Why is File Vault is useful?

I have File Vault but do not understand it or its usefulness. Can I deactivate it and if so what happens?
Why is File Vault useful?
Thanks.

File Vault 2 was the only incentive for me to upgrade to Lion, since it's not natively supported in Snow Leopard. Our company requires encryption of sensitive data, so I created a separate partition and used the disk utility command
diskutil cs convert diskN -passphrase (the partition identification "diskxsy" is provided in Disk Utility via the Info command in the menu bar)
to encrypt the new volume, which can now be accessed seamlessly from within Lion. I didn't encrypt my home folder, however, since my configuration (SSD OptiBay & HDD for storage) isn't currently supported. The link below discusses this issue and provides a fix, but I'm hoping a future Lion update will support File Vault encryption of home directories located on system-external drives (which is often the case for MacBook Air users).
https://github.com/jridgewell/unlock

Similar Messages

How do I access my encrypted User Account files from my Back Up hard drive? Time Machine was used to create the back up disk; File Vault was used to encrypt the files.

How do I access my encrypted User Account files from my Back Up hard drive? Time Machine was used to create the back up disk; File Vault was used to encrypt the files.

Thanks. I will try going through TM. Since my Simpletech is on the way out, I'll be plugging in a new external hard drive (other than the back-up drive) and trying to restore the library to the new drive. Any advice or warning if this is NOT the right thing to do?
Meanwhile, that is a great tip to do an alternate back-up using a different means. It's been tough to figure out how to "preserve access" to digital images and files for posterity, knowing the hardware will always fail/obsolesce sooner or later, and that "clouds" are only as good as their consistent and reliable accessibility. Upping the odds with redundancy will help dull the edge of my "access anxiety", though logically, it can never relieve it. Will look into
Carbon Copy Cloner.

Does file vault effect using a external hard drive as back up

does file vault effect using a external hard drive as back up

weird_glasses wrote:
... as you can guess Im still on L plates ...

Aperture, File Vault, and Time Machine used together?

I am interested to know if I could setup a system to run like this:
1. Create a user account with File Vault turned on
2. Use Aperture inside the File Vault protected profile, thus the Aperture Library is encrypted
3. Plug in an external drive and use Time Machine as normal.
I have heard that in order to use Time Machine and Aperture that one must tell Time Machine to NOT backup the Aperture library. However, if File Vault is used doesn't Time Machine only backup the encrypted volume upon logout?
Can anyone foresee this causing problems? Thanks!

Time Machine and File Vault aren't a particularly good combination.
See #25 in [Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions|http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/FAQ.html] (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum), for details and some possible alternatives.

How do I use the remote wipe feature for file vault 2 / lion?

I tried to find a preference panel. I know that for the ios you have to link/setup your device. I tried the find my iphone web site to see if my computer was listed there and it isn't at the moment. Is this new lion feature only available later with icloud? I checked the lion feature page and it lists it with file vault 2 with no asterisk so my guess is it should already now work.
It would be a pity to think you've setup your computer to find out that you hadn't "activated" your computer/laptop
Thanks,
Phillyman

Hi,
I'm out of the country on business but probably the only way to figure this out is to call apple or drop by their retail stores. If no one figures this out (and I'm pretty sure there is nothing to figure out at this time). I'll try to call apple when I'm back in august.
I find it wrong that apple touts this as a feature with no disclaimer. I'm a loyal mac fan for twenty years so I'll continue to buy their prodcuts and I did buy lion the day it came out. BUT a disclaimer (as they have done in the past) would have been nice. I know of at least two mac users who usually don't buy new OS's until they get it with their new laptops that specifically bought lion for this feature since they had read about it in a newspaper article.
I also thought this was one of the more useful features in lion since my family already "lost" an iPad and we liked to delete our data after our alarm and message didn't work for a day.
I'm sure apple has it's reasons for not offering the feature just yet but in that case a disclaimer is a must. I would probably drop the reference remote wipe until I have the infrastructure in place.
Cheers,
Phillyman

Why can I not attach a document to an email? Every time I want to send an email with a document attached to it, an error notice pops out. It tell me that the file is being used even when it is not. How can I fix this issue?

