Tips for specific platforms


Using HardEncrypt should be straightforward on most platforms because it runs in a command prompt user interface. However, certain platforms present more pitfalls than others.



*** BeOS ***

If you double click on one of the HardEncrypt program icons from within the window interface, nothing will happen. This is because HardEncrypt requires a console to run, and BeOS doesn't open a console for you automatically. The solution is to open a "Terminal" window first and use "cd" and other keyboard commands to navigate your way into the HardEncrypt directory. Run HardEncrypt programs from the command line by entering their names. They work fine this way.



*** MacOS ***

On the MacOS platform, files have two forks (data and resource) as well as a file type and creator type. The resource fork is discarded during encryption to maintain platform independence. If you're using a Mac, the file you want to encrypt may depend on data in the resource fork, and if you're trying to encrypt an application or other special file type, the file may not work at all without the resource fork. On Macs, all "special" files should be archived before encryption using either Stuffit or a .ZIP utility. If you want to maintain the file type on a Mac (if you want the file to be click-openable on the receiver's Mac), then archival is necessary for all files before encryption.