Testing TrueCrypt Volumes

Once you have completed the above section, you will be back at TrueCrypt. Go ahead and follow these steps to test the volumes you have made.

 

1. Click "Select File..."

2. Locate the file you created in the last section, most likely called "random.txt" or something similar. Remember that even though there is both an outer and

a hidden volume, both volumes are contained in a single file. There are not two files, only one.

3. Click "Open"

4. Choose a drive letter that you are not using (anything past M is probably just fine). Click on that, For example click on "O:" to highlight it.

5. Click "Mount"

6. Now you are prompted for a password. Read the below carefully:

 

The password you provide here will determine WHICH volume is mounted to the drive letter you specified. If you type in your decoy password, then O: will show all the files and directories you copied that you would reveal if forced. If you type in your real password, then O: will show the files and directories that you never intend anyone to see.

 

7. After successfully typing in your password, you will see additional detail to the right of the drive letter, including the full path to the file you selected

as well as the kind of volume it is (for example, hidden).

8. Right click on your "Windows Logo"/"Start Menu" icon, and scroll down to the bottom where you can see your different drive letters. You will see the drive letter you selected, for example: "Local Disk (O:)". Click on that.

9. If you selected your decoy password, you will see all the files and folders that you moved there during the installation phase. If you selected the real password, you will see whatever files and directories you have placed so far into the hidden volume, if any.

 

If you selected your hidden volume password, you may now begin moving any sensitive information you wish. Be aware that simply moving it from your main hard disk is not enough. We will discuss how to ensure deleted data is actually deleted later in the guide.

 

"What is happening?"

 

When you select a file and mount it to a drive, you are telling your computer that you have a new drive with files and folders on it. It is the same thing as if

you had plugged in a usb flash drive, a removable harddrive, or an sd card into your computer. TrueCrypt causes your computer to think that there is an

entirely new disk drive on your computer. You can use this disk drive just as if it *was* actually a usb flash drive. You can copy files to it, directories, and use it just as you would use a usb flash drive.

 

When you are done, simply close all open windows/folders/applications that are using your truecrypt drive letter, and then click "Dismount" from within TrueCrypt while you have the drive letter highlighted. This will once again hide all of this data, accessible only by re-mounting it with the correct password.

 

*** VERY IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION ***

 

When a true crypt hidden volume is mounted, someone who has access to your computer can access anything that is inside that hidden volume. If for example you left your computer running while a truecrypt volume was mounted, then if someone gained access to your computer they would be able to see everything you have in that volume. Therefore:

 

*** ALWAYS REMEMBER TO DISMOUNT ANY TRUECRYPT VOLUME CONTAINING ANY SENSITIVE INFORMATION WHEN YOU ARE NOT USING YOUR COMPUTER ***

 

You can tell that it is dismounted because the drive letter inside of "TrueCrypt"'s control panel will appear the same as all of the other drive letters, with no information to the right of the drive letter.

 

You should practice Mounting and Dismounting a few times with both passwords to make sure you understand this process.

 

Once you have copied files/folders into the hidden volume, do *NOT* touch the files or folders in the outer volume anymore. Remember that both volumes occupy the same single file, and therefore changing the outer volume can damage the hidden volume. Once you have copied files/folders into the outer volume during the installation process, that is the last time you should do so. From that point forward, use ONLY the hidden volume. The outer volume exists only as a decoy if you need it.