If PC crashes, will TrueCrypt load on reboot?

Let's say my PC Vista crashes and the hard drive crashes as TrueCrypt virtual drive is open and active. Will the virtual drive be active automatically again if hard drive is fixed and the PC is rebooted?

Or does Truecrypt virtual drives reside in RAM?

 

Hi,
Is the drive that crashes the one containing the TC volume?
If not, there should be no problems, you'll have to provide a password to mount it, but that's it.
Mrk

 

I created a folder on my C: drive that contains TrueCrypt and the encrypted data file. It mounts as H:

Whenever I load vista, I run Truecrypt and load the encrypted data file, which is 4GB in size.

If my PC has a critical error and closes down, or my HDD crashes, or my power fails, and I reload Windows, will my open decrypted data file which I was not able to dismount properly, automatically open up when Windows boots my Vista?

Or does a Truecrypt mounted datafile close itself if the PC crashes or loses power? Or does Truecrypt keep the file open in H: and saved on the HD for next reboot?

 

Hello,
Unecrypted data is kept in RAM only, so no it won't be available.
But if the TC volume gets damaged, you might lose your data.
Mrk

 

Just so I understand... So the TrueCrypt encrypted file I create, stays in RAM?

I created the file which is 4GB in size. Where is this stored as I only have 2GB RAM and it's not enough to store the 4GB IN RAM.

So is that stored on my HDD somewhere? If so, where? And if I have a power failure etc, and the Windows is rebooted without the image having been dismounted properly, can someone search that area of the HDD and see my private information?

 

Hi,

Encrypted data - disk.
Unencrypted data (decrypted from already encrypted data) - ram.

When you work, truecrypt serves you bits of the file as you use them.

Mrk

 

ok I think I understand. So my TrueCrypt encrypted file when decrypted and mounted, will never write anything to my HDD. hence, if PC crashes etc, nothing is stored on my HDD anyway and the mounted drive is closed automatically and wont be open when PC is rebooted.

TrueCrypt mounted drives are stored in RAM too. And all the information is always stored in the encrypted data file on HDD, but trueCrypt will decrypt any requested data on-the-fly and store it in RAM.

Is my understanding correct?

 

This article could be of interest, as it ties in with RAM.

"Disk encryption 'no silver bullet'"
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/security/0,1000000189,39454810,00.htm

As far as I can tell, as long as you shut down/power off & wait >5mins there's not much danger of any data/keys being extracted from RAM.

Thoughts?

Imo not much of a security threat posed to regular users seeking privacy. Perhaps just pirates trying to hold off a raid for five whole minutes

 

Hi,
truthseeker, more or less, you got it.
The one thing I'm not sure what you mean is "mounted drives are stored in ram," but the important thing is that you know what tc does to your encrypted and unecrypted content.
Mrk