Use Encryption
Encryption can help protect the privacy of information
you carry on a portable drive if the drive is lost or stolen. A FREE application
called "TrueCrypt" can be used to encrypt files stored
on a portable (or other) drive. TrueCrypt can be installed on and run directly
from your portable drive. Use TrueCrypt to create an "encrypted volume" on your
portable drive. Think of an encrypted volume as a container. Copy the files you
want to protect into the encrypted volume (container). Anything stored within an
encrypted volume is encrypted and protected by a password from unauthorized access.
An encrypted volume appears as a single file on your portable drive.
You can install the entire PortableApps Suite into an encrypted volume on your
portable drive. Encrypting the entire Portable Apps installation protects any
important files, Internet browser bookmarks, cookies, saved passwords, contacts,
e-mail addresses and account configuration information. Did you install and configure
the Thunderbird e-mail client? If your portable drive were lost or stolen a malicious
individual could read your e-mail or send e-mail pretending to be you. Installing
the PortableApps Suite into an encrypted volume would offer protection from this
type of threat.
Here is a quick tutorial that covers how to install and run the PortableApps
Suite from within an encrypted volume.
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Download and install a FREE copy of TrueCrypt
on your computer.
Read my tutorial
to get you started using TrueCrypt.
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Download a Free copy of the
PortableApps Suite.
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Create a TrueCrypt volume and copy it to your portable drive. The size of the
volume you create will depend on which installation of the PortableApps Suite you
choose and how much you intend to store on your drive. In my current installation
I use a 512 MB thumb/flash drive. I created a 450 MB encrypted volume. I leave a
small amount of the drive (62 MB) free to temporarily store things I don't feel
need to be encrypted. I install the "Base" edition and then install the apps I
want individually.
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Use TrueCrypt's "Traveller Disk Setup" to install TrueCrypt on your portable drive.
With TrueCrypt open click "Tools" then "Traveller Disk Setup".
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Under "File Settings" click the "Browse" button and navigate to your portable
drive, select it, then click the "OK" button. The box should now contain a letter
followed by a colon then a backslash for example, E:\ The letter will be the drive
letter currently assigned to your portable drive.
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Click to select the radio button next to "Auto-mount TrueCrypt volume". This will
automatically start TrueCrypt, "mount" (make the encrypted volume available to you)
and assign a drive letter to the encrypted volume. This will allow you to access
the encrypted volume/drive and start the PortableApps Suite. NOTE: An "autorun"
file will be created that will start TrueCrypt automatically when you insert your
USB drive into a computer. This will only work if Windows XP (SP2) or Vista is
installed on the computer. If you have Windows 2000 or earlier versions of windows
you can start TrueCrypt by clicking on the file "TrueCrypt.exe" in your portable
drive. You must have "Administrator" level access to the computer for TrueCrypt
to automatically start when you insert/plugin your portable drive. If you don't know
what I mean by "Administrator" access and this is a home computer TrueCrypt should
automatically start for you.
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Under the heading "Mount Settings" click the "Browse" button and navigate to the
encrypted volume you copied to your portable drive (earlier in this tutorial).
Click your encrypted volume file to highlight it. Click the "Open" button at the
bottom right hand side of the window.
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Click the "Create" button at the bottom of the dialog box. Wait a few seconds
while TrueCrypt is installed and configured on your portable drive. A popup will
inform you that the "TrueCrypt Traveller Disk has been successfully created".
Click "OK" then "Close".
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Safely unplug/remove your portable drive. Double left click the "Safely Remove
Hardware" icon in the "system tray" (bottom right corner of your computer screen).
Click the "Stop" button, select your portable drive, click "OK" then the "Close"
button.
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Test the new installation of TrueCrypt by inserting/plugging your portable drive
in to your computer. TrueCrypt should open/run and a dialog box should appear
asking for the password to your TrueCrypt volume. Enter your password to "mount"
the encrypted volume/drive.
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Install the PortableApps Suite into your mounted encrypted volume. NOTE: A drive
letter is assigned to your portable drive and a different drive letter is assigned
to your encrypted volume once it is mounted. Make sure you install the PortableApps
Suite into the encrypted volume by choosing the correct drive letter assigned to
it. The portable drive should be listed as a "Removable Disk" in "My Computer"
under the "Devices with Removable Storage" heading (Windows XP).
You can start/run the PortableApps Suite by opening your encrypted volume then
double clicking the StartPortableApps.exe file or icon. You can access your encrypted
volume through "My Computer" or by clicking the TrueCrypt icon in your system tray
(bottom right corner of your screen next to the clock). Double click the drive
letter/icon to open the encrypted volume. The encrypted volume/drive will be
listed as an additional hard disk drive in "My Computer" (even though it is not),
assigned a letter and labeled "Local Disk".
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