Protecting important files on laptop - any NEW ideas?

buglawton

I already use Truecrypt to protect info on my USB stick,

Now looking at doing something about protecting everything in the My Documents folder of the laptop.

So far I have rejected the idea of using Whole Disk Encryption of the whole C drive because:

- Might be difficult to recover the machine, can't do Safe Mode boot? Can't use a recovery disk to save files if the machine crashes completely?

- The whole disk process is a bit risky, isn't it? Might crash the machine irrecoverably while doing it.

Also, so far, avoided creating a 'container' for My Docs folders etc because:

- If I delete a file from here, would not an unencrypted version get placed in the Recycle Bin?

- Nuisance to have to 'mount' the container driver all the time and yet another driver letter to fiddle with.

- Fixed storage space is wasteful of disk space.

Has anyone already 'been there, done that' around this subject?

What I imagine is some software that once installed, pops up a prompt the first time in the day one access anything in My Documents. After entering a password, the contents of this folder are now transparently available for a time limit of e.g. 2 hours or until the computer is put in standby.

The same software also steps in to ensure that anything sent to Recycle Bin needs the same password to unlock it.

Does thus imaginary product exist or is the idea itself full of holes?

sunshine54

i use cryptainer http://www.cypherix.co.uk/cryptainerle/
password protected and deletions don't go to recycle bin

closed

When you do TC full disk encryption, you are forced to create a rescue disk, which works around all your concerns.

http://www.truecrypt.org/docs/rescue-disk

Safe mode works when the system drive is encrypted, because the software loads from track1 before windows starts.

Backup before your start (disk image), encrypt it, and backup regularly, and you should be fine.

buglawton

OK so Safe Mode simply requires password entry of TC created password like normal boot-up?

robt_2

buglawton wrote: »

OK so Safe Mode simply requires password entry of TC created password like normal boot-up?

Yes. You put your TrueCrypt password in before ANYTHING to do with your operating system loads.

Aiadi

How would an image of Drive C and MBR restored by (Acronis TrueImage) fit into the equation? My guess is that it will mess up the system boot completely. Can someone shed any light?

buglawton

Since I first posted here I've been Googling the topic some.

I know that other forums have highlighted incompatibilities with things like Trueimage.

Further, if like me you like to put your computer into Standby several times per day, there are lots of hints in the forums that Truecrypt can't handle it and your machine must be either completely closed down or fully switched on.

I am assuming that Windows 7 will have been designed from the ground up to encrypt the whole disk and allow all the standby/sleep/resume functionality to happen just fine so maybe that's the long term fix. Plus, things like Trueimage will have to be written to work along with W7 too.