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Tweedlewise

Member

Registered: 2025-01-19

Posts: 20  

[SOLVED] Encrypt USB?

Good day!
I have saved ~93 Gb off of my brother's old PC (Win10?) onto a USB SSD.
As he lives in another state, I would like to encrypt the drive before mailing it.
I'm not sure how to do that.  He will need to be able to decrypt it on a Win11 machine.
Is this possible?
I'm thinking of using a password that is familiar to him.

Regards,
Tweedlewise

rolfie

Member

Registered: 2017-11-25

Posts: 1,319  

Re: [SOLVED] Encrypt USB?

Veracrypt

Tweedlewise

Member

Registered: 2025-01-19

Posts: 20  

Re: [SOLVED] Encrypt USB?

Thank you Rolfie!

Tweedlewise

Member

Registered: 2025-01-19

Posts: 20  

Re: [SOLVED] Encrypt USB?

I have downloaded and opened veracrypt.
But as I understand,, I cannot encrypt the contents existing USB drive?
Veracrypt claims it will format the drive, meaning that I will lose all the data on it.

I suppose I could move the data to a hard drive, encrypt the USB, then move the data back?

PedroReina

Member

From: Madrid, Spain

Registered: 2019-01-13

Posts: 292  

Website

Re: [SOLVED] Encrypt USB?

Another possibility: compress all the content in a zip file protected with password and copy that file to the USB. I did not test it myself.

stargate-sg1-cheyenne-mtn

Member

Registered: 2023-11-27

Posts: 381  

Re: [SOLVED] Encrypt USB?

adding a link mostly for future thread visitors:

https://www.howtogeek.com/6169/use-truecrypt-to-secure-your-data/

yes the link says "truecrypt" but the how-to says "veracrypt" ... who knows why? ymmv.

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rolfie

Member

Registered: 2017-11-25

Posts: 1,319  

Re: [SOLVED] Encrypt USB?

Another possibility: compress all the content in a zip file protected with password and copy that file to the USB. I did not test it myself.

To my experience, this only works between Linux and Linux, not from Linux to Windows. There is some incompatibility.

rolfie

Member

Registered: 2017-11-25

Posts: 1,319  

Re: [SOLVED] Encrypt USB?

I suppose I could move the data to a hard drive, encrypt the USB, then move the data back?

Thats the way to go.

Tweedlewise

Member

Registered: 2025-01-19

Posts: 20  

Re: [SOLVED] Encrypt USB?

Oh great, I tried to submit a post, but the website logged me out while I was typing it, and now it is gone.,,

Any way, I moved the data off the USB into a folder I made on /home of my PC.

I then ran Veracrypt,  it created a Volume on the USB drive /dev/sde1 (128 GB)
With formatting it took over an hour.
Now I'm having difficulty moving the sub-directory from /home (86.4 Gb) into the volume I created.

While click on "Select File" I then choose the sub-directory  from /home
When I click on "Open File"  it then opens the sub-directory and lists its contents,
Butt All Files doesn't select all (as far as I can tell the button doesn't even work..)
It just wants me to open a file in THAT sub-directory

I don't understand how to make the /home sub-directory a .hc as the Beginner's Guide seems to suggest.

chris2be8

Member

Registered: 2018-08-11

Posts: 346  

Re: [SOLVED] Encrypt USB?

Sometimes the command line is better.

Assuming the directory you want to copy is source and the USb drive is mounted on /media/dest

Open a command line window and try cp -rp source /media/dest (this assumes the window will open in /home).

Tweedlewise

Member

Registered: 2025-01-19

Posts: 20  

Re: [SOLVED] Encrypt USB?

As a "closer" It ended simply,
I opened the file for the encrypted drive in Thunar and in another tab my ./home
clicked and drug the file from /home to the veracrypt drive and it began copying.
It was easy, but not quick, it took hours for the copy to complete.

Altoid

Member

Registered: 2017-05-07

Posts: 1,856  

Re: [SOLVED] Encrypt USB?

Hello:

... the file from /home to the veracrypt drive ...
... easy, but not quick, it took hours ...

Just curious ...

It is not clear to me what device was used.
ie: a USB SSD of no specified capacity (as you wrote in your OP) or a 128Gb USB stick.
Could you let us know which?

And as a bonus, brand and model of the device you used?

Best,

A.

Last edited by Altoid (2025-10-09 21:58:47)

Tweedlewise

Member

Registered: 2025-01-19

Posts: 20  

Re: [SOLVED] Encrypt USB?

Altoid,
I used a Monster (tm) Overdrive Advanced 128 Gb device that I purchased at Sam's Club maybe a decade ago for around $30. At the time it was the lowest priced USB solid state device at that capacity available. It used the wide USB cable that Samsung used on a Galaxy phone back then.  It has a normal USB Micro connector with a smaller connector right next to it (I think it was to supply additional charging current.)  It is not the conventional thumb drive form factor.

Here is one on eBay:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/224991438513?_ … R5qNzO25Zg

Sorry about the bloated link!

Altoid

Member

Registered: 2017-05-07

Posts: 1,856  

Re: [SOLVED] Encrypt USB?

Hello:

... Monster (tm) Overdrive Advanced 128 Gb ...

Thanks for the data.
I was wondering about the apparent slow write speed.
But then I realised you did not mention how many hours. 8^°

Glad you sorted it out.

Best,

A.

Last edited by Altoid (Yesterday 17:41:17)

Tweedlewise

Member

Registered: 2025-01-19

Posts: 20  

Re: [SOLVED] Encrypt USB?

Altoid,
I guess I didn't get it "sorted out" I formatted the drive with NTFS while setting up veracrypt.
But when I connected it to a Win10 laptop, it wasn't recognized.
And just now I reconnected it to my devuan machine and it is not recognized (mounting) either!
Sigh,  maybe i have a 128 Gb SD micro around here I can use...

Altoid

Member

Registered: 2017-05-07

Posts: 1,856  

Re: [SOLVED] Encrypt USB?

Hello:

... have a 128 Gb SD micro around here I can use...

Sorry to see it did not work out.

Q: is the data you need to send your brother really the type of stuff that needs your using a veracrypt solution?

You may want to consider doing something simpler, more straightforward.
eg:
.tar.gz compression which MS stuff can handle for the directory where all the files are located and then 7zip to encrypt and PW protect.
A strong PW and AES-256 should suffice.  8^°

That ^^^ or something similarly simple.

Best,

A.