TrueCrypt V7.0    Suggested by Christer Alldén - Updated by webfork on 20 Jul 2010 4MB (uncompressed) - Popularity score (9881) Website - Screenshot - Download - Comments (96) - Post comment - Permalink

Posted comments:

 GY: Note that you need to be an admin on the machine to install TrueCrypt. However, you don't need to be an admin to run it after installation. [2006-04-21 05:13]

 sym: I experienced some problems with TrueCrypt. After a few mounts of my TrueCrypt file, it won't be recognized anymore. TrueCrypt says "Wrong password or not a TrueCrypt Volume". I loose my data every time. This is VERY annoying. [2006-09-20 01:29]

 jjc_uk: Not really portable
Q: Can I use TrueCrypt on Windows if I do not have administrator privileges?

A: Yes, but only after a system administrator installs TrueCrypt on the system (or after he or she gives you administrator privileges). The reason for that is that TrueCrypt needs a device driver to provide transparent on-the-fly encryption/decryption, and users without administrator privileges cannot install/start device drivers in Windows. After a system administrator installs TrueCrypt on the system, users without administrator privileges will be able to run TrueCrypt, mount/dismount any type of TrueCrypt volume, load/save data from/to it, and create file-hosted TrueCrypt volumes on the system. However, users without administrator privileges cannot encrypt/format partitions, cannot create NTFS volumes, cannot install/uninstall TrueCrypt, cannot change passwords/keyfiles for TrueCrypt partitions/devices, cannot backup/restore headers of TrueCrypt partitions/devices, and they cannot run TrueCrypt in 'traveller' mode. [2006-09-20 06:08]

 Andrew Lee: You do need admin privileges to run TrueCrypt in "traveler" mode, but it is portable as you can run it without installation, and it does not write any settings to the registry (well, it writes nothing at all). I will update the synopsis and add this fact. [2006-09-21 06:00]

 a: i have it already installed and it came up with an error so this should be noted:

It is also possible to run 'TrueCrypt.exe' directly from the 'Setup Files'
folder without installation ('traveller' mode). However, if an older version
of TrueCrypt is currently installed on the system, it must be uninstalled
first. [2006-11-12 20:27]

 cvbc: I have truecrypt on all of my computers. Running this unit on traveler mode allows me to encrypt all my files onto a large .tc file on my thumb drive. No one can open it with out my pass. I don't worry about carrying confidential info on my thumb drive anymore. Great program!! [2006-12-31 07:00]

 Iamme: First off using the .tc extension should not be done because than people know what program was used to encrypt it and that gives them a choice of know encryption techniques that are possible along with the possible hashing techniques. I named my file SystemBackup.iso. And no one but me and you now know this. Secondly truecrypts encryption is fine. AES in okay standard. What I find lacking though is it only uses the first 1024 bytes of a file if your using a keyfile.

Now onto peoples problems. First off if some files on the mounted file are still accessing the computer when you dismount it causes problems and can corrupt the program. Secondly Sym check your password. And please tell us what extension the file you where trying to mount was using? [2007-01-15 21:51]

 iohovah: I was hoping to use truecrypt in traveller mode to create a partition and with a handy dandy auto created autorun.inf but for some reason truecrypt keeps telling me that I cannot change the size of my usb drive and will force me to format everything on the drive. making me lose the autoconfig and take up all space on drive?!!? hoping to get this to work don't know why i'm having these problems any help is very appreciated... [2007-02-28 23:59]

 unhappy: Truecrypt has backfired on me like no other. I named the password on my first name just for testing purposes and to get used to it before I gave it a more complex password. Truecrypt worked several times and then after restarting my computer it says incorrect password or not a true crypt volume. I've now lost 8 gb of all of my academic research, archived family photos, and countless other crucial files. I am screwed. [2007-06-05 01:20]

 Webfork: A terrific encryption system that treats a single file as an entire, separate drive that dynamically encrypts data and becomes accessible (via password) or inaccessible at will. TC isn't the only freeware program that does this but its the only open source or portable format I'm aware of.

As user "unhappy" suggests, TrueCrypt is not bulletproof, especially if your hard drive fails (as hard drives do). You should back up your volumes *regularly*. Still, I have been running the program almost daily for years now. I use it to keep my all my Web browser passwords safe by installing a portable Firefox version inside the TrueCrypt volume. Over time, I have added more and more portable programs to avoid typing in multiple passwords. [2007-06-07 20:22]

 Zack: Probably the best encryption program created so far. I have tried a lot and I have created a few of my own. However, nothing comes close to TrueCrypt. The only problem is that you need admin rights to run it on a PC, so it is not handy for use in other computers. [2007-06-29 15:42]

 Zo: The honeymoon is over. This is a great program, but it may have a flaw. I have been using v4.3a for about three weeks and was very happy with it until yesterday when I discovered a sub-directory tree was totally unaccessible as though it did not exist. I realize there are many variables, including hardware and software configurations, but I have moved all my data out of crypts for now. [2007-07-04 06:48]

