Everybody has files they need to keep secure, whether they contain passwords, financial records, business data or personal information.

The need for secrecy is even more acute if you own a laptop computer that could be lost or stolen outside the home. Truecrypt is an amazingly simple encoding program that combines ease of use with a level of security that is virtually unbreakable.

After installing Truecrypt, a single, password-protected files is created on the computer's hard disk, and this acts as a ‘container’ for anything you wish to secure. When supplied the right password, Truecrypt opens this container file and makes it appear just like any other disk drive. Without the password, the file is a meaningless jumble of randomised numbers.

In the Workshops section of Computeractive issue 249 we explaing how to download and make use of Truecrypt. So, refer to the magazine and then click to transfer to the download page at the TrueCrypt developer's website.