Disk encryption for the clueless

June 11, 2013 5:50 PM

Is there a reliable disk encryption tool for Linux that is simpler for a nOOb to install than TrueCrypt? I've failed in getting TC to work, but have two older Western Digital MyBook drives that I'd like to protect.

I'm running Ubuntu 12.04, and *thought* that I installed TrueCrypt correctly but, though its icon appears in menus, it will not launch.

Any advice or suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Protection needs to be against an average thief - not someone w/cryptography / IT security skills.

posted by ryanshepard to Computers & Internet (6 answers total)

Uninstall the program and try to install it back on. See if that helps
posted by dolilmao at 5:54 PM on June 11, 2013

Response by poster: dolilmao: I've done this twice already.
posted by ryanshepard at 6:20 PM on June 11, 2013

If you are trying to do full-disk encryption, the easiest way would be to download the "alternate" install image for 12.04 and reinstall your OS. When partitioning you'll select "use LVM and encryption" and it'll just work. I just did this today.
posted by fritley at 6:26 PM on June 11, 2013 [1 favorite]

They've really hidden the "alternate" image. I used bittorrent to get mine here:

http://www.ubuntu.com/download/alternative-downloads

Select Ubuntu 12.04.2 alternate (64 or 32 bit as appropriate for your hardware).
posted by fritley at 6:30 PM on June 11, 2013

EncFS might be easier for you to use, particularly if you just want to keep stuff from being readable if your drive is stolen.
posted by cmonkey at 7:36 PM on June 11, 2013

ryanshepard: Try opening a terminal and running truecrypt from the commandline. Do you get an error message?
posted by Estragon at 5:53 AM on June 12, 2013