Version Information

What do I do when the encrypted filesystem on my TrueCrypt volume is corrupted? 
File system within a TrueCrypt volume may become corrupted in the same way as any normal 
unencrypted file system. When that happens, you can use filesystem repair tools supplied with 
your operating system to fix it. In Windows, it is the ‘
chkdsk
’ tool. TrueCrypt provides an easy way 
to use this tool on a TrueCrypt volume: Right-click the mounted volume in the main TrueCrypt 
window (in the drive list) and from the context menu select 
‘Repair Filesystem’. 
 

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We use TrueCrypt in a corporate/enterprise environment. Is there a way for an administrator 
to reset a volume password or pre-boot authentication password when a user forgets it (or 
loses a keyfile)? 
 
Yes. Note that there is no “backdoor” implemented in TrueCrypt. However, there 
is
 a way to “reset” 
volume passwords/keyfiles and pre-boot authentication passwords. After you create a volume, 
back up its header to a file (select 
Tools 
-> 
Backup Volume Header) 
before you allow a non-admin 
user to use the volume. Note that the volume header (which is encrypted with a header key derived 
from a password/keyfile) contains the master key with which the volume is encrypted. Then ask the 
user to choose a password, and set it for him/her (
Volumes 
-> 
Change Volume Password
); or 
generate a user keyfile for him/her. Then you can allow the user to use the volume and to change 
the password/keyfiles without your assistance/permission. In case he/she forgets his/her password 
or loses his/her keyfile, you can “reset” the volume password/keyfiles to your original admin 
password/keyfiles by restoring the volume header from the backup file (
Tools ->
 
Restore Volume 
Header
).
 
Similarly, you can reset a pre-boot authentication password. To create a backup of the master key 
data (that will be stored on a TrueCrypt Rescue Disk and encrypted with your administrator 
password), select ‘
System
’ > ‘
Create Rescue Disk
’. To set a user pre-boot authentication 
password, select ‘
System
’ > ‘
Change Password
’. To restore your administrator password, boot the 
TrueCrypt Rescue Disk, select ‘
Repair Options
’ > ‘
Restore key data
’, and enter your administrator 
password. 
Note: It is not required to burn each TrueCrypt Rescue Disk ISO image to a CD/DVD. You can 
maintain a central repository of ISO images for all workstations (rather than a repository of CDs/DVDs). For 
more information, see the section 
Command Line Usage
 (option 
/noisocheck
).