Being all CSI/NCIS on yourself (Data Encryption made easy)

I always watch NCIS and wonder about certain programs in which these super spy's they hut use to encrypt data on secret sections of their HD, and USB thumb drives. Well Wonder no more!

TrueCrypt, can be used with HD or Usb Thumbdrives and it is the best free solution for encrypting your data.

Truecrypt has a sneaky way of allowing you to place a hidden volume inside another encrypted Volume. To understand that, you eed to know how a standard TrueCypt volume works. WHen you create an encrypted colume with Truce Crypt, you specify its size, like you would when creating a disk partition. The hidden volume will alays occupy exactly this much space regardless of how many files you put into it. Any space in the volume is filled with random data. To anyone without the password, the encrypted data is completely indistinguishable from the random data. To anyone with the password, the encrypted data con be decrypted, but the unused space remains totally random.
  This creates an opportunity to hide more data. By encrypting additional data with different pass phrase and inserting it among the random data at the end of the volume, TrueCrypt creates an encrypted volume with two different passwords, each of wich provides access to a different set of data. You can fill one of these volumes with dcoy data, so that even if you ever need to give away a password you can give up the decoy, and nobody will ever be able to prove that another volume exists! HOW SPY COOL IS THAT!

Download TrueCrypt from www.truecrypt.org

Run the executable; it does not matter whether you choose to extract of install it. Go to where you extracted the files and run truecrypt.exe. Click the crete volume button.
  Choose create an encrypted file container, then hidden true-Crypt Volume, then normal mode.
   You will now be guided through the necessary steps to create an outer volume. Choose the file name for the volume, a size, and a password. Don't worry about messing with the encryption settings. When TrueCrypt has finished prepping the volume, press Format (Don't worry, this won't format your Hard Drive).
  Once the first (outer) volume is completed, repeat the process for the hidden volume. Choose a size that gives you enough room to plant decoy data in the outer volume, and pick a significantly different password.
   There! You've created you hidden volume. Now you can access it at anytime by clicking select file, browsing to the volume, then clicking mount from the main TrueCrypt Screen and entering either the decoy or real password!


Also Feel free to read this Article on encrypting your whole drive with Truecrypt   Here