TrueCrypt traveler disk + Hidden volume creation on thumbdrive question

[joes...@gmail.com]

How do you create a hidden volume on a thumb drive and open it when plugged into a PC that doesn't have TrueCrypt installed? I've tried setting up a traveler disk with TruCrypt files installed but when I attempt to set up the hidden volume, it wipes out the files. Is it possible to have both a hidden drive and TrueCrypt app files on the same thumbdrive so that I can load it regardless of whether the host PC as TrueCrypt installed or not?

[meagain]

joes...@gmail.com wrote:
> How do you create a hidden volume on a thumb drive and open it when plugged into a PC that doesn't have TrueCrypt installed? I've tried setting up a traveler disk with TruCrypt files installed but when I attempt to set up the hidden volume, it wipes out the files. Is it possible to have both a hidden drive and TrueCrypt app files on the same thumbdrive so that I can load it regardless of whether the host PC as TrueCrypt installed or not?
>

How about a hidden file?

LEt us know what you find out.

[Steve Crow]

On Thu, 29 Nov 2012, joes...@gmail.com wrote:

> Date: Thu, 29 Nov 2012 12:02:07 -0800 (PST)
> From: joes...@gmail.com
> Newsgroups: alt.computer.security
> Subject: TrueCrypt traveler disk + Hidden volume creation on thumbdrive
> question

>
> How do you create a hidden volume on a thumb drive and open it when plugged into a PC that doesn't have TrueCrypt installed? I've tried setting up a traveler disk with TruCrypt files installed but when I attempt to set up the hidden volume, it wipes out the files. Is it possible to have both a hidden drive and TrueCrypt app files on the same thumbdrive so that I can load it regardless of whether the host PC as TrueCrypt installed or not?
>

Use your favorite disk partitioning tool to re-partition the thumb drive.
Create a small partition just big enough to hold the TrueCrypt
applications, and then create your hidden volume on the second partition.

[Anonymous]

I do not see much point in having a hidden partition on a thumb drive in
the first place. The drive is small enough that it would be easily
discovered or overwritten. It makes sense on a PC but not a thumb drive.
Can someone try explaining the point of it to me?

[Steve Crow]

"Discovery" really doesn't matter much for most users, as it's encrypted,
preferably with both a passphrase and multiple keyfiles, depending on the
extent of the security desired. It's really little more than "security
through obscurity" which of course only adds a marginal degree of
protection from casual explorers who might just see the extra partition as
having been formatted in some incompatible (with their system) filesystem.

Overwriting shouldn't matter either, as anyone who is concerned enough to
protect their data with decent encryption should also have proper backups.

Personally, I encrypt all of my USB sticks, just because I never know
what I might want to store on there temporarily. I don't often use the
partitioning scheme mentioned in my previous post; usually a standard
encrypted container will suffice, as it simplifies the process a bit and
makes backup a wee bit easier.

[Peter Jason]

On Thu, 29 Nov 2012 12:02:07 -0800 (PST),
joes...@gmail.com wrote:

>How do you create a hidden volume on a thumb drive and open it when plugged into a PC that doesn't have TrueCrypt installed? I've tried setting up a traveler disk with TruCrypt files installed but when I attempt to set up the hidden volume, it wipes out the files. Is it possible to have both a hidden drive and TrueCrypt app files on the same thumbdrive so that I can load it regardless of whether the host PC as TrueCrypt installed or not?

I had an unfortunate experience with a "hidden
partition" with TrueCrypt when much of its data
was overwritten. Truecrypt does not warn of this
impending disaster.