NOTE: This information, as well as the information in the file How to Use PGP relates to an outdated version of PGP, version 2.6.2. The information has been left here for archival purposes and so that you can get a more indepth feel for how PGP works. For the latest version of PGP, go to the official PGP Website. (The web site changes occasionally. If you don't see any info about PGP, just do a search of the web site for "PGP".)
Skip all the explanation and go directly to the summary.
If you need a Macintosh version of PGP, check out the MacPGP 2.6.3 Home Page
PGP is a free state-of-the-art encryption system that allows you to protect your information either while it is stored as a file in your computer or during transmission as email. The algorithms used are highly sophisticated and are widely considered to be very secure even when being attacked by some of the alphabet-soup agencies of the U.S. Federal Government. And yet, it allows you to send encrypted email or files to people you have never met.
Later on, I'll tell you how to get what you need to install, learn, and use PGP. First, however, let's discuss data compression. Most computer files can be compressed with appropriate software so that they can be stored using less disk space. One of the most popular data compression software packages is PKZIP V2.04g and is widely available on the internet. The whole package allows you to do all kinds of sophisticated things but for purposes of installing PGP, all you really need is the decompression part of the software. Fortunately, that part of the software package is available separately and is freeware. If you don't already have a copy, you should download a copy of pkunzip.exe now as you will need it during the installation of PGP.
You can identify files that need to be decompressed using pkunzip because they will have a file extension of 'zip', i.e., pgp262.zip. Some of the files you will be downloading are compressed but have a file extension of 'exe'. These files are compressed into what is called a 'self-extracting archive'. One or more files have been combined into a compressed package along with the software needed to separate and decompress them. With the exception of pkunzip.exe, any file you download from this page with a file extension of 'exe' will be a self-extracting archive. To decompress and separate the files in a self-extracting archive, simply execute (run) the file.
One of the first things you will need in order to install PGP is the PGP software. Download pgp262.zip now. This compressed file contains PGP, PGP documentation, and other various files needed for operation. Unless you already know what you are doing, don't unzip it just yet. Just keep it handy for later.
PGP is highly sophisticated but the user interface is pretty primitive. The documentation that comes with PGP, while complete, is also not very easy to use. Installation of PGP is manual and fairly complex. As you can see, PGP by itself is not user-friendly. Fortunately, there are several products available to make PGP easy to install and use. One of the first things you should have is my booklet, How to Use PGP. This booklet, available in HTML, is aimed at absolute beginners to PGP and people who have never heard of a command line interface. It is very detailed and leads you step-by-step through the installation process. It also explains how to use PGP to encrypt/decrypt files and email messages. You can read How to Use PGP online.
Before going on, you need to understand some terminology. Software written for Windows 3.1 or WFW 3.11 is written to use the capabilities of the 80386 processor. The 80386 processor uses a 16-bit bus. Thus, software written for this processor is sometimes referred to as 16-bit software. Most of this software will run on the later processors. Software written for Windows 95 or Windows NT, on the other hand, is designed to use the capabilities of the 80486 and later processors. These processors use a 32-bit bus. Thus, software written for these processors are sometimes referred to as 32-bit software. Most 32-bit software will not run on 16-bit processors. In summary, 16-bit software is written for Windows 3.1 or WFW 3.11 and may, or may not, run under Windows 95 and Windows NT. 32-bit software is written for Windows 95 and Windows NT and probably will not run under Windows 3.1 or WFW 3.11.
Many people have written 'front ends' for PGP. These are an attempt to make the decidely unfriendly command line interface more friendly. Most of these programs have been partially successful. One of the better ones, and the one I use when PGPClick isn't up to the job, is called PGP WinFront. (You will also need some Visual Basic runtime routines. Download vbstuff.zip, decompress it using pkunzip, and put the resulting files into your windows/system directory.) PGP WinFront not only allows you to use about 99% of the PGP commands from a graphical Windows inteface, it also contains the PGP documentation in the form of a Windows help file. This makes the PGP documentation much easy to use and PGP WinFront is worth having just for this feature. PGP WinFront is 16-bit software but should run ok under Windows 95 or Windows NT. However, I run WFW 3.11 so I can't check it out. If you try to use PGP WinFront with Windows 95 or Windows NT and you run into problems, please let me know by sending email to wepin@wepin.com so I can update this information.
The most useful front end that I have found for PGP is called PGPClick. It only implements a few of the PGP commands but they are the ones you will use most often if you use PGP to encrypt/decrypt email. It works as follows. From any Windows application, cut the text you wish to encrypt. Click on the closed padlock icon in PGPClick. Enter passphrases, public keys, etc as requested. Paste the encrypted text back into the Windows application. Believe me, this is even easier than it sounds. Once you get used to using PGPClick, you will find yourself sending more and more encrypted messages. There are two versions of PGPClick: the 16-bit version for use with Windows 3.x or WFW 3.x and the 32-bit version for use with Windows 95 or Windows NT. You will also need either a 16-bit or 32-bit version of some Visual BASIC runtime routines. You can download what you need for free. Download either the 16-bit version (pgpclk16.zip) or the 32-