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Encryption on your PC

If you must store sensitive data on laptops and USB flash drives, use the encryption software that is already built-in. Encryption is the standard technology used to protect sensitive data from unauthorized disclosure.

When determining which type of encryption to use, it's helpful to know first which Windows operating system is installed on your PC. (To check, click Start>Run, type Winver in the box titled "open," and click OK. A window will appear with the version of the Windows operating system you are running.)

Use Bitlocker as explained here:

• Windows BitLocker Drive Encryption Step-by-Step Guide for Vista
• Windows BitLocker Drive Encryption Step-by-Step Guide for Windows 7

Or, if you have:

• Windows XP\SP2, use EFS (Encrypting File System) as explained here: How to Encrypt Documents on Your Windows Computer
• Windows Vista Enterprise or Ultimate Edition, use EFS as explained here:
• How to Encrypt Documents in Microsoft Windows Vista (PDF)
• How to Encrypt Documents in Microsoft Windows Vista (Video)
• Some version of Windows Vista other than Enterprise or Ultimate, it is recommended you upgrade to Enterprise or Ultimate if you have the hardware to support it, otherwise use EFS.

If you need to purchase a PC-based laptop:

• We recommend any currently-shipping Dell Latitude which will meet the following requirements:
• meets the minimum hardware requirements for Windows Vista
• has a TPM 1.2 chip (TPM stands for Trusted Platform Module)
• has a TCG compliant BIOS (TCG stands for Trusted Computing Group)