Why can I not attach a document to an email? Every time I want to send an email with a document attached to it, an error notice pops out. It tells me that the file is being used even when iall other programs are closed. How can I fix this issue?

Thanks Jeff, I was not aware that a template could be multi-page. (All the existing templates were 1 page)
But it worked, saving me some steps. When I was finished I renamed the document, and locked it.
Then tried to save it but could not because it was locked. I closed it, went to my Spread Sheet Folder ,
to find it, it was not there. The Finder could not find it either.
So I start over again.
I opened up Numbers and it showed my personal Numbers template folder, it contained both my new
original 4 page template and the vanished saved document!
I tried to delete the template containing these document data and could not - I had to go to the Library/Application Support/Numbers to physically remove it from this folder. Then I started over again. I Finally found out how to make it work: I can now "save as", and then lock, and it will go to place where I want it to be saved and locked.
The secret is: Click on the document title in the menu bar, and it opens up "Save as...", which works the same as in OS 10.4.11, and you can pick the place you want for saving. Once done that, you can then lock the document in the same pull down menu, and then close it.
I also found later that I can delete a template from its folder, by letting Numbers open the templates,
clicking on the one I want to remove, then go to the "Numbers Menu/File/Move to...", select "Desktop"
and from there the selected template can then be thrown into the Trash from there.
It appears now that the real fault of the Numbers software is that the "Save as" command is not available in the "Edit" or "File" pull-down menus, but hidden behind the title of the document.

Is there an issue using file vault 2 on a Mac fusion drive

is there an issue using file vault 2 on a Mac fusion drive

I'm using that configuration and it works for me. There have been some reports of kernel panics with FileVault and SSD's. The cause is unknown. Chances are you'll be fine, but make good backups.

Are my File Vault encrypted files backed up with Time Machine still useful?

The background:
My iMac G5 crashed. It all started one and a half years ago when my screen popped and the frequent hard shutdowns pobably damaged my HDD (the one elegant solution Windows have is the Windows button: press + 'u' + return = proper shutdown). After that episode I bought an external drive and started a Time Machine backup routine. What I did not realize, was the issues surrounding the use of TM with a File Vault encrypted system. In 2007 when I bought my G5, I poked around, getting myself familiarized in Mac OS X and found this thing called File Vault. It looked like something useful and I started using it. Later I upgraded my OS and after my screen problem, decided to make use of Time Machine. The one problem with Mac OS X is the ease of use. It's so easy that Apple probably cannot foresee all the dumb things we users are going to do with it, including a warning to first time TM users who have their system already encrypted with FV. Now, after searching the forums, I see the problems and the warnings. If someone use TM and then decide to use FV, a warning pops up, but not the other way around! At least, I never saw it coming. If there is such a warning, I probably did not read it - as I say, it all happens so easy and work so well, it's easy to use a Mac without reading the instructions. Yes, I did some dumb things, but that's probably because I'm not so dumb; too relaxed, yes. At least, so it seems to me : )
My problem:
Two weeks ago, my G5 suddenly started giving problems. Out of the blue I couldn't open Adobe Bridge. At first I thought it was a software problem and tried re-installing Bridge and searched the Adobe forums for a solution. After a long struggle trying different solutions, I eventually booted with my install disk and with Disk Utility found that there is a problem with my internal HDD. Only then it dawned on me that my problem is far more serious than a software problem but by then it was too late. I couldn't repair the HDD with DU and got an instruction to restore my system with a backup. No problem! I hooked up my external HD and pressed the button. The restoration took over 12 hours to complete. That in itself showed my that I have a big problem, but I did not dare interrupt the process. In the end I got a window with a 'Restart System' button. All I got from that was a white screen with a spinning wheel and that's where I am now. Needless to say, my G5 is now getting repaired.
My solution:
I have to keep going so I used my savings to buy another Mac. I have my backups, so I'll just do a Migration and keep working. Or so I thought. When I tried it, it obviously failed because I sit with encrypted backups that would only restore to the original machine - which crashed! After reading about it on the forums, it dawned on me that it is, most probably, a futile exercise. My backups are, most probably, no backups at all, because I also did not realize that I had to 'log out' of my FV to get TM to properly backup my files! In never dawned on me that I should log out! I have one machine at home and have no particular reason to log out at all!
My question:
Am I wasting my time with the 'backups' I have? Should I wait for my G5 to get back from the shop and see if they are useful, of should I just move on and try to live the rest of my life without all the electronic data I lost?

