Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Applications and encrypted volume on a USB stick

People, stop spending money on U3 USB sticks! You can just as easily create a stick with your favorite applications and an encrypted volume yourself.

PortableApps is a website that hosts a very nice menu and apps configured to run from the stick. Now you can carry your favorite computer programs along with all of your bookmarks, settings, email and more with you. Use them on any Windows computer. All without leaving any personal data behind.

After installing PortableApps you can create an encrypted volume on your stick. First you need to download the tool we're going to use: TrueCrypt

After installing TrueCrypt you need to copy the following files to the root of your memory stick:

Truecrypt.exe
Truecrypt.sys
Truecrypt Format.exe (If you want to be able to add new volumes on the move.)

Create a TrueCrypt volume in the root of your memory stick, using TrueCrypt Format. I've named this volume data.tc, but you can choose another name. (Make sure you change the autorun.inf as well) Now edit autorun.inf in the root of your memory stick:

[Autorun]
label=My Stick

action=Start PortableApps
open=PortableApps\PortableAppsMenu\PortableAppsMenu.exe
icon=PortableApps\PortableAppsMenu\PortableAppsMenu.exe

action=Mount TrueCrypt Volume
open=truecrypt /v data.tc /lz /q /a /m rm /e

shell=mounttc
shell\mounttc=&Mount
shell\mounttc\command=truecrypt /v data.tc /lz /q /a /m rm /e

shell=dismounttc
shell\dismounttc=&Dismount
shell\dismounttc\command=truecrypt /dz /q

shell=runtc
shell\runtc=Run &TrueCrypt
shell\runtc\command=truecrypt

3 comments:

PK said...

I am a computer amateur but I want to install TrueCrypt on my memory stick. I had no problem installing it on my laptop but the stick is different in that there is no file path to the "private space" area! I downloaded all of TrueCrypt onto the USB stick, (E drive), so when I plug it in I see the "public space" window which shows all the TrueCrypt icons and also the "USB disk utility" icon, which, when opened with my password, shows the "private space" area. But how do I get TrueCrypt inside the freakin' "private space" area?

Please help!

Mats Palmgren said...

Thanks Terminator, this was exactly the tutorial I was looking for, will try at once. Keep posting - you're right on spot.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for writing this.