BestCrypt NP Data Protection system
Jetico, Inc., 1997

File: README.txt

*************************** Contents ************************************

1. About BestCrypt NP software
2. About BestCrypt NP system installation
3. If you have file-containers created by a previous version of BestCrypt
4. Wiping free disk space - recommendation
5. Known problems
6. If You Want to Comment on the Product

*************************************************************************

1. About BestCrypt NP software
------------------------------

BestCrypt NP software supports encrypted logical disks for Windows 95
computers and works with all kinds of media, including network-accessible
disks.

How does BestCrypt NP work? BestCrypt NP creates a pre-encrypted file called
a container. This container is created by an encryption algorithm (Blowfish,
GOST28147-89 or DES) using the key generated from the user password. In
addition, BestCrypt NP creates a logical disk. The container is linked to
a logical disk, and the disk is opened for access using the unique container
password. All data stored in the logical disk are stored in the container in
an encrypted form and transparently accessible for an authorized person.


2. About BestCrypt NP system installation
-----------------------------------------

The Setup program copies all necessary files to your hard disk and inserts
needed lines into the Windows95 Registry database.

To install the BestCrypt NP system run the SETUP.EXE program. It is
recommended that you exit all Windows programs before running Setup.

The BestCrypt Setup program uses the standard Windows95 method to install
software and provides necessary explanation of all the installation's
steps.  The only default information the user may want to change during 
installation is the Folder name for BestCrypt NP software and the 
Directory name where to place the BestCrypt NP files.

All dialog windows of the Setup programs have a similar appearance and
have the following buttons:


Cancel - click this button to abort installation
Next - click this button to proceed with installation
Back - click this button to return to the previous step of installation

After a successful installation Setup will ask you to restart your computer.
This is required because the BestCrypt NP drivers will need to be loaded
into the computer memory before you begin to use the BestCrypt NP system.

Note: The BestCrypt NP Setup program also writes information to the
Windows95 Registry database, places virtual drivers in the SYSTEM\IOSUBSYS
system directory, and prepares the file for the uninstall procedure. Please 
do not make any manual manipulations to install or uninstall BestCrypt NP
software to prevent the appearance of unused garbage software in the system
directory or unused strings in the Registry database.



2. If you have file-containers created by a previous version of BestCrypt
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Containers of BestCrypt NP software are compatible with BestCrypt 3.x
containers. Hence, the user may copy BestCrypt NP containers from Windows95
computers to DOS or Windows 3.xx computers and access the data using
BestCrypt 3.x software.

NOTE: The 'Read-only' attribute of the file-container should be set if you
are going to use the container with BestCrypt 3.x, and this attribute
should be reset if you use the container with BestCrypt NP software.



4. Wiping free disk space - recommendation
------------------------------------------

Please take into account that when you move your sensitive files from 
conventional disks to BestCrypt NP logical disks, the operating system
(Windows 95) won't erase your files' contents from the disk - it will 
delete only 'references' to them from the FAT (Fat Allocation Table).

To make it impossible to restore deleted files from your disk, you need
to run a wiping utility to erase information from disk sectors that are
currently marked as free, but may contain previously written sensitive
data.

You may run the BestCrypt NP wiping utility from the BestCrypt NP
Control Panel or from Windows 95 Explorer. After installing the 
BestCrypt NP system you will find the command "Wipe free space" in
Explorer if you call up the context menu (by pressing the right mouse
button) for the drive you would like to wipe.

In case you have any other questions about BestCrypt NP, please read 
the Help-file in the program itself. The Help-file contains a
complete description of all aspects of the software.


5. Known problems
------------------
1. BestCrypt NP is compatible with the most disk utilities, i.e. you 
may run Microsoft Scandisk or Symantec Norton Utilities to check the 
BestCrypt NP virtual drives integrity or defragment the drives. But be 
careful and dismount all BestCrypt NP virtual drives before you run a 
defragmentation process on the hard or removable drive if there are some 
BestCrypt NP container stored on them! The BestCrypt NP container may 
be damaged, if it is opened for access and you start to defragment the 
hard drive partition used to store the container. A special detection 
procedure will be inserted to the future version of BestCrypt NP, and 
this problem will be removed from the list.

2. If there are no any free drive letters on your computer (all 26 letters 
A:, B:, C: ... Z: are mapped for hard drives, removable devices or network 
volumes), BestCrypt NP will generate _BestCrypt NP driver error_ message. 
You should free at least one drive letter to allow the BestCrypt NP system 
work properly.



6. If You Want to Comment on the Product
----------------------------------------

If you like the BestCrypt NP software, we invite you to register your
copy of the software. Once registered you will get a commercial version
of BestCrypt NP, help and product support. To become a registered user, 
please order a commercial version of the BestCrypt NP Data Protection
software using a form available on:

        http://www.jetico.sci.fi/order.htm

If you have a product suggestion or comments on how to make BestCrypt NP
better, e-mail us at this Internet address:

        jetico@sci.fi

Be sure to include your name, the version number of BestCrypt NP, and your 
Internet address with all correspondence.

Please visit our WWW-site to get information about our other products,
Frequently Asked Questions lists, BestCrypt User's Evaluation page and other:

        http://www.jetico.sci.fi

Note that your comments become a property of Jetico, Inc.


We'd like to thank you for the time you have spent with us.
We hope that it has been useful to you.

Jetico, Inc. company team.

http://www.jetico.sci.fi
jetico@sci.fi

