BoxCryptor for Windows v1.3 Beta

Robert

Hi everybody,

I'm excited to announce the release of the first beta version of BoxCryptor for Windows v1.3. The main change from v1.2 is that we have replaced Dokan with a commercial product which is much more mature. BoxCryptor v1.3 has the following improvements:

1) Improved stabitility (e.g. no more BSODs)
2) Improved speed up to 100% (approx. 25MB/sec instead of 15MB/sec)
3) Improved compatibility with other programs
4) Network/Internet access for portable programs executed on the BoxCryptor drive (Hello FirefoxPortable and others!)
5) Programs on the BoxCryptor drive can run as administrator
6) Windows Search support (the BoxCryptor drive can now be indexed by Windows search for a better search experience)
7) Windows File sharing support (folders in the BoxCryptor drive can now be shared over the network)

Important: This is a beta version! Although we think it is stable enough to be released, please use it at your own risk. We strongly recommend to make a backup of your encrypted files before installing this version.

You can download BoxCryptor for Windows v1.2.9.0 here:

http://www.boxcryptor.com/download/BoxCryptor_v1.2.9.0_Setup.exe

It would be great if you could try this beta version. We'd love to hear your feedback!

Thanks,
Robert

xenthressa

Small bug in setup, during the creation of the configuration file backup.
"Information about restoring it can be found in the manual or on [b]your[/b] website"

Piri22

Great speedincrease!
But:
1.) after reboot Boxcryptor seems to be not able to mount encrypted drive, the icon is showing an open lock.
2.) anyway the decrypted drive is showing up in the explorer but cannot be acsessed from my email software or the shortcut on my desktop
3.) trying to open the BoxCryptor window: the window opens after about 15 seconds but showing no content. BoxCryptor hangs and can ony be killed using the task manager. The same problem, when klicking "mount drive..." or "exit".

I am running Boxcryptor on my laptop with Windows 7 ultimate 64bit on a bitlocker encrpted drive.

Robert

Does this happen only on Windows startup or even if you start BoxCryptor manually later on?

Btw, the next build will have support for AES hardware acceleration and be even faster (up to 50 MB/sec).

Piri22

I will try. Please give me a moment.
I will also try BoxCryptor on a different machine.
I'll be back with you soon...

hpvd

these new features look really good but

"the next build will have support for AES hardware acceleration"
is simply perfect - :-)))

especially e.g. when having folders with lots of fotos etc and you have been accustomed to the "ssd-feeling"...
Then there is no more reason not to use it for (nearly) all data in the dropbox !

Piri22

Now I've tested the Boxcryptor Beta on my desktop PC.
While I installed the beta directly over version 1.2 (with two Boxcryptor Drives) yesterday, I've tried another way today:
I uninstalled version 1.2, deleted ALL related files (c:\users\xxxx\appdata\local\Acomba_UG_(haftungsbeschr), then rebooted.
After reboot I've installed Boxcryptor 1.2.9.0. Then rebooted again.
After the second reboot Boxcryptor came up with the question wether I'd like to create a new or open an existing encrypted folder. I used the second option, created a drive and entered my serial. Even after a new reboot everything runs fine.
I'm now going to try this procedure with my laptop computer, I had problems with yesterday.
Hang on...

Nope! There seems to be a problem with this special Laptop. Same symptoms again.

Meanwhile I have tried Boxcryptor 1.2.9.0 on three different PCs:
1.) Desktop PC running Windows 7 ultimate 64bit ---> runs fine
2.) Dekstop PC running Windows 7 professional 32bit ---> runs fine
3.) Laptop PC running Windows 7 ultimate 64bit ---> no joy

The only difference between them all: the Laptop PC has no "normal" hard disk but a SSD.

Ups! It just seemed to be a matter of time! After waiting a few minutes (while typing in this text), Boxcryptor came to live on my laptop too!
Ok, it works now.
:-)

Piri22

Btw. Will there be any hardware special required for this hardware accelerated AES?

Robert

Even if BoxCryptor runs after a few minutes... this is not the desired behavior. Is the encrypted folder located on a local hard drive? And is the problem only happening on Windows startup or even if you start BoxCryptor later on? Can you start BoxCryptor with the /debug switch (BoxCryptor.exe /debug)? Maybe the BoxCryptor.log created on your Desktop can give some insight.

Yes, you need a processor which supports AES-NI (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AES-NI). Modern processors like Intel Core i3, i5 or i7 have this support.

Geoffw

New version looks realy good. Even my fussy old Pastel accounting program reconises it as a proper drive. The old version caused this program to crash at start up if you had a network drive as the source folder.
One small issue. It allowed me to select a drive letter aready asigned to a mapped network drive ( this was off line at the time). OS = Windows 7 Prof 64 bit
I look forward to the final release.