 Bummer...: I was liking TrueCrypt until it failed on me. I can mount my thumbdrive but when I try to drill down into different directories or copy I get an error. Most of the filenames and directories have been replaced with weird characters... I suppose it is possible that I pulled it out to early even though my copy (according to Windows) was complete. Perhaps TrueCrypt hadn't finsihed encrypting. [2007-09-17 22:58]

 StormChild: Never ever remove a pendrive without clicking on the green arrow icon in the tray first! If it says you can remove your pendrive, then you can, otherwise you must wait... If you switch off your computer while it's working, you may lose lots of data... TrueCrypt is a great utility, it's open source - and it's better than a lot of payware. [2007-10-09 14:36]

 Mash: Try checking "Mount volumes as removable media" to avoid using cache for file transfers into your encrypted volume. This way, you will know exactly when a file has really finished copying. It has worked for me so far. [2007-10-12 10:06]

 Francis: Seems OK - though it is 100% dependant on having administrator rights on the computer you want to use it on - even in "traveller mode", which makes it useless for working in internet cafes, etc [2007-10-20 02:24]

 Banshee: Is it just me? am I the only person that still has a problem with the 'portable' description of this app? You cannot use this program, even in 'traveller' mode without at some point somebody having admin rights on the PC in use setting it up for you. This is unrealistic in a work environment where you do not have admin privs, or the private sector (such as internet cafes) for the same reason. Dekart is the same. Why are they both considered portable??? [2007-11-15 09:50]

 Banshee: Its like someone saying Vista is a portable OS, as long as someone has installed it for you and setup all the applications you like to have on the PC before you use it. [2007-11-15 09:52]

 Banshee: OH and deletes it all when you have finished. [2007-11-15 09:52]

 Andre: Your other option is Rohos Mini Drive - it needs no admin rights:

http://www.rohos.com/free-encryption/

I'm pretty sure all "portbale apps" generate MRUs so their usage can still be traced via reg diagnostics. This is becoming an issue in corporate environments (esp. legal offices) where sys admin guys are trying to curb staff from using their own USB suites (for obvious reasons).

As for policies maybe there just needs to be sub-section here for tools that need Admin Rights.

TC still qualifies IMO as "portable" to large extent when you consider other commercial tools that spray stuff all over your system and then won't uninstall cleanly! [2007-11-16 06:56]

 Andrew Lee: Tried Rohos Mini Drive under Win2K. Seems to require admin rights, and install a device called RHDISK. Has anyone successfully run it without admin rights?  [2007-12-30 06:22]

 Paw: Andrew Lee,
I tried, works.
The RMD install requires Admin rights, then it allows to pre-install it on the USB drive (with all of the files). And this USB drive, with secured partiton can be later used on any PC.
note: ON the PC without Admin priveleges it uses a Disk Browser to work with the secured partition file, but not not truly mounts the partition/container. [2008-01-03 05:32]

 Spindrift: http://www.codeproject.com/KB/files/TCExplorer.aspx

*Solution to lack of Admin Rights*

This is the answer to occasional use of this program on systems without administrator access. It allows you to use a TrueCrypt volume in a similar way to a compressed volume - you can extract individual files and then replace them, all in a portable way (think winzip). It does NOT MOUNT THE VOLUME. This assumes a FAT32 format encrypted partition and obviously the password or key file. It is NOT recommended for regular use nor is it the most secure way of accessing your volumes, but I find it EXTREMELY useful, especially when taking my USB stick to work. [2008-02-05 05:18]

 Parano 67: Since ver. 5.0, it can even encrypt complete system partitions (eg Windows System drive). It asks for password before even booting OS, so you are sure that you leave nothing readable behind you ! [2008-02-14 07:47]

 philipferrar: As a note to those who have lost data using true crypt and any other such program, here's what I do and what I recommend: burn all your important data on DVD in unencrypted form and store in bank safe deposit box. [2008-02-15 06:11]

 IanFromBarrie: Volumes successfully created under truecrypt 5.0a become unreadable if the volume that contains them is subsequently encrypted using Windows built-in encryption. Removing the encryption restores their functionality. This seems a flaw. [2008-02-15 15:14]

 exosect198: Have been using true crypt for years. never have had trouble. However I would like to see a few use option switches. Such a limit on the number of failed password attempts. ie. user could elect to set 1 to 3 fail attempts then a dod wipe happens, or optionally no limit. Maybe even a user option dead man switch. ie. if the user doesn't access the encrypted file or partition in a set number of days then it wipes itself. [2008-02-15 20:33]

 Robert: Can somebody tell me if TrueCrypt will work for me? I would like to encrypt my USB drive and be able to access it at work (no admin rights). Sounds like traveler mode might work. Further, I use SyncBack to sync the files on my hard drive to my USB drive so I believe I would need to encrypt the entire USB drive (versus making a "file"). I would need to carry a second USB drive containing TrueCrypt.exe so I can run it on other computers. Does this sound like a possible solution? [2008-02-27 04:44]

 No TrueCrypt: Come one! Co-m-e o-n! Are you guys so stupid? Its also a remote client with network access from outside. Use your brain - if this is not policesoftware than my name is bummbabummba. Please use portable file packers with encryption.

Alone the feature "cache password and history" says all.

