TrueCrypt Help

[Master Razor]

I need some help understanding this great soft.
I know it uses it's own bootloader that chainloads windows's bootloader which then starts the boot process...

When you encrypt a drive, it stores it as a container. So, let's say I encrypt my second drive (D:) and then I reinstall windows again. The contents of D: will never be available until I reinstall TrueCrypt, right?

An encrypted drive can be formatted from outside windows (ie. install disk / live os) ?

If I encrypt the windows partition (C:), I would need to enter a password everythime I boot the pc?

[shoulder]

When you encrypt a drive, it stores it as a container.

You can either encrypt a partition or you can create a container.

So, let's say I encrypt my second drive (D:) and then I reinstall windows again. The contents of D: will never be available until I reinstall TrueCrypt, right?

Yes.

An encrypted drive can be formatted from outside windows (ie. install disk / live os) ?

Yes.

If I encrypt the windows partition (C:), I would need to enter a password everythime I boot the pc?

Yes.

[Instab]

An encrypted drive can be formatted from outside windows (ie. install disk / live os) ?

Yes.

but only if that install disk or live cd comes with trücrypt support otherwise it'll be recognized as a raw device and will be formatted accordingly which would overwrite the whole partition or disk hence also trashing the existing encryption itself

[shoulder]

Yes, the OS must support PBA, of course.

[Master Razor]

How is the performance?

Say I want to copy some files from an unencrypted drive to an encrypted drive, would truecrypt encrypt all files entered on that drive as soon as they arrive?

[shoulder]

How is the performance?

With current hardware, you hardly notice any difference in all day use.

Say I want to copy some files from an unencrypted drive to an encrypted drive, would truecrypt encrypt all files entered on that drive as soon as they arrive?

As TrueCrypt encrypts on the fly, so it is.

[Instab]

How is the performance?

that depends on your settings. the default will hardly make a difference but cascaded ciphers can be heavy