Geoffw

One addtional observation. When using a network drive as the source the drive appears as BoxCryptor(\\Local-PC Name)(U:).I would have expected it to \\Server name.
Geoff

zeltus

Seems to work OK on 32-bit Win7 Dell laptop. I had a corrupted config file which caused my to look for and then install this beta.

But curiousity dictates that I ask....

a) title of thread is "BoxCryptor for Windows v1.3 Beta"
b) content refers to "You can download BoxCryptor for Windows v1.2.9.0 here:"

So what version is supposed to be where? :-)

Piri22

@Robert: I will do some tests with starting Boxcryptor after Windows reboot manually and using the /debug option.
To answer your questions: yes, my encrypted folder is located on my local harddrive - it's a subfolder of Dropbox. The location of this folder is identical at all my three tested PCs.
I have a Core i7 running on one of the desktop PCs and on my Laptop. And it's a Atom 330 CPU running on my second desktop PCS (working as a little server). So hardware AES should at least work on my Laptop and the "big" desktop. That's great!

I'll be back with you as soon as I've done the tests, which might take until tomorrow or so.

Piri22

Now, I've been faster, than expected.
Same problem, when starting BoxCryptor manually. It takes around 3 1/2 minutes, until there is any reaction from the software and the shut lock icon shows up in the system tray.

The log says:

Mounting...
Mounted
GetVolumeSize : 283291640 | 236405856
GetVolumeSize : 283291640 | 236405856
FlushFileBuffers :
0 OpenFile : explorer.exe | \ | Open | Synchronize | 0 | ReadWrite, Delete
0 OpenFile : explorer.exe | \ | Open | ReadData, ReadAttributes, Synchronize | 0 | ReadWrite, Delete
0 OpenFile : explorer.exe | \ | Open | ReadData, ReadAttributes, Synchronize | 0 | ReadWrite, Delete
0 OpenFile : explorer.exe | \ | Open | Synchronize | 0 | ReadWrite, Delete
0 OpenFile : explorer.exe | \ | Open | Synchronize | 0 | ReadWrite, Delete
GetVolumeSize : 283291640 | 236405856
0 OpenFile : explorer.exe | \ | Open | Synchronize | 0 | ReadWrite, Delete
GetVolumeSize : 283291640 | 236405848
0 OpenFile : explorer.exe | \ | Open | Synchronize | 0 | ReadWrite, Delete
0 OpenFile : explorer.exe | \ | Open | ReadAttributes | 0 | ReadWrite, Delete
GetFileInfo : \autorun.inf | False | 01.01.0001 00:00:00 | 01.01.0001 00:00:00 | 01.01.0001 00:00:00 | 0 | CallbackFS.CBFS_LARGE_INTEGER | 0
GetFileInfo : \AutoRun.inf | False | 01.01.0001 00:00:00 | 01.01.0001 00:00:00 | 01.01.0001 00:00:00 | 0 | CallbackFS.CBFS_LARGE_INTEGER | 0
0 OpenFile : explorer.exe | \ | Open | Synchronize | 0 | ReadWrite, Delete
0 OpenFile : explorer.exe | \ | Open | Synchronize | 0 | ReadWrite, Delete
Exiting BoxCryptor.
Unmounting O:FlushFileBuffers :
Unmounted

BTW: as soon as Boxcryptor has started once, it comes up lightning fast when exiting and restarting it. It's only the first start after a reboot taht takes this long time (and only on my Laptop too).

Robert

We have just uploaded a new build of the v1.3 beta. The "only" difference is that AES encryption operations are now hardware accelerated if your processer supports AES-NI (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AES-NI). Modern processors like Intel Core i3, i5 or i7 have this support. This should boost the performance once more (up to 50 MB/sec).

You can download v1.2.9.1 here:

http://www.boxcryptor.com/download/BoxCryptor_v1.2.9.1_Setup.exe

@Goeffw: This build now detects the server name of your network share and uses this instead of your local pc name

@zeltus: We're naming the pre-1.x releases with 1.y.9. (So 1.2.9 are the beta/release candidate versions for 1.3)

@Piri22: This build includes timestamping in debug mode. Maybe you can repeat your tests and we can get some more insight which part of BoxCryptor takes so long.

TomDrop

Wow, this is incredible great. So glad I already purchased this in the knowledge you would be adding these features soon. You deliver your promised, keep it going! :-)

ddurdle

I'm giving this beta a try. So far only found one issue.

When I try RAR a directory that contains (), I get an error that the system cannot find that file. Not sure where the problem lies. I renamed the directory to remove the () and I was able to RAR it.

ddurdle

I think there is a memory leak in the Beta. BoxCryptor is now uwing 1.6GB of memory, using 100% CPU whenever I view a directory, and throws "device not found" error when I open a file. I need to kill the application and restart to fix until it misbehaves shortly later.