Why do you think the programmers are so anonymous? For fun? Get on with it - its police!

btw.

http://www.hermann-uwe.de/blog/lest-we-remember--cold-boot-attacks-on-encryption-keys

In 5 minutes i have your password if you dont erase cached keys. The most dont do it. [2008-03-04 20:10]

 No TrueCrypt: @philipferrar

I have another idea. Save all your files with a portable file packers and encryption in a USB stick an put this pendrive in a dirty underpants. No police, thief look or any other person touch your pants with shit.

http://peazip.sourceforge.net/

- portable

- Keyfiles

- Keyfilegenerator (entrophy evaluation 4096 bits)

- Object control Hash = Whirpool (512 bit)
- Volume control Hash = Whirlpool (512 bit)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whirlpool_%28cryptography%29

- streamcipher with One-key_MAC AES 256 Rijndael

http://www.nuee.nagoya-u.ac.jp/labs/tiwata/omac/omac.html

---

FreeARC

http://freearc.org/

- AES/Blowfish/Twofish/Serpent encryption

- keyfiles support

- ability to chain multiple ciphers

good luck kids with all your porn that parents should not see! [2008-03-04 20:49]

 Lucian: try running an encrypted linux OS from CD rom to access truecrypt on the thumbdrive [2008-03-10 23:49]

 linuxamp: I can't believe how fast this development team fixed ALL the major issues in 5.0 and 5.0a in this 5.1 release. Truly amazing. They even found workarounds for issues that were not even their fault (like the Adobe activation issues).

For those who say this is policeware:

1) Use a leak detector like ZoneAlarm or capture packets with Wireshark, you'll see that this application does not "phone home" or "act as a server"
2) The application is open source and you can choose to compile it yourself instead of downloading binaries. Check the TC forums and you'll notice that a lot of users are reviewing the source code. If there was some back door it would be found VERY fast.

And to the guy talking about the cold boot attack, if you actually researched the topic you'd see that it's easy to thwart this attack by simply waiting a minute after powering off your computer. At room temperature RAM discharges in a few seconds. Talking about the issue like it's a reasonable attack is simply fear mongering. [2008-03-13 19:04]

 SteveIT: Awesome program. Been using it for many years now on 4 different machines without any problem whatsoever. Awesome. Many thanks to the author(s). [2008-03-17 06:30]

 Pissed off: I encrypted an entire drive using truecrypt.. using a password that I always use. today I go to use the drive and it says password incorrect or not a truecrypt volume. How in the fuck is it going to all of the sudden stop working? It did this to both of my external drives simultaneously. Luckily I had backed up the header on the first drive and restored it and all is well.. but the other drive I cannot access... anybody know how I can maybe fix it? I have family photos and music stored on it. Also any idea how it just stopped accepting my password? Both fucking drives did that at the same time! The other drive uses the exact same password as this one. [2008-03-26 09:45]

 Chirs Franklin: @Pissed off

If you created your "recovery" CD for Truecrypt (see http://www.truecrypt.org/docs/) AND you cleanly dismounted the drives last time you used them. Then alls you need to load and and enter your password. It will and does always open the drive if it's just the "issue" you are describing (even if you've changed the password to something new it will still open it with the old password used when the recuse disk was created.)

I beleave all users have this these issues should have a look at this: http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/bugs.html as I be leave it applies to all of you.

PS. I've been using truecrypt since version 3.1 and I've only had too 3 issues. One was when I just pulled out the drive with out dismounting. and the other was when windows crashed corrupted the data. and third was well I had a flash drive go bad.

@iohovah

if the drive in question is a flash(thumb) drive then no way under windows you can partition the drive. And if you partition the drive under something else. Then windows will still only allow access to the 1st partition on the device regardless. This is because windows treats flash drives as basically CDRWs. Don't know why they did this but that MS for you.

Side note: the U3 drive over come this by making a virtual CDrom drive out some of the storage (this is also how they get it to run the autorun on insert. as autoruns by default do not run from floppy,HDs (including thumb drives) or net work drives.) [2008-03-26 22:42]

 Terry: Don't touch this software without backups! It has the property that, if you have a backup, it never fails. It is only those who do not have a backup that encounter problems.

[That's not true, but if you act as if it were, you'll be much better off.]

Any on-the-fly encryption program that makes files accessible as if they were on a separate drive requires that an admin install a driver. Rohas lets you access the encrypted files through their own explorer, but to actually do anything with the file you must decrypt it into a regular windows folder; once you are done with it, you must encrypt it back again into the container (if it changed), and securely delete it from the windows folder.

