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I've tried and used Disk Utility to create an encrypted image, so I can store data in it securely. However, when I tried to write files to this image, the write operation was too slow (to write ~50 GB of data, it would take 1 day as estimated).

My question: is there a robust alternative that allows creating an encrypted space in the hard disk to store data with fast read/write operations?

Edit: Adding details:

Device :

Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2012)

  • Processor : 2.6 GHz Intel Core i7

  • Memory : 8 GB 1600 MHz DDR3

  • Hard drive : APPLE HDD HTS547575A9E384

    • Rotational Rate: 5400
    • Partition Map Type: GPT (GUID Partition Table)
  • OS version : 10.12.1

I am transferring data to an encrypted image on the hard drive. Its encryption type is 128-bit AES.

Source of data

The external hard drive that I am transferring data from : StoreJet Transcend Media.

  • Partition Map Type : GPT (GUID Partition Table)
  • Encrypted. Encryption Type : AES-XTS
ammar
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  • An encrypted partition using File Vault 2 maybe? – Alexander O'Mara Dec 10 '16 at 06:34
  • I don't think there are enough information to answer this question. What encryption parameters did you use? What kind of hardware do you have, i.e. does the CPU provide hardware acceleration for encryption? What is the speed of the underlying disk, i.e. where the disk image is stored... ? Encryption will definitely slow down things. But how much depends on various factors. And if the underlying disk is slow (i.e. USB stick or similar) encryption will not make it faster. – Steffen Ullrich Dec 10 '16 at 07:38
  • Encryption type: AES-128. I don't know if the CPU support hardware acceleration for encryption process. The disk image is on my MacBook hard-drive (i.e. it is not on external drive). Moreover, I am transferring data (the ~50 GB mentioned in the question) from an encrypted external hard-drive. – ammar Dec 10 '16 at 07:44
  • @ammarx: how do you know that the speed limitation is not the external hard drive? Also the exact hardware model and OS version used might help to find out if hardware acceleration for encryption is done or not. – Steffen Ullrich Dec 10 '16 at 07:49
  • because when I transfer files from this external hard-drive to my MacBook hard-drive, it is much more faster (maybe 10 times faster). – ammar Dec 10 '16 at 07:51
  • OS version is macOS Sierra. I think that the hard-drive model (of the MacBook) is APPLE HDD HTS547575A9E384 – ammar Dec 10 '16 at 08:09
  • (a) it sounds like you have a slow disk (b) it sounds like you don't undersand that Disk Utility encrypted volumes are sparse bundles (i.e. the space is NOT greedily allocated) –  Dec 10 '16 at 09:12
  • I really don't know the purpose of downvoting this question!. – ammar Dec 10 '16 at 09:42
  • @ammarx: I've downvoted the question because it does not provide sufficient information to answer it. Attempts to get these information result in some more information in the comment (instead of the question where the belong) and also only partial information like "MacBook" as the hardware. Do you have any idea how many MacBook models from different times and different processors there are? Apart from that you ask for a product recommendation ("robust alternative") which is off-topic here. – Steffen Ullrich Dec 10 '16 at 10:13
  • @SteffenUllrich I edited the question, and thank you for the recommendation. – ammar Dec 10 '16 at 10:31

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