TrueCrypt every time I run it in ‘portable’ mode? When you run TrueCrypt in portable mode, TrueCrypt needs to load and start the TrueCrypt device driver. TrueCrypt needs a device driver to provide transparent on-the-fly encryption/decryption, and users without administrator privileges cannot start device drivers in Windows. Therefore, Windows Vista and later versions of Windows ask you for permission to run TrueCrypt with administrator privileges. Note that if you install TrueCrypt on the system (as opposed to running TrueCrypt in portable mode), you will not be asked for permission every time you run it. Do I have to dismount TrueCrypt volumes before shutting down or restarting Windows? No. TrueCrypt automatically dismounts all mounted TrueCrypt volumes on system shutdown/restart.
130
Which type of TrueCrypt volume is better – partition or file container? File containers are normal files so you can work with them as with any normal files (file containers can be, for example, moved, renamed, and deleted the same way as normal files). Partitions/drives may be better as regards performance. Note that reading and writing to/from a file container may take significantly longer when the container is heavily fragmented. To solve this problem, defragment the file system in which the container is stored (when the TrueCrypt volume is dismounted). What’s the recommended way to back up a TrueCrypt volume? See the chapter
How to Back Up Securely.