Gorrelduik wrote:
But they missed one situation: if Time Machine is set up, but auto backups are turned OFF, there's no message. If you turn it back on, there's no message then, either.
. . . and that's exactly my MO! I still don't have auto backup turned on. If it's better to use auto backup I'll do it, but to my mind it's better not to have both my computer and my backup disk on all the time. What happens when there is a power failure or lightning strike and both are on and both get damaged? My MO is to make a manual backup once a day and then put the external HDD away.
That's one of the reasons not to rely on a single backup, no matter where it is or how it was made. All hardware fails, sooner or later, no backup app is perfect, and things like lightning, fire, flood, and theft happen, too.
With a desktop Mac (and a U.P.S. system that both the Mac and External HD are on), you can let TM do it's hourly backups (although that won't help a lot with the current incarnation of File Vault), then keep secondary backups on a separate HD, perhaps a portable one, with a different app. See #27 in [Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions|http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/FAQ.html] (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum), for some suggestions.
I have thought of doing another weekly backup on a different external HD that I keep at the office, but I'm still procrastinating that one. Now that I think about it, does Time Machine cater for that: having two backup routines on two different HDD's?
You can do that, but you must tell Time Machine each time you want to "swap" drives. But each will be complete and independent.

Should files be securely deleted if using File Vault?

Do I need to "shred" or in someway securely delete files and mail that sit in File Vault? I am new to the MacOS and I am not sure where deleted files/mail go. If they don't leave the Home Folder it should be ok but if they somehow are relocated outside the Home Folder, I assume I would have a problem unless they are securely deleted.

Interesting question, sgmiller.
The default Trash location is a hidden directory in your Home folder, ~/.Trash, which would be in your File Vault, assuming the File Vault includes your entire Home directory and doesn't leave anything out.
When you delete a file, its directory entry is updated, rewriting the parent directory of the file to the ~/.Trash folder. Then when you empty the Trash, the directory entry of the file is simply removed and the file disappears from the file system. They don't really go anywhere, they just disappear. However, the bytes still remain on the disk until something else comes along and writes to those sectors, so Secure Delete can be used to overwrite the previously used areas of the disk with zeros.
I guess it depends on how careful you want to be. You may also be interested in using Secure Virtual Memory if you aren't already, under "System Preferences->Security".
Clear as mud, my apologies!

I tried to encrypt using file vault but it froze slowing my macbook pro, how can i get things moving or stop the encryption

i tried to encrypt using file vault but it froze slowing my macbook pro, how can i get things moving or stop the encryption

Back up all data before proceeding. There are ways to back up a computer that isn't fully functional. Ask if you need guidance.
Start up in Recovery mode. When the OS X Utilities screen appears, select Disk Utility.
In the Disk Utility window, select the icon of the startup volume from the list on the left. It will be nested below another disk icon, usually with the same name. Click the Unlock button in the toolbar. When prompted, enter the login password of a user authorized to unlock the volume, or the alternate decryption key that was generated when you activated FileVault.
Then, from the menu bar, select
File ▹ Turn Off Encryption
Enter the password again.
You can then restart as usual, if the system is working. Decryption will be completed in the background. It may take several hours, and during that time performance will be reduced.
If you can't turn off encryption in Disk Utility because the menu item is grayed out, you'll have to erase the volume and then restore the data from a backup. Select the Erase tab, and then select
Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
from the Format menu.
You can then quit to be returned to the main Recovery screen. Follow these instructions if you back up with Time Machine. If you use other backup software, follow its developer's instructions.
Don't erase the volume unless you have at least two complete, independent backups. One is not enough to be safe.

