I've worried for a while that it would be more than just a little inconvenient if my notebook was stolen. As most people do, I have a lot of confidential personal and business information on it. While I back it up regularly, which protects me from one type of problem associated with a stolen PC, I have no protection from "bad guys" who would use my data for all sorts of nefarious acts.
There's technology around that solves this problem, and I'm pleased to report that it's easy to use and incredibly powerful. I recently downloaded the latest version of a free, open source, program called TrueCrypt. It enables its users to protect files, folders, and now even the entire system drive (the C: drive). Using state of the art encryption technologies, it encrypts the entire drive and makes it virtually impossible for anyone who steals your disk drive to get at any of your data.
The process of encrypting the drive takes just a few minutes of your time and several hours of your computer's time. Amazingly, TrueCrypt performs its magic while still permitting you to use your PC while it runs. Because it slows the PC down, it would be best to let it run overnight, but you don't have to do this.
Once you complete the process, no one can login to your PC without the TrueCrypt password, and no one can make sense of your disk drive if they remove it and put it in a drive enclosure. Your data is safe from prying eyes.
TrueCrypt is a great package. The price is right. The technology is powerful. And it provides a very valuable security function that every laptop user should take advantage of.
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