Traveler Mode

TrueCrypt can run in so-called 'traveler' mode, which means that it does not have to be installed on the operating system under which it is run. However, there are two things to keep in mind:

• You need administrator privileges in order to able to run TrueCrypt in 'traveler' mode.
• After examining the registry file, it may be possible to tell that TrueCrypt was run (and that a TrueCrypt volume was mounted) on a Windows system even if it is run in traveler mode.

If you need to solve these problems, we recommend using BartPE for this purpose. For further information on BartPE, see the question “Is it possible to use TrueCrypt without leaving any 'traces' on Windows?” in the section Frequently Asked Questions.

There are two ways to run TrueCrypt in 'traveler' mode:

• After you unpack the binary distribution archive, you can directly run TrueCrypt.exe.
• You can use the Traveler Disk Setup facility to prepare a special 'traveler' disk and launch TrueCrypt from there.
  

The second option has several advantages, which are described in the following sections in this chapter.


Note: When running in 'traveler' mode, the TrueCrypt driver is unloaded when it is no longer needed (e.g., when all instances of the main application and/or of the Volume Creation Wizard are closed and no TrueCrypt volumes are mounted). However, if you force dismount on a TrueCrypt volume when TrueCrypt runs in ‘traveler’ mode, the TrueCrypt driver will not be unloaded when you exit TrueCrypt (it will be unloaded only when you shut down or restart the system). This prevents various problems caused by a bug in Windows (for instance, it would be impossible to start TrueCrypt again as long as there are applications using the dismounted volume).

Tools -> Traveler Disk Setup

You can use this facility to prepare a special 'traveler' disk and launch TrueCrypt from there. Note that TrueCrypt 'traveler disk' is not a TrueCrypt volume but an unencrypted volume. A 'traveler disk' contains TrueCrypt executable files and optionally the 'autorun.inf' script (see the section AutoRun Configuration below). After you select Tools -> Traveler Disk Setup, the Traveler Disk Setup dialog box should appear. Some of the parameters that can be set within the dialog deserve further explanation:

Include TrueCrypt Volume Creation Wizard

Check this option, if you need to create new TrueCrypt volumes using TrueCrypt run from the 'traveler' disk you will create. Unchecking this option saves space on the 'traveler' disk.

AutoRun Configuration (autorun.inf)

In this section, you can configure the 'traveler disk' to automatically start TrueCrypt or mount a specified TrueCrypt volume when the 'traveler disk' is inserted. This is accomplished by creating a special script file called 'autorun.inf' on the traveler disk. This file is automatically executed by the operating system each time the 'traveler disk' is inserted. Note that this feature only works for removable storage devices such as CD/DVD (Windows XP SP2 or Windows Vista is required for this feature to work on USB memory sticks) and only when it is enabled in the operating system.
Also note that the 'autorun.inf' file must be in the root directory (i.e., for example G:\, X:\, or Y:\ etc.) of an unencrypted disk in order for this feature to work.