only use standard volumes only.
How to start:
I would recommend you to do the following, mistakes are fatal.
Folder Encryption
- Read the documentation on the website. Make sure you understand the documentation. Mistakes can be fatal for your data.
- Defrag your hard drive.
- Create = make a container with an easy for you to remember name and do not use the standard place, the best location is in the root of the hard drive. Example: C:my-container. where C: means the root (path) and my-container is your easy to remember name.
- Test the encryption. Copy lots of files and documents etc into the hidden volume or virtual drive. Make several folders inside the encryption volume.
- Make sure you have a backup program for example DirSync Pro which is freeware. Make sure that you setup a backup for every single folder in the encrypted volume and make sure that you have the verify option on for every single folder.
- Test your backup and make sure that everything works perfectly. Test many times and make sure encryption and backup work well.
- Close TrueCrypt.
- If you want to defrag your hard drive in the future, defrag the hard drive again and afterwards make sure that all the data is still there by opening the encrypted volume again.
- Only after you are absolutely 100% sure that everything works well and you have read and understood the documentation then you can gradually move your documents and emails into the encrypted volume(s).
- Before moving any data into the encrypted volume make a backup.
- After moving your data make another backup on another hard drive or another USB flash drive. Compare the 2 backups and make sure that they match.
Jan Holtman is the area manager of ITCrimes USA ltd. ITCrimes USA has a unique patented solution combating laptop and computer theft. Even if your laptop is not able to connect to the internet or is disassembled it is still traceable.
Folder Lock