I need to have a file encrypted [Truecrypt]

Re: TrueCrypt, Encryption and Random Data

I hate to take away from the conversation, but I need a bit of help. I'm by no means gifted with an understanding of computers, but I need to have a file encrypted. I've downloaded, installed, and gone through the beginner's tutorial of truecrypt, but am having some difficulties. I'd ideally like to have one file encrypted, but I can't seem to "drag and drop" this file (as the tutorial suggested) into the container. How do I go about encrypting this file (and/or folder) using my created container?

 

First you need to mount the volume. This is done using the same TrueCrypt interface that you used in the tutorial. You select the file that holds your container, and you select whichever available drive letter you want to mount it to. Then you click on "Mount" and provide the password at the prompt. If you followed the tutorial then you did this during Steps 13 through 18.

At this point the new drive letter should appear in both My Computer and Windows Explorer. This "virtual" drive represents your encrypted volume, which is now mounted and accessible.

Now you can move or copy one or more files and/or folders into or out of your mounted volume. Just drag and drop your files onto this drive letter, or use copy & paste, whatever you like. It's just like copying files into another partition or onto an external drive. You can also create folders on the drive to help organize your stuff.

When you want to make your encrypted data inaccessible, merely dismount the volume using the same interface. Or turn off your computer, which accomplishes pretty much the same thing.

Incidentally, if you really need to encrypt just a single file then TrueCrypt may not be your the best choice, as it's designed to handle large quantities of files and folders. You might be better served by using a file encryption program such as AxCrypt, which allows you to easily encrypt/decrypt single files.