PGP Encryption

Protecting the Personally Identifiable Information (PII) of our students, faculty and staff is of the utmost concern of the university. Steps are in process to remove this information where possible from reports and other data in print or on display to reduce the chances of accidental exposure through the theft of university owned data or devices.

The PGP Whole Disk Encryption initiative is targeted at mobile devices such as university owned laptops that may require the storage of restricted data locally. Using this software ensures that should such a device be lost, misplaced or stolen that the personal information stored on the computers for university use cannot be accessed by unauthorized individuals.

PGP Whole Disk Encryption protects the files and folders of an entire hard drive by making them unreadable to anyone who does not have the proper key. Encryption prevents accidental access or exposure of this information through theft because thieves will be unable to start the computer's operating system or otherwise read the files on the hard drive.

Resources

Many colleges throughout the university are providing this software to faculty and staff computers. In order to assist this implementation we have gathered together various resources including a list of frequent questions, documentation to help with installation and use of the product and tools to prepare your computer for encryption.

Reference Manuals

Departments that purchased the university licensed PGP Whole Disk Encryption product can download the customized PGP Whole Disk Encryption Install Guide (PDF) or the PGP Whole Disk Encryption Administrator Guide (PDF) to assist in implementing this technology.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions and answers to some of the common installation and use questions can be found on the PGP FAQ page. Administrators and Users who have questions about the PGP Whole Disk Encryption product can direct questions to local IT support staff or 8help. Help with installing and using PGP Whole Disk Encryption is available from your local technology staff or OSU's 8help.

Tools

Before encrypting your computer PGP recommends that all users ensure the health of the hard disk they are encrypting. The PGP project recommends using the Windows Checkdisk tool (with block correction enabled) to ensure the health of the disk and avoid potential errors during the encryption process.

If you are unsure of how to find or use Checkdisk to analyze your computer hard disk contact your local IT Support staff or 8help.

Running Chkdsk on Windows

Those unfamiliar with the Chkdsk command should follow the following process to execute it before encrypting:

In Windows XP:

1. Click on Start -> Run
2. Type cmd in the text box and click OK
3. type cd / and hit return
4. Type chkdsk C: /f /v