Instructions

1

Download the TrueCrypt installation utility from the developer's website (See link in Resources). Double-click the installation utility, and follow the prompts to install TrueCrypt on your computer.
2

Insert the USB flash drive. Move its contents to a folder on your hard drive temporarily; TrueCrypt does not automatically encrypt existing files on the flash drive.
3

Double-click the TrueCrypt icon on the desktop to launch the utility.
4

Click the "Create Volume" button. A window titled "TrueCrypt Volume Creation Wizard" appears.
5

Select the "Create an encrypted file container" radio button, and then click "Next."
6

Select the "Standard TrueCrypt Volume" radio button, and then click "Next."
7

Click the "Select File" button. Navigate to your USB flash drive. Type a file name such as "Encrypted Volume," and then click the "Save" button. Click "Next."
8

Click the drop-down menu under "Encryption Algorithm," and select the algorithm that you would like to use to encrypt your files. TrueCrypt uses the AES algorithm by default. Click "Next."
9

Type a number in the "Volume Size" field, and then click a radio button such as "GB" to indicate the amount of space on the flash drive that you would like to devote to the encrypted volume. Click "Next."
10

Type and re-type the password that you would like to use when accessing the encrypted volume. Click "Next."
11

Move the mouse pointer around the screen randomly for a few moments to generate an encryption hash, and then click the "Format" button to create the encrypted volume on the flash drive. This may take several minutes.
12

Click "OK" and "Next" to return to the main TrueCrypt window when the encryption process is complete.
13

Click the "Select File" button. Locate the encrypted volume that you created on your flash drive, and double-click it.
14

Click a letter at the top of the TrueCrypt window to indicate the drive letter that you would like to assign to the encrypted volume, and then click the "Mount" button at the bottom of the window.
15

Type your password for the encrypted volume and press "Enter."
16

Open the Start menu, and click "Computer." Double-click the drive letter that you selected in Step 14. Use this drive letter when replacing the files that you removed from the flash drive. TrueCrypt encrypts the files automatically.