Best methods of encryption

[douchecanoe]

Thinking about encrypting the drive on my laptop for general safety, especially in event of theft

My laptop doesn't have the TPM chip that's recommended for BitLocker sadly

So I was wondering what the best methods of encryption are. I've seen that I can still use BitLocker without a TPM, and I've read a lot about TrueCrypt, but I'd like to hear other people's input

Also, what are the side affects of encryption? Will it slow down boot/regular use significantly (I have an SSD so I'm not too worried, but still)

[DrewZealot]

TrueCrypt is great. Full recommendation from me.

Not many downsides, it will not slow your computer down any noticeable amount. The only downside is maintaining the encryption, which really isn't a big deal. Just write it down and store it somewhere safe.

[douchecanoe]

Okay, sweet

I can change the passkey, right? How often should I do so?

And I'm only really protected when it's shut down, correct? Sleep isn't safe because the RAM is still powered?

How long should the passkey be?

[DrewZealot]

Yes, you can. Not very often, maybe once in a while, depending on how seriously you want the stuff in your computer to be protected.

You are most protected when the system is shutdown because if someone who really knows what they are doing gets in to your system while it is in sleep, then yes, they could manipulate RAM data. However it is still protected in sleep mode and when it is on.

The passkey should be long, but no so long that it is impossible to remember. Maybe 15 characters. The passkey itself is also encrypted, so even if someone gets into your system, they won't be able to look at the data containing the actual key, so really just make it a password you might use on an email (not the same one as your email, mind you, just that general length).

[Mosphoran]

Potential security issues using Truecrypt on SSDs:

http://www.truecrypt.org/docs/?s=wear-leveling