How will FileVault effect my user experience?

Question

How will FileVault effect my user experience?

My new work requires that we turn on FileVault to be able to use their proprietary website and to protect emails we send for work.

I use my computer for a lot more than work related activities, so I'm wondering, since FileVault will encrypt my entire drive, how will turning on FV change my user experience.

1. For example, I use Splashtop to login to my Mac Pro remotely. You can set Splashtop's security to request the person logging in to either enter the Mac's password as you do when you boot up. Plus you can set another password through Splashtop so that would be a 2nd login request.

I'm wondering how FV will work when logging in remotely.

2. Or when updating or installing certain software, sometimes I'm requested to input my Mac password. With FV on, in these software installations, will I have to input my Mac password and also my FV password too?

3. Lastly, since everything is encrypted, does having FV activated slow saving or saving in the background down?

Thanks.

Steven

Mac Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.5), 4-Core Mid 2012

Posted on May 25, 2015 1:58 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

FoxFifth

Level 10

468,837 points

May 25, 2015 3:17 PM in response to Steven Shmerler

FileVault encrypts the entire disk. It uses your login password. It doesn't have any effect on installing software. It doesn't ask for a separate password. If it has any effect on performance it is so small that I can't tell that it is on in my mid-2012 base model MacBook Air. In terms of performance and in terms of interfering or changing how anything else works there really isn't any way for me to even know it is on other than by going to Apple Menu > System Preferences > Security & Privacy to verify that it is in fact on.

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Answer 2

May 25, 2015 5:42 PM in response to Steven Shmerler

Intel AES Instruction set in Westmere and later Xeon processors makes on-the-fly encryption and decryption quick and easy.

That starts in the 2010 Mac-Pro silver tower EXCEPT for the base four-core, which uses a held-over Nehalem processor that does NOT have the AES Instruction set and will be slower at doing on-the-fly encryption and decryption.

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