ARCHIVED: What is TrueCrypt, and how can I use it to protect sensitive data?

Important: As of June 2014, TrueCrypt is no longer being developed or supported. Users of TrueCrypt should switch to other whole whole disk encryption software such as ARCHIVED: PGP Whole Disk Encryption or Microsoft's BitLocker.

TrueCrypt is a software program that creates an encrypted file on your computer and lets you access the encrypted file using a drive letter. The program protects the encrypted file using keys that are protected by a separate TrueCrypt passphrase. This encryption is transparent to the user and is done locally at the user's computer. This means you can store a TrueCrypt file on a server and TrueCrypt will encrypt data before it is transmitted over the network.

To install TrueCrypt, follow these steps:

1. Download TrueCrypt. Double-click the .zip file to extract it, and then run TrueCrypt Setup.exe as an administrator.
2. Click Install.
3. In the TrueCrypt has been successfully installed dialog box, click OK. Click Exit to close TrueCrypt setup.

To configure TrueCrypt:

1. From the Start menu, select All Programs, and then the TrueCrypt folder. Select TrueCrypt to start the application.
2. Select Volumes, and then Create New Volume.
3. Select Create a standard TrueCrypt volume and click Next >.
4. On the "Volume Location" screen, click Select File.
5. Browse to the location where you want to store the encrypted file; you can choose USB drives and mapped drives on servers if you want. Type the name of your file in the "File name:" box, and click Open.
6. In the "Volume Location" window, click Next >.
7. In the "Encryption Options" window, click Next >.
8. On the "Volume Size" screen, enter a size suitable for the amount of data you need to protect.
9. On the "Volume Password" screen, type a passphrase to use with this TrueCrypt file and then click Next >.
10. On the "Volume Format" screen, click Format, and then click OK when the creation is complete.
11. On the "Volume Created" screen, click Exit.

Now that you have created your volume, to use it:

1. In the main TrueCrypt window, under "Volume", click Select File, select the file that you created, and then click Open.
2. Highlight the drive letter you want to map to your encrypted file and click Mount. You will be prompted for your passphrase. Type your passphrase and click OK. Now you can use your TrueCrypt drive just like any other mapped drive.