Piri22

@Robert:
I installed 1.2.9.1 just over the old version and started it. It only took a split second.
That's how the log looked like:

20:33:6343 | Mounting...
20:33:6811 | Mounted
20:33:6811 | GetVolumeSize : 283291640 | 236194064
20:33:6811 | GetVolumeSize : 283291640 | 236194064
20:33:6811 | FlushFileBuffers :
20:33:8683 | Checking Size Limit...
20:33:8683 | Enabling File Watcher...
20:33:9103 | GetFileInfo : \autorun.inf | False | 01.01.0001 00:00:00 | 01.01.0001 00:00:00 | 01.01.0001 00:00:00 | 0 | CallbackFS.CBFS_LARGE_INTEGER | 0
20:33:9103 | GetFileInfo : \AutoRun.inf | False | 01.01.0001 00:00:00 | 01.01.0001 00:00:00 | 01.01.0001 00:00:00 | 0 | CallbackFS.CBFS_LARGE_INTEGER | 0
20:33:9259 | 0 OpenFile : explorer.exe | \ | Open | Synchronize | 0 | ReadWrite, Delete
20:33:9259 | 0 OpenFile : explorer.exe | \ | Open | Synchronize | 0 | ReadWrite, Delete

Just while writing this post, 1.2.9.1 finally finished the startup process.
The log:
20:36:8259 | Mounting...
20:36:8727 | Mounted
20:36:8883 | GetVolumeSize : 283291640 | 236194048
20:36:8883 | GetVolumeSize : 283291640 | 236194048
20:36:8883 | FlushFileBuffers :
20:45:4452 | Checking Size Limit...
20:45:4462 | Enabling File Watcher...
20:46:4844 | GetFileInfo : \autorun.inf | False | 01.01.0001 00:00:00 | 01.01.0001 00:00:00 | 01.01.0001 00:00:00 | 0 | CallbackFS.CBFS_LARGE_INTEGER | 0
20:46:4864 | GetFileInfo : \AutoRun.inf | False | 01.01.0001 00:00:00 | 01.01.0001 00:00:00 | 01.01.0001 00:00:00 | 0 | CallbackFS.CBFS_LARGE_INTEGER | 0
20:46:4984 | 0 OpenFile : explorer.exe | \ | Open | Synchronize | 0 | ReadWrite, Delete
20:46:5014 | 0 OpenFile : explorer.exe | \ | Open | Synchronize | 0 | ReadWrite, Delete

There is something happening after or during the first "FlushFileBuffers".

And still, the startup on my i7 Desktop and even the Server with Atom 330 CPU only takes a few seconds at max.

BTW: for the testI have started BoxCryptor manually.

After the tests I put BoxCryptor back into the autostart and have been most suprised, that, after rebooting (tried it several times), it takes only a minute, until it has started up completely now.

The log:
21:26:2308 | Mounting...
21:26:3244 | Mounted
21:26:8392 | GetVolumeSize : 283291640 | 236194216
21:26:8548 | GetVolumeSize : 283291640 | 236194216
21:26:8704 | FlushFileBuffers :
21:26:6800 | 0 OpenFile : Dropbox.exe | \ | Open | Synchronize | 0 | ReadWrite, Delete
21:26:6017 | Checking Size Limit...
21:26:6017 | Enabling File Watcher...
21:26:6437 | GetFileInfo : \autorun.inf | False | 01.01.0001 00:00:00 | 01.01.0001 00:00:00 | 01.01.0001 00:00:00 | 0 | CallbackFS.CBFS_LARGE_INTEGER | 0
21:26:6593 | GetFileInfo : \AutoRun.inf | False | 01.01.0001 00:00:00 | 01.01.0001 00:00:00 | 01.01.0001 00:00:00 | 0 | CallbackFS.CBFS_LARGE_INTEGER | 0
21:26:6593 | 0 OpenFile : explorer.exe | \ | Open | Synchronize | 0 | ReadWrite, Delete
21:26:6593 | 0 OpenFile : explorer.exe | \ | Open | Synchronize | 0 | ReadWrite, Delete

Piri22

Hi,

ich stoße immer wieder auf Fehler im Boxcryptor 1.2.9.x.
Hier scheinen Probleme mit dem Speichern von Dateien zu bestehen. Vorgestern war plötzlich meine komplette Thnunderbird Mailbox zerschossen, dann sind immer wieder mal irgendwelche Dateien nicht zugreifbar oder gesperrt usw.
Hier habe ich ein ganz konkretes Problem:
Ich archiviere Dokumente mit Paperport. Dazu werden diese eingescannt und als PDF in einem Ordner im Boxcryptor Laufwerk gespeichert. Seit der Version 1.2.9.x werden nur noch korrupte Dateien erstellt, die alle 20 Byte groß und daher nicht lesbar sind.

Ich hätte euch gerne das Debug Log geschickt, jedoch scheint dieses zu große für euer Forum zu sein und wird nicht übernommen. Kann ich irgendwie Dateien senden?