In other words, you have emergency access to your files in a non-secure way. This is not the same as "working without admin rights". [2008-03-31 06:28]

 t3: @Chirs F

You most certainly CAN partition SOME brands/models of thumb drive but NOT MOST. Lexar Jump Drive Secure can be partitioned & TC makes the perfect replacement for JDS' encryption software! [2008-04-02 18:20]

 SK: It runs on linux: (Ubuntu and Suse packages are provided at the homepage) [2008-04-07 11:16]

 dr bhatia: I am surprised to see that NO ONE here has mentioned about FreeOTFE.
I have used it for YEARS. it is on the fly, just like Truecrypt. NO ADMIN RIGHTS required in portable mode. I use it all the time. VERY stable. Has support for linux volumes like LUKS.
Why i migrated to truecrypt? Well, FreeOTFE is Windows ONLY. And I use Linux now; hence the shift. Hope truecrypt justifies it. [2008-05-06 02:05]

 Harry Huyler: ==Why do some say “ you need to admin rights to run it”
--QUESTION— What do you think is causing this with those people?
=Another states “ After a few mounts of my TrueCrypt file, it won't be recognized anymore …"Wrong password “
--QUESTION— What are your thoughts about this?
==Developer of TC ?? states
“ … After a system administrator installs TrueCrypt on the system, users without administrator privileges will be able to run TrueCrypt, mount/dismount any type of TrueCrypt volume, load/save data from/to it, and create file-hosted TrueCrypt volumes on the system. … and they cannot run TrueCrypt in 'traveller' mode. [2006-09-20 06:08]
== Andrew Lee: You do need admin privileges to run TrueCrypt in "traveler" mode, but it is portable as you can run it without installation, and it does not write any settings to the registry (well, it writes nothing at all). I will update the synopsis and add this fact. [2006-09-21 06:00]
--QUESTION— Does this mean that I can use TC on a key/Flash drive to store and use files, with no problems, unless I create the problem?
== unhappy: Truecrypt has backfired on me like no other. … the password … Truecrypt worked several times and then … it says incorrect password or not a true crypt volume.
--QUESTION—What is causing the problem with passwords ??
== Bummer...: … I can mount my thumbdrive but when I try to drill down into different directories or copy I get an error.
--QUESTION—What is causing this problem ?? [2008-06-08 14:30]

 Harry Huyler: Would the developer of TrueCrypt "try" to layman-understandable explanations to the "failings" noted in the various comments submitted. That is (10 Password fails after a few uses (2) Can't drill down to all folders (3) Some files are garbled when opened. MY COMMENT -- if all of this is caused by the Key/Flash drive being removed prematurally -- that I can understand. [2008-06-08 14:35]

 jnemo2004: I used this program two years w/o problems. The only problem is when you disconect the USB w/o to clic the green arrow. Another problem is the external Hard Disk drive, not frecuently of course, but at least two times the MBR was corrupted and therefore the truecrypt file was damaged.If you disconect properly the USB drives, then no problems. [2008-06-24 12:32]

 pipetman: What is actually the difference in just extracting TrueCrypt from the install file and running in traveler mode?

Traveler mode is not stealth as stated on the TC website and also requires previous installation of a system driver. So why not run from the plain extracted files to begin with? [2008-07-09 12:56]

 encrypter: I created a TrueCrypt container on a USB flash drive and also encrypted an entire portable hard drive. Both were done via a machine that runs Vista. When I try to mount either of these on another machine that runs XP, I get the error message "Incorrect password or not a TrueCrypt volume." I can readily mount both of them on the original Vista machine. Any idea what's going on? [2008-08-21 07:27]

 PISSED OFF USER: Im having the same issues here with other people. one day i goto mount the container and it says that my password isn't the right one. THIS IS A FUCKING BUG, I DONT CARE WHAT ANY OF YOU SAY!!!!!!! 600GB OF FUCKING USELESS DATA CONTAINERS!!!!!!! 3rd TIME ITS FUCKING DONE THIS TO ME!!!!!!!! THE DEVELOPERS SHOULD EITHER FIX OR GET THE FUCK OFF OUR INTERNETS!!!!!!!!!!!! [2008-08-26 15:44]

 Vlad the Impaler: Same issue. For ll my truecrypt files I get the error message "Incorrect password or not a TrueCrypt volume". Luckily I was very conservative with the amount of data I encrypted, but this seriously annoys me. Anyone has an answer as to why this happens? I run TC from a thumb drive in traveler mode.
If this IS indeed a bug, I'd like to see the developers address this as soon as possible, even if it is a freeware product. [2008-08-31 10:01]

 Darkness: People who had this problem with the "incorrect password or not a truecrypt volume" - i had the same problem, and i thought all my data is lost...
Then i tried few thing with the tool, and it HELPED!!!
I started the truecrypt, chosen the volume and then i've clicked "Volume Tools -> Restore Volume Header". In the window i've chosen the first option, the tool said "done etc." and then IT WORKED! Try it, maybe it will help you too... [2008-09-16 07:19]

 SomeOne_: @Darkness :=
Thanks friend i tried your suggestion and it worked fine...thanks again
...If you too get the same error : "incorrect password or not truecrypt volume" try the method suggested by darkness it worked for me. [2008-09-16 10:11]

 cbm: I have been using TC for a long time, both linux and windows version.
For a problem not related to TC I had to delete the TC partition I had and stopped using the program for few months.
Now I came back to creating a volume (which is done flawlessly), but I cannot mount it anymore. Truecrypt just sits there after password request and cannot mount anything. No error messagges. And Windows cannot kill the process too (I have admin right on the machine). Ideas ? [2008-09-19 06:15]

 tc user: to all the lusers out there having "incorrect passwords or not truecrypt volume" error message, Read The Fucking Manual!!!!

