We are often asked about computer encryption. Some common questions are:
What encryption should I use on a Windows computer?
We are often asked about computer encryption. Some common questions are:
What encryption should I use on a Windows computer?
It depends which version of Windows you are using.
- For Windows 8.1 use bitlocker – this is included with all versions of Windows 8.1. There is a rumour that all Windows 8.1 computers are already automatically encrypted. That is not true as mine is not, but I can enable it. Unfortunately, though it is included in all versions it can’t always be used in the basic version because Microsoft have set some strict minimum requirements for it (see http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/10/windows-8-1-includes-seamless-automatic-disk-encryption-if-your-pc-supports-it/). So if you can’t use bitlocker your best option is to upgrade to windows 8.1 pro because you can’t use Truecrypt on windows 8+. You can upgrade online by using the Windows 8 search charm and typing ‘add features’ and choosing to add features to windows 8.1. This will give you the option of buying a licence key or using one you have already bought. At the time of writing this the upgrade to the windows 8.1 pro pack was $139.
- For Windows 8 don’t use anything. You can upgrade to Windows 8.1 for free, then follow the advice above about Windows 8.1. Only some versions of Windows 8 came with bitlocker (the more expensive versions). But you shouldn’t be using Windows 8.
- For Windows 7 or earlier – consider when you will replace the computer with Windows 8.1. In the meantime your only option is Truecrypt 7.1a. But make sure you download it only from a trusted source and remember that you are on your own if anything goes wrong because when the developers shut down the Truecrypt project they deleted all the support documentation for the product! (so keep good backups of your files)
Do I have to encrypt my entire harddrive or just one part of it?
If you are encrypting your files with the intent of keeping them secure then you should encrypt your whole harddrive. If you are just encrypting them for fun you can encrypt as much or as little as you like. If you only encrypt part of your harddrive and you access the encrypted files from an application that is running from the non-encrypted part or using Windows that is unencrypted, then you will unintentionally leave unencrypted copies of the files on your unencrypted harddrive (these might be deleted files but they are easy to recover and even easier on a solid state drive (SSD) than a harddrive (HDD).