Vista's BitLocker vs. Mac's FileVault

[macridah]

http://lifehacker.com/software/bitl...vistas-bitlocker-vs-macs-filevault-245126.php

 

[wrldwzrd89]

The comments are particularly interesting and insightful. I liked the way the article was written - it made its point well.

Basically, if simple folder encryption is all you need, the built-in encryption service in Windows XP (or free software like TrueCrypt) or Mac OS X's encrypted disk image feature are, if configured correctly, incredibly simple to use.

If you want a more broad data protection method, which approach to take depends on your needs. Neither BitLocker nor FileVault are perfect solutions, but BitLocker's awfully nice if your computer has a TPM, and FileVault focuses on your home directory, where your sensitive data ought to be anyway (plus, if your computer has multiple users, FileVault can be applied per-user, unlike BitLocker).

 

[mick4394]

I have yet to take advantage of FileVault, because I simply don't have a full understanding of the ups and down of using it. Are there any negatives of encrypting with FileVault?

 

[polishmacuser]

i have a question to this if i use flievault and if i misstype my password will i lose all my data just like that? i hope not

 

[tilman]

I have yet to take advantage of FileVault, because I simply don't have a full understanding of the ups and down of using it. Are there any negatives of encrypting with FileVault?

As opposed to not using encryption? Here are a few things to consider before using FileVault:
- As with any other real encryption software, if you forget your password, your data is gone. Forever.
- It's heavy on incremental backups. Touching just one little file inside your FileVault requires backing up the entire FileVault.

 

[tilman]

i have a question to this if i use flievault and if i misstype my password will i lose all my data just like that? i hope not

No, it will not erase your data just because you entered the wrong password. Of course, if you forgot your password, there's no recovery.

 

[mkrishnan]

- It's heavy on incremental backups. Touching just one little file inside your FileVault requires backing up the entire FileVault.

Yeah, this is the major caveat. Any type of corruption causes you to lose the entire home directory. I'm not sure just how frequently this corruption happens, but using FV without a backup strategy in place is extreme asking for trouble.