Can't paste password for new encrypted disk image.

Question

Howdy all!
I have been trying to create an encrypted disk image with the Disk Utility, but I'm having trouble with putting in the password.
Using the password assistant, it only fills one of the two password fields, and I cannot copy/paste the password to the other field. If I generate a password elsewhere I cannot paste it into either box as well.
If I switch applications from Disk Utility and come back to the password dialog the menubar says I am still in whatever application I was last (in this case it says Firefox at the very left) and the Edit menu is completely grayed out.
Any idea how to get a non-typeable password into this dialog?
Thanks for your help.
Mike

Answer 1

You can paste it in if you use hdiutil to create or mount the disk image (In Terminal.app). That's the
only way to go if you use a "bullet proof monster" password like I do.
To create an encrypted, sparse disk image, open a Terminal window and cd to the directory in which
you want to create the image file. For example:
cd ~/Desktop
Then type the command:
hdiutil create -size thesize -encryption -type SPARSE -fs HFS+ thename
live command example:
hdiutil create -size 1g -encryption -type SPARSE -fs HFS+ myimage
(this will create a 1gigabyte sparse image with the hfs format with the name "myimage.sparseimage"
#note: I love sparseimages and sparsebundles because they mount so quickly#
Above, the size is the maximum size that the volume will ever be able to contain, for example,
660m for 660 megabytes or 1g for one gigabyte. Note that if you want the image file to remain
below a certain size (such as the size of a CD) you must allow for approximately 10% overhead.
Also above, thename is the name of the image file you want to create, not the volume name.
The volume name will be "untitled". Rename as you would any other mounted volume (after it is
mounted).
You will be asked for a password or phase to secure your file. In terminal you may copy and paste
or use command + V keyboard combo. It will mount normally after that.
I don't use the "Remember password (add to Keychain)" function because my passphrase will be
visible in the Keychain to anyone with physical access to your computer.
Instead I use Terminal to open my new image.
Open terminal.app, simply type:
hdiutil attach /path/to/imagefile
example:
hdiutil attach /Users/kj/Desktop/myimage.sparseimage
(remember, you can drag and drop the file path into the terminal from Finder)
Terminal will ask for your password, simply cut and paste from your favorite password program
(such as "1Password").
There is a manual page available; type man hdiutil in the Terminal.
Enjoy,
Kj