truecrypt is perfect and flawless. the reason you are having problems with it is because you never RTFM! if you can't RTFM go fuck your selves and get off our internets too! [2008-10-02 08:50]

 50/50: tc user: quite possibly the most pointless response ever. Some of us (myself) have read "the fu@king manual" as you so childishly put it and are experienced users.
For whatever reason after 7 or 8 flawless installs I also get the "incorrect password or not a true crypt volume" error and nothing, no matter how much I read, has fixed it. [2008-10-06 15:08]

 FK: Had the same problem and is probably caused by Windows XP. I normally first dismount a Truecrypt Volume before shutting down. Sometimes I forget, sometimes Truecrypt asks for a forced dismount because the volume is in use (Windows). After the last time a forced dismount had to be done, at least that's my conclusion now, I could not mount the volume anymore, resulting in what CBM mentioned.
I upgrade from version 5 to 6 with no result. Tried to restore the header resulting in wrong password.
Here's the trick. Mounting the volume as a removable media gave me access again. The only flaw up till now is that I can't mount it normally anymore. If I do Truecrypt hangs and cpu usage goes to 100%.
Apparently some Windows traces are left, e.g. System Volume Information, referring to things that are not there anymore.
If this is the case it should be possible to mount the volume from within Mac or Linux. Had no time to try this. [2008-10-19 00:51]

 Sheldon: Here`s a trick that helps when TC won´t open a volume and just freezes/ Windows won´t let you even shut TC down.
Hard reset your computer. Open TC, make a new volume, say 10mb is enough, then try to open the old volume that would freeze your system. Works mostly.
If it doesn´t - restore the header either from inside the volume (can take ages...) or from a backup you should have.

I ran into this problem quite often already. But up til now absolutely no volume that died completely on me [2008-11-04 05:02]

 sveris: I installed FreeOTFE on a 128 MB USB flashdrive, and now its capacity is shown as only 4.98 MB. Did I do something wrong? [2009-01-25 12:55]

 Thund3rstruck: @sym:

Same thing. I'm done with TrueCrypt's garbage. Yet again, after a few months suddenly TrueCrypt will no longer mount and reports the "Incorrect Password or Not a TrueCrypt Volume" message. All data is lost. The last time this happened I thought I was responsible but now it's clear that it is TrueCrypt. [2009-02-09 11:47]

 RLukens: I had the typical perfect operation for a six months and suddenly got the "Incorrect Password or Not a TrueCrypt Volume" message. I was using a non installed version of Truecrypt. I installed Truecrypt in windows xp in program files like any installed program and it worked perfectly, thank god. Hope it helps some of you. [2009-02-19 15:35]

 Stefano: Hello,

this also happened to me, but only when I created a volume with Truecrypt Version X and tried to mount it with Version Y.

I installed the same version of TC on every computer I use and everything works now.
I hope this helps.

S. [2009-02-23 04:06]

 Hugh H.: A good program, but a little slow in the initial encryption! I setup a 200GB drive on a new server for "secure" data -- it took 10 hours to format it! [2009-03-24 10:54]

 georgina: i lost everything... i installed truecrypt today, password still fresh in my mind. i encrypted a 50gb section of my laptop drive, and transferred almost all my files to that section thinking if someone stole my stuff they wouldn't get my files, then i used all-way to backup all that data back to the backup drive i initially got it from. something went wrong, all-way not responding. i rebooted computer. now i can't access files using truecrypt, and my backup drive is fried, i can't access it. i lost 30gb worth of stuff including files going back years. no more true crypt for me. [2009-04-26 20:57]

 aaron in oregon: It worked fine last night. I mounted / dismounted the volume on my external drive, was satisfied, then reinstalled my OS. Now, sure as shit, it won't mount, giving me that same "incorrect password.."etc. bullshit. Volume restore tool doesn't work either. I'm so damm pissed. [2009-05-05 19:12]

 tooserr: just lost a few gigs of family photos... Wrong password or not a TrueCrypt Volume... thanks TC.. and by the way, freeware or not, you screwing people, so fix the fucking program or dont offer it at all. FUCK!!!! [2009-05-10 00:07]

 GT: It's clear that there are a BUNCH of users who do what I used to do - flail away with a piece of software in a relatively informed but somewhat ad-hoc manner, fail to observe sensible shutdown protocols, and then get mad as hell when, down the line, things go sour.

Not for nothin' but why do people want to encrypt family photos? Academic data I can understand (some such stuff can have commercial sensitivity), but unless your family snaps were taken at a training camp in Indonesia, it's not clear to me that those snaps need an encrypted volume. And - still on the family snaps - why would you not have a BACKUP?

My 'radical' eponymous cyberlife takes itself places that I do not want to be traced back to me or those around me. So TC is used as part of the 'compartmentalisation' mechanism, to store the data layer of 'that other life' (with appropriate 'deniability' layers), as well as to house some highly-specific apps... and 'that other life' runs its internet connection only within an OTF-encrypted space, through a range of mixes, and houses a lot of stuff on freenet.

My encrypted USB keys get used A LOT, and they (and TC) have never let me down in a non-recoverable way. And that is despite my tendency to start using a piece of software before I've RTFM.