File Vault Using Up Too Much Space - How Can I De-Activate it?

I'm finding that I really do not need File Vault. ANd, I'm finding that it is using up an incredible amount of space on my HD.
Can I de-activate it and free up more space on my HD?

Here's my understanding:
Your home folder is
HD>Users>username
A normal user account uses ordinary subfolders - Documents, Music, Movies, etc - located inside that home folder to hold your data. If you delete a big movie file, the space freed up is of course released to your entire startup volume.
A FileVault account instead puts all of its data into an encrypted disk image - in fact an encrypted sparseimage. If FileVault is enabled, your home folder doesn't directly contain your Documents and other data folders. It looks as if it does from Finder when you are logged in, but actually all that your home folder really contains is a single file named username.sparseimage. When you log in and give your password, this disk image mounts and you can access your files.
I no longer have a FileVault account to check this, but to my recollection the file structure was:
When logged out:
HD>Users>username>username.sparseimage
When logged in
HD>Users>.username>username.sparseimage
HD>Users>username alias to the mounted volume
Note the new leading period in the name of the username folder when logged in, making it invisible to Finder. The "home" icon that you see in Finder is not really a folder, it is an alias to the mounted disk image that contains all your files.
A problem with using a disk image instead of a folder is what happens when large files are added and then later deleted, emptying the trash. A folder has no minimum size, and if its contents are deleted it will of course release the disk space immediately to the volume that contains it. However a mounted disk image IS such a volume. A "sparse" image file is small when created, can expand to a maximum size when files are added to it, but does not automatically shrink down again when files inside are deleted. So when large files are deleted from a FileVault account, the space freed up is not immediately available on the startup volume. However although a sparseimage does not automatically shrink when files inside it are deleted, it can be "compacted" when it is unmounted, recovering the lost space. This "compacting" of the sparseimage file is what you are offered when you are asked if you want FileVault to recover the space. It can also be done manually using Terminal.
Once the sparseimage file is compacted, though, it is only a little bigger than the sum of the files and folders it contains. So there may be other reasons to turn off FileVault, but you won't gain a lot of extra startup disk space by doing so if FileVault has already "recovered" the unused space.

What can I use to lock a partition. File Vault? Anything else

Hi guys
Need some help on some security issues, maybe I can get some help from you.
First off, I really do want to lock a certain partition. They have certain files that no one in my household can see, period.
I have a login password and a screensaver password but maybe if I forget to have them prompt someone, they might see the partition.
Any ideas on how to lock this partition. This partition is a scratch disk therefore I don't want the security measure to affect my performance issues.
I basically just want a feature like this;
When I want to access the partition, it asks for a password, I enter it then it lets my through. I can use the files and when i'm finished I log out of the partition and it's locked. Just like my operating system, but in this case, it's a partition. Maybe even a feature that if i'm inactiv for 20 mins or so, it automatically put on the password.
Would file Vault be appropiate, I heard it had performace issues.

FileVault encrypts your Home folder, but not much else.
You would probably be better off with a secure disk image - search for it in DiskUtility's Help
Secure Disk images reside on the volume as an encrypted file. They can only be mounted (allowing access to the files/folders inside) after providing a password. When you're done using it, 'Eject' it and it is unmounted and locked.

I want to create a sign on PW without using file vault

I have an MPB and I want to have the screen and computer secured via a logon PW, but I don't want to use file vault.
It has been a while and I have my password that allows me install software and make changes etc.
How do I make that same PW to be the PW every time I start up or wake up the computer?

