DiskCryptor: New Beta of the Classic Disk Encryption Software

After the famous "TrueCrypt crisis" in 2014, several projects emerged as potential replacements for encrypt files and partitions. One of them was DiskCryptor, originally developed by a user and TrueCrypt forum member, but its updates stopped in July 2014, a year before the official release of Windows 10. In recent days, GitHub user "DavidXanatos" decided to start working on a new DiskCryptor fork, prioritizing Windows 10 and UEFI compatibility, but we're still facing a very young beta…

Those who use the "nothing to hide" argument basically want privacy to fly out the window, and the natural response of any user is to protect themselves. The market offers multiple options for encrypting data, and the vast majority of them are free, with the famous VeraCrypt at the lead (which received an update at the end of January). However, today we will visit an abandoned classic of data encryption: DiskCryptor.

Why do I say "abandoned"? Because its original development was interrupted in 2014, and many things have happened since then. Some of them are the advance of UEFI, the launch of Windows 10, and the whims of its Secure Boot. The lack of support essentially made DiskCryptor inapplicable on modern systems, but GitHub user "DavidXanatos" decided to start a new fork that solves these issues.

It goes without saying that, being a beta, we do not recommend its installation on general-purpose computers. Even its developer highlights some limitations. On one hand, there are no digital signatures for Secure Boot, and anyone trying to use this DiskCryptor build will have to disable it beforehand. On the other hand, it's possible that certain security programs react badly. Personally, I can confirm that Windows 10 1909, Windows Defender, and the latest Chrome build really didn't like the new DiskCryptor installer, and it was necessary to confirm the download several times.

The rest hasn't changed much, to say the least: choose a partition, follow the wizard, pick a password, and wait. The encryption speed will depend on both the computer and the natural speed of the storage unit and its capacity, and once the process is finished, it's recommended to go to the Tools section to make a backup of the "header" (Backup Header) in case something goes wrong.

So far I haven't found any issues (beyond false positives), nor did I detect a massive performance loss, but I must mention that we're using an SSD. At the very least, I think it's worth following the evolution of this fork. Do you have an extra computer? Why not try it?

Official website and download: Click here