2.0 versus 1.7 and a New PC

[Jarrett]

I have been using Axcrypt for a few years and have a hard drive full of encrypted files that have different passwords based on the content of the files.  This is carefully and managed because I upload these files to cloud backup and want them encrypted locally before going to the cloud.  I have just bought a new PC and went to download Axcrypt again and now see the 2.0 version which looks completely different.

As I understand this, in 2.0 you can not have different passwords.

1) Is this correct?

2) If I install 2.0 how will all these existing files be managed since they all have different passwords?

3) If I decide to go with 2.0, is there a way to bulk convert old passwords to the new one?  If not what are the logistics of having some new and some old Axcrypt encrypted files?

3) Do I also understand that the log in file encryption password used is the same as my Axcrypt password and thus sent to Axcrypt  such that Axcrypt now has access to the password to decrypt my files.  I am aware that Axcrypt does not have access to the files themselves.

4) What is the downside of staying with 1.7 as this seems like much work to move to 2.0 and I lose the ability to have different passwords (which I highly value) and I do not see much benefit to 2.0?  What am I missing?

Thanks for the help as I need to get this figured out before I migrate my files to my new PC.

[Jarrett]

As a follow up, if I decide to go with 2.0 on the new PC, I have old PC files in 1.7.  What is the proper way to copy files to the new PC…

1) copy files then install 2.0 – will this then recognize the old 1.7 files without 1.7 ever having been on this PC

2) copy files – install 1.7 –  install 2.0

3) install 2.0 then copy files

or

4) install 1.7 – copy files – install 2.0

Thanks.

[SvanteSpectator]

Hello Jarrett,

1) Yes. we do not support different passwords for different files.

2) All the existing files will be decryptable and openable with their original (different) passwords. Unless you disable the option, they will be automatically upgraded and re-encrypted with the  one and only sign in password once you open then with AxCrypt 2.

3) No, we do not have access to your password in any more real sense than we always have – since our software accepts your password and does things with. Were we malicious we could have embedded it in a way we could have decoded in the original AxCrypt, or sneaked it away in any number of ways. The same applies now – your password *is* transmitted over an encrypted connection to our software on our server. And, if we were malicious, we could store it and gain access to your password. We’re not malicious. We don’t do that. We do not have access to your  password except very briefly in our code when you are signed in. You also have the option to configure AxCrypt 2 to be permanently online. You only need to go online to update any Premium subscription (that will to be possible to do offline in the future).

4) The downside is lack of new features, lack of support, lack of maintenance, lack of support on other platforms (iOS, Android, Mac) etc. We will not update 1.7 for new versions of Windows.

Concerning the “lack” of different passwords, I would very much urge you to reconsider this strategy. It is a fallacy in thought. Please see https://forum.axcrypt.net/blog/use-of-different-passwords/  for a longer discussion on this matter.

I urge you to get yourself one, really nice and strong, password and then convert your files to use this and the new format.

If you are sharing with other persons, we have the key sharing feature which solves this in a much more elegant way.

[Jarrett]

I have been doing much more reading since my post and am coming around to 2.0.  It seems I posted another post while you were sending your reply about how to do this on a new PC.  Can you please address that?

In my reading you have been quite good at explaining all these issues and backing up your position.  This is appreciated and I have been learning a lot, so thank you.

[SvanteSpectator]

Hello Jarrett,

The best way is option 1: 1) copy files then install 2.0 – will this then recognize the old 1.7 files without 1.7 ever having been on this PC.

There’s also a batch conversion function so you can convert all the files from 1.7 to 2.1 in one fell swoop if you wish. Otherwise they will be auto-upgraded as you go along and open them (unless you turn that feature off).

Good luck!

[Jarrett]

Ok, thank you.

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