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I just started experimenting with TrueCrypt, and here's what I've done so far:

  1. Created a standard TrueCrypt Volume (encrypted file container)
  2. I created the volume location at, say, C:\My Docs\TCVol
  3. Created a volume password etc -> volume successfully created
  4. Mounted this volume to Z:\
  5. Entered password
  6. Drag/dropped "C:\My Docs\Test" to Z:. "C:\My Docs\Test" itself is a hidden folder.
  7. Dismounted Z:.

What I expected was that I will not even be able to view/access "C:\My Docs\Test". However, I can still open C:\My Docs\Test and view/edit/open all those files inside, as if nothing has changed.

Am I doing something wrong?

3 Answers 3

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You copied the files to the TrueCrypt drives, so why do you expect the original files to disappear? TrueCrypt drives behave like normal drives and encrypt only the data inside them.

Left-Click Drag and Drop between different drives copies the files. If you use right click drag and drop you can choose to move instead.

But even if you move the files and they disappear from the original drive that's still not secure. Windows doesn't erase files securely. So the content is still available on the hard disk in unencrypted form, even if it's no longer references from the file system.

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  • You are absolutely correct. Thanks for the clarification.
    – oxo
    Jun 26, 2011 at 10:10
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you only copied the files on to the truecrypt volume as when drag and dropping between drives, windows makes copies of the files and directories; but within the same drive it renames the files. to move the files from one drive to another cutting them and pasting them is the recommended way.

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TrueCrypt provides an encrypted container for your data, i.e. you allocate space for it (by creating a storage on your HDD or on removable media) and you can place data to this container (this is what you did).

Maybe you expected that TrueCrypt would encrypt your files in-place and map them to the new drive. Well, TrueCrypt doesn't do this, though I came across some applications that do either exactly this or something similar.

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  • > "Maybe you expected that TrueCrypt would encrypt your files in-place and map them to the new drive." That's exactly what I thought.
    – oxo
    Jun 26, 2011 at 10:10

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