Disable Automatic Login under System preferences, Accounts, Options
You will then have to enter your password on the login screen to unlock everything
To easily lock the screen with a single mouse click, open Keychain Access, then choose preferences and click "show state in the menu bar"
You will then see a lock appearing in the upper right corner of the menu bar.
Clicking it will reveal a menu with a lock screen option
Hope that helps

In quick view mode, why can't I enlarge pdf files like it used to?

When I use quick view mode by pressing space bar when I have selected a file, say pdf files, I could used to stretch the corners to get the page larger. But now, in Lion, it doesn't behave like that anymore. The page stays the same size however wide I stretch the quick view window. Is there an option to fixing this? Or is this intended? It is very bad indeed!

The Adobe Reader plugin may not be working properly on Mac.
* https://support.mozilla.org/kb/pdf-files-are-blank-and-cant-be-downloaded-mac
* https://support.mozilla.org/kb/Opening+PDF+files+within+Firefox
Disable the Adobe Reader plugin in Firefox (Tools > Add-ons > Plugins) and use the external Adobe Reader application or Preview application instead.
PDF files may be found under entries like Portable document or Adobe PDF document or Adobe Acrobat Document.
*Firefox > Preferences > Applications > Adobe PDF document : Use Adobe Reader

Recovery Partition mandatory for File Vault and unencrypted TM Backup?

I recently had to setup my Macbook Pro from scratch meaning erasing the whole disk and start from there.
The update to Lion took already place a while ago and I had File Vault active. After making a last backup using
TM I erased the disk and all partitions including Recovery partition and used the Leopard system DVD to boot
the machine.
From there I used the restore function to restore my TM backup to the MacBook. However, as the drive was
not partioned and not formated, I had to do this manually. Apparently, the recovery process via TM does not include
that. After system recovery, I booted from the Macbook and all apps and configuration seemed ok.
I was a little surprised to see that I was able to do this recovery without being asked for ID and password of the user's File Vault access
or the File Vault recovery key. All I needed was the TM ID and password (which is different from the owners ID and password)
I am not sure if this is supposed to work like this but I looks rather easy to gain access to application an data of another user if that
is all it takes?
Now booting Lion again, I checked File Vault and noticed it was disabled although it was enabled for quite a while and long time
before I took the latest backup. I could not turn it on, after providing a recovery key and asking me wether I wanted to write it down
or safe it with Apple which I declined I wanted to reboot the notebook to start encryption but stopped saying my partition or volume
would not support File Vault. This was GUID and MacOS Extended Journal partition and volume which to my knowledge would
certainly support File Vault. In fact this is basically what I had before when File Vault was turned on and running.
I called Apple support a few times. The second agent told me that it does not work because there is not recovery partition on my
system but there was when I took the latest backup and I do have other means to get the recovery screen. Anyway it seems that
File Vault required a local Recovery partition and I was wondering if anyone can tell me why this dependency exist. If I write down the
recovery key, why would I need it to be stored on my disk as well?
Also, if anyone has an idea if there is a way of creating a local recovery partition without having to go through the lenghty process of installing
Leopard then upgrade to Lion and install all the apps and configure the OS again, would be great? I assume when I am back on Lion and use the TM
backup for recovery, I probably end up with having the Recovery partition deleted and start from scratch again.
I am a little concerned about the fact that it seems so easy to gain access to a protected backup and that the TM restore process does not include
restoring partition and volumes as well. Who knows how many other dependencies exist and users have to reinstall their system again after recovery.
I was following the recovery instruction of Apple but perhaps someone knows a better way to do this?

Just an update, I went ahead and installed Lion again over the existing TM restored installation using the Lion Update file and at least File Vault is working. Interestingly, I still do not have a Recover partition so obviously something new for Apple Support to learn.

Why is File Vault is useful?

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