Download.com Editor Review

This is easily one of the more useful freeware file encryption programs we've found, with only a couple of quirks to taint its performance. Kruptos 2's file menu and icon interface is the picture of simplicity. Encryption is almost effortless. You easily add files or folders through a browse dialog. You can drag and drop files to the Kruptos 2 window, but oddly, folders fail.

The encryption algorithm is Blowfish 128-bit, and fast. A key feature obfuscates file names but leaves folder names unaltered. The program offers a feature to see original file names with the proper password, but it is invoked one file at a time. However, Windows integration means you can perform all functions from your context menu.

Unlike many similar programs, files in nested folders are all quickly encrypted as individual files. With a single click you can decrypt a file and edit it, and the file re-encrypts on close. Self-extracting encrypted files are created with a minimum of fuss. The Shred function deletes original files to DOD standards. In another quirk, one dialog improperly substitutes "encrypt" for "decrypt." Just once, the program offers a nag screen looking for donations. Kruptos2, with all its features, is what every user needing simple file encryption desires.

 

 

copyright steve beckett (c) 2004,2005,2006