VeraCrypt
Updated 19th January 2022
Above is a direct download. If you prefer, you can download it from the Softronics website.
Create an encrypted virtual drive to protect your private data. I find that 11 Gbytes is sufficient, and allows me to split the virtual drive into three 7-Zip archives for the purpose of creating backups on USB sticks. These backups don’t need to be encrypted again, since the VeraCrypt file is already encrypted.
If multiple users share a computer, each user can have his or her encrypted drive, which can only be opened if the password is known. If your PC should get stolen or if the hard drive fails, it is a relatively simple task to restore your data to a new Windows PC or a new hard drive.
Remember to backup your Veracrypt drive regularly to avoid the need to restore individual files that you may have backed up to the cloud. If the virtual drive gets corrupted due to a power-outage or hasty power off, you should still be able to mount the drive, but will receive a warning message. If this happens, create a new virtual drive, mount it, then copy all the files across before dismounting both and remounting the newly formatted virtual drive with all your files. The old virtual drive can be deleted when you’re sure that the new one is working properly and contains all of your folders and files.