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PGP Desktop Installation for Whole Disk Encryption - Windows

PGP is no longer being offered on the software grid. Support is being phased out and will discontinue at the end of 2016.

For Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7

(32 and 64 bit)

Things to note before installation:

  • Check known compatibility issues.
  • Make sure you have a good, recent backup of your system.
  • You will have to restart your computer during the installation process. Close all programs before starting the PGP Desktop installer.
  • If installing on a laptop, make sure it's on AC power/charging.
  • You'll need to be connected to the Internet. Check connectivity if you're unsure.
  • Installing the software takes minutes. However, the whole disk encryption process can take a number of hours to complete (depending on the size of your hard drive). For an average sized hard drive, the encryption process takes ~4 hours. You can still use your computer during this time, but performance will be affected while it's encrypting. You may want to start the process at the end of the day and just let it run overnight.
  • Once your hard drive is fully encrypted, there is no noticeable performance decrease.
NOTE
You must enable both a screen saver password and [wake-from-sleep] password for Whole Disk Encryption to be effective. Without having a password protecting the computer upon wake-from-sleep or wake-from-screen saver, anyone who finds/takes your computer will have access to everything on it.
Remember
PGP Whole Disk Encryption only prevents access to the data on your computer in the event of loss or theft. While the computer is running, a virus or other malicious software would have access to the data you have access to.

Installation


  1. Launch the installer.
    PGP Desktop icon

  2. Agree to the license agreement and the software is extracted and installed.
    Installation progress bar

  3. Restart.
    Restart message

  4. After the restart, in a few moments the PGP Enrollment window appears. Enter your MIT Kerberos username and password.
    Note: Your Kerberos password will become the password you use to pass the PGP boot screen.
    Note: If you are installing the software for someone else, you must use the end user's credentials.
    Authentication screen

  5. Your username is now associated with your hard drive, and the key that decrypts the data on your hard drive is protected by your password.
    Enrollment screen

    If the user went through the PGP Enrollment previously (for example on another computer or hard drive), this message will appear: "In order to sign your organization's key, PGP needs your passphrase. Please enter the passphrase for the key you have selected." Either cancel this step or enter the passphrase the user used when he/she previously enrolled.

  6. Finish.
    Final setup screen

  7. PGP Desktop is now installed and will automatically begin encrypting your hard drive. In the lower right, you'll see the PGP lock icon showing its spinning work-in-progress status.
    Spinning wheel

  8. You can open PGP Desktop by double clicking the PGP lock icon, or via the Start menu. Once PGP Desktop is open, you can see your hard drive's encryption progress by choosing PGP Disk > Encrypt Whole Disk. You can pause, resume, or cancel the encryption process, at any time, by clicking the Stop button (upper right).
    • You can also just shut the lid on the computer, putting it to sleep, and the encryption process will resume automatically upon wake up.
    • If you haven't already set your wake-from-sleep password or wake-from-screensaver password, do so now.
    • While the disk isn't fully encrypted, the encryption process will pause when the computer is taken off AC power.

      Encryption progress screen

  9. The next time you reboot your computer, you'll see the following screen. This is the pre-boot authentication screen where you enter your Kerberos password that you used to enroll in step 4. This login screen protects your computer from unauthorized access and accepts your password. PGP is now installed and is protecting the data on your computer in case it's lost or stolen.
    Log in screen

    If you have additional questions, try searching The Knowledge Base above, ask your local IT Consultant, or email your question to pgp-help@mit.edu
Additional Information
More information on PGP can be found on the PGP Desktop landing page. If you don't find your answer, contact pgp-help@mit.edu.

IS&T Contributions

Documentation and information provided by IS&T staff members


Last Modified:

May 02, 2016

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