If you rely on TC for encryption but don't observe sensible data-recoverability protocols, then you can't go crying to Teacher when things go 'boo-boo'.

There is no 'phone home' garbage - no packet leaves my box without me knowing about it, and folks I trust have gone over the source.

Good app. Be careful though - some places with police states (the US, France, Australia) merely having a volume that the government knows exists but can't decrypt, is a crime. (Anyone who says 'First Amendment' is a fucktard - politicians don't give a fuck about your silly 'rights', which is why you need people like 'that other life' going around doing the hard yards).


Caedite Eos.


GT [2009-05-30 16:43]

 Jen Eric: Dear "PISSED OFF USER":
Re. your [2008-08-26 15:44] posting.

Please see any Readers Digest issue for the column on improving you vocabulary. [2009-06-06 10:34]

 T. Hamm: I run portable software from a TC volume daily and have for a couple years. I have never lost a volume. I suspect it is because I am meticulous in my shutdown. Before suspending, hibernating, rebooting, shutdown or drive ejection, I do this: stop ALL software running from the vol; dismount the vol properly (never force); exit TC. :shrug: [2009-06-09 15:28]

 H. Jens: Doesn't work - can corrupt data and needs administrator rights, so NOT PORTABLE. [2009-07-27 13:00]

 Data corruption: I've done everything by the book - followed the instructions exactly, but have had repeated data corruption while using truecrypt.

It seems intermittant - which is probably why some people here haven't had problems with it.

FreeOTFE on the other hand seems rock solid - and doesn't need administrator rights (unlike truecrypt) when used portably [2009-07-27 20:10]

 grinder: I "installed" it on hard drives of several computers and created ~200MB containers. Everything worked fine for a few days and then - incorrect password (not on the same day on every machine, and on one it happened after the first reboot). I've wrote passwords down to paper (just to be sure), always dismouented container and read the manual thoroughly. Therefore I can only conclude that for now it is better to avoid this program and hope somewhere in the future it'll be solved. [2009-08-07 13:58]

 My Name: My kerio personal firewall detects a "phone home" to 64.18.25.38 Baltimore technologies when clicking the Truecrypt setup 6.2a setup exe. [2009-08-21 18:49]

 My Name: Rohos mini drive does the same thing to the same place... [2009-08-22 17:32]

 joyneski: I've been using TC happily for over a year to encrypt a small volume containing personal financial info. In the last couple of weeks, however, I've started getting the 'Volume contains files or folders being used by applications or system. Force dismount?' message nearly every time I try to dismount the volume. I shut down and disconnect all other programs and drives but still get the message and have to do a force dismount. So far I haven't had any problems re-opening the volume but am quite concerned about starting to have to do a force dismount.

I'm guessing I've installed something that has had this effect. Is it possible to find out which application/system utility is using the volume? (BTW, I've tried a system restore to no effect. I'm using XP Pro on a 2GB/2Ghz Dell Inspiron 1525 if that helps.) [2009-09-26 12:13]

 david gunnells: joyneski: you can use Unlocker to see what has a lock on your drive and to unlock it. http://ccollomb.free.fr/unlocker/

After installing unlocker, right-click the drive and run unlocker on it. [2009-10-07 03:12]

 joyneski: Thanks David. I did install Unlocker after seeing it referenced somewhere else on the forum, but it's remained mysteriously silent when I get the force dismount message (it has flagged up messages in other circumstances so it does seem to be working).

I haven't had any problems re-opening the volumes so I'm trusting it's just a minor glitch, but have made back-ups just in case! Thanks again for the suggestion. [2009-10-08 16:33]

 Paww: Some news about Disk Browsers progress: recently rohoz released next version of their disk browser that allows to double click any file to open it and save it back as normal. this is called File Virtualization:
http://www.rohos.com/2009/10/on-the-fly-encryption-without-admin-rights/

Looks like its working. I think its a big progress. [2009-10-24 18:07]

 stu: on my 4g usb drive i use a 2g encrypted file with portable thunderbird, putty config etc etc and i named this file with my mobile phone number in the hope that rather than losing this stuff, someone may even phone me to return it!
I use VMs alot too and always encrypt a vmdk. [2009-12-09 11:05]

 IMyst: "Bummer...: I was liking TrueCrypt until it failed on me. I can mount my thumbdrive but when I try to drill down into different directories or copy I get an error. Most of the filenames and directories have been replaced with weird characters..."

___________

I suspect your problem is a FAKE thumbdrive... CLASSIC SYMPTOM: CORRUPTS MOST DATA OVER TWO NESTED FOLDERS DEEP!!!

Search for freeware "H2TESTW" to test your thumbdrives and/or flash memory. Fantastic and no surprises!

Sorry 'bout your thumbdrive, but at least you'll know how to test reliably (rather than just look at the reported size onscreen) when you buy others. Good luck. [2010-01-01 03:18]

 Deepak: Can i burn the encrypted container onto a dvd, so will there be a problem with the headers going corrupted or wrong password and similar problems..? [2010-01-30 13:39]

 GeekKnowHow: It is possible to do without admin rights or having the software installed on the PC. You just need to create a shortcut with elevated rights that points to the encrypted container on the USB. Check out this link for all the details:-

http://geekknowhow.com/page_1264859152229.html [2010-01-30 21:28]

 Sad User: I had 1tb external with a 800gig encrypted volume on it. I was enjoying the use of truecrypt until after not using the drive for about 2 weeks, i plugged the external back in to discover the volume now had a size of 0..

the volume is still there, can still attempt to mount it though the problem "Incorrect Volume Size" comes up.

I have just lost all my data, for no understandable reason.

I will not be using this program again [2010-02-06 00:54]

 New User: I think I added a standard volume to my c: drive but forgot the file I put it in. I only have 200 G data but using almost all of my 500G hard drive. Any Idea how to find and delete the volume so I can start over. PS - Never drink and use this program :) [2010-02-13 17:52]

 Lyx: Using this for about 4 years now daily (90% of my data and apps are on TC filecontainers) and never had a problem with it. The only thing about it which annoys me is that it doesn't save the "favorite volumes" with relative paths (not even if they're in the truecrypt dir).

As for all the whiners: You can blame - in case of actual TC bugs - losing a few weeks worth of data, but not more. If you're not backuping your data onto a SEPERATE DRIVE, then you're have only your own fucking braindead stupidity to blame, and actually deserve what you experienced. You'd be more benefical to this portal if you'd either educate yourself and take responsibility or stop using computers. If at this point you still didn't get it: Your data on your primary HDD is NEVER EVER safe! Anything could happen anytime, so organize your computing by actually expecting that it will happen. [2010-02-15 08:41]

 Lyx: @New user:
You could find the file simply by searching for large files on C: (if you made a large tc volume). [2010-02-15 09:13]

 So far So GOOD <*((O{]: I use the full disk encryption, and for files I want to back up, I use 7Zip to encrypt them and back files up with that. So if what you are saying that when it does fail I will have a encrypted back up using a differant program. Storage is so cheep now there is no reason you shouldn't have a copy of everything. My 90 day "free trial period" on the pay software is up so it is time to format and reload anyway :) Happy Crypting

ps. If you use this program on a removable disk then you are asking for trouble... You have to dismount the drive before pulling out the usb to your hard drive. Someone could bump it and unplug it. oops there goes that data. If you use this, use it on a hard drive in your computer that can't be accidentaly dismounted. [2010-03-05 22:35]

 silver: Truecrypt: error incorrect volume size. Data lost forever?
Size shouldn't have more power over my data than me! [2010-03-07 05:52]

 Quaro: To the users that trust TrueCrypt faithfully: Congratulations on using this open source software.
To the rest of us that need portable encryption software that ALWAYS works(!):

SafeHouse Explorer 3.01 (For storage of files only)
KeePass 1.17 (For storage of all passwords and generation of uber secure passwords)
dsCrypt 1.1 (Ultra small Rijndael encryption software, completely self-contained in one program)
Drag'n'Crypt ULTRA 2.3.2 (Portable Twofish encryption software package)
Blowfish Advanced CS 2.57 (Portable encryption software package. Blowfish, CAST, RC4, Serpent, Rijndael, 3DES, Twofish algorithms)
File Encryption 2.1 (Self-contained encryption program. Blowfish, Twofish, CAST256, ICE, MARS, MISTY1, RC2, RC4, RC6, Rijndael, TEA, Serpent, 3DES algorithms)
Omziff 3.3 (Self-contained encryption program. Password generator. File shredder. File splitter. Hash (Havel, RipeMD-160, SHA1) generator. Blowfish, CAST128, GOST, ISEA, MISTY1, Rijndael, Twofish algorithms)
7zip Portable v4.65 release 2 (Compression software. 7zip and ZIP has AES-256 encryption option)

ALL of these programs are portable! I have used all of them to secure my unpublished novels without fail or the need to backup! Yes, I know some dim bulb or brain donor will not agree with me. But I know what works for me.

TrueCrypt (any version) does not work for me. PERIOD [2010-03-16 20:55]

 Update Description Please!: This has an outdated description. Certain algorithms are listed on the description, but are no longer available. [2010-03-16 21:31]

 afterlookingitup: Reading the Wikipedia article on TrueCrypt convinced me to not use that software, as the coders go a great length to hide who they are (and why? this is a great piece of software - on its face that is). And they do not seem to be very open about the code, to the point that TrueCrypt does not qualify as truly free. [2010-04-30 16:03]

 truecrypt disk mounting broken: I created encrypted volumes on 2 different PCs (one XP and one Win 7) and the password for the volumes stops working after a few mounts. Luckily I didnt delete the data i had placed in the encrypted volumes.

Also was unable to encrypt USB external drive from windows 7, truecrypt kept popping up with "file not found" during the encryption and had to click resume every 5 minutes.

In it's current configuration, it's WAY too risky to trust any data to truecrypt that is not backed up somewhere else in a format that doesnt rely on truecrypt to access it. Truecrypt is good for testing only.

Ive been using PGP to mount disks for several years with no data loss, but pgp too expensive [2010-05-03 14:50]

 truecrypt disk mounting broken: my last post regarding passswords not working was user error, i was using "auto mount devices" instead of "mount" when mounting disk volume from file. using mount allowed me to unencrypt the file. [2010-05-03 17:56]

 Maounique: I have been using TC from around version 4. I dont use on flash storage but with HDDs both internal and external, i almost always encrypt all partition/device, even using with hidden OS on VMWare machines (I know the problems and mitigate them) I am making volumes on linux and windows, i mount them on both OSes, I make 21+ chars passes and it did occur to me to forget one once but after a few days of trials I did remember it.
TC never failed on me, I did have the problem of not being able to dismount because a program was still accessing it, but that traced to malware running on the machine, so from then on I have on the portable drive own OS to boot from there, together with antivirus and other tools, it does not take much space and external 500 GB drives are very cheap these days.
This is deffinitelly not the software to toy with, you can very easily compromise your password and data and then it gives you a false sense of safety, you need to know a lot in order to afford to keep files that would potentially put you in jail, but i think the police in police states does not really need or care for proof anyway, not to mention gangs and such, TC does not defend you from those, just makes sure they cant read your files unless you tell them the pass, which is very hard not to do under torture. So, IF those files would compromise your friends too, IF you know a lot about encryption and possible attack ways, IF you are sure you will be able to hold on the (good) password under torture, then TC does serve it's purpose, otherwise it is just to encrypt your phonebook so your spouse does not manage to find the list of your dates if you dont have calls listed on your phone bill.
Before using TC think why it is needed, if you reach the conclusion it is, make sure you have copies of data in another TC volume, dont put it on flash devices, unmount cleanly, dont use on computers you dont control fully unless you can boot from TC volumes, and even then beware of networks which can be sniffed and cameras recording your keystrokes, if you REALLY need it, then it is paramount to know how to use it and not to compromise your data.
M [2010-05-05 11:21]

 Maounique: BTW, did i mention the traps of wireless keyboards, modified ones that have keyloggers, so, even if you boot your own os, the attacker may still get your password if you are using their machine, or one that they control. There are even other methods, more elaborate ones, but i dont go into details. Encryption is allowed now, because the police state does have the means to get to your files, it just cost them a bit more time and resources. Be very careful and know your enemy.
M [2010-05-05 11:28]

 Oliv555: Avoid SafeHouse Explorer 3.01. Not only does it add entries to the Registry of every machine you plug your USB into, it also copies each file you work on into a Temp folder on that machine (if you do not install the performance enhancements), and may leave that file there when you remove your USB. When I checked the Temp folder on a machine I tested this on, I found a number of my private files had been 'left-behind'. Great! [2010-07-01 11:16]

 Silver: @ Oliv555

There is actually an option that allows you to wipe the temp files that were created when you quit SafeHouse Explorer using government approved wiping methods. Of course, I don't know why they don't have that turned on as a default. [2010-07-20 15:02]

 Quaro: Thank you, Silver, for defending the truth. Shame on you, Oliv555, for dissing good software. Until the creators of Truecrypt remove the unacceptable feature of writing ANYTHING to the registry or needing administrators rights, I will avoid Truecrypt, FreeOTFE Explorer or any another 'virtual disk' portable software. SafeHouse Explorer 3.01 may be difficult to use for some noobs, but it works for me! [2010-07-20 15:22]

 Quaro: On second thoughts... FreeOTFE or FreeOTFE Explorer are actually a LOT better than SafeHouse Explorer. They have more functionality and, unlike SafeHouse, is completely free! They're both better than Truecrypt though, because of its stupid requirement that you have to be the administrator on any computer you want to use [2010-08-13 12:59]

 anonymous: law enforcement agencies probabbly have a cracking tool for truecrypt so if a pedophile decided to hide his child porography using truecrypt the could crack the code and use it to put him in jail. also there may or may not be a publicly available version that can crack truecrypt volumes [2010-08-22 05:30]

 Heavy metal: @anonymous

Truecrypt is open-source, so if there was any backdoors into the program i guess someone would have found it by now. And no, not even FBI can crack truecrypt.

Source
http://news.techworld.com/security/3228701/fbi-hackers-fail-to-crack-truecrypt/

To add to the discussion above; i had been using truecrypt for about 4 months when it suddenly ceased to work. Got the "invalid password or not a truecrypt volume" error when i tried to open my computer. I had written down the password as well as created the rescue disc, but that didnt help me.

Seems the program is a bit unreliable so that you always need an unencrypted backup, but what is the point to encrypt the computer if you have an unencrypted copy of it in the same room? [2010-08-27 16:52]

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All HTML tags will be removed from your comment. URLs (http, https, ftp) will be automatically detected and hyperlinked. I reserve the right to delete irrelevant, frivolous or offensive comments. For more general topics (eg. whether apps that write to the registry, leave traces on the host machine, rely on certain versions of IE etc. can be considered portable), please post to the Portable Freeware Discussion forum. If your virus scanner has detected a virus in the application, please email the author directly or post to the forum. Note that false positives (i.e. flagging a virus when there is actually none) are extremely common for virus scanners. When in doubt, try an online scanner like Online Malware Scanner or VirusTotal, which scans files using multiple anti-virus engines. It is very likely to be a false positive if only a few engines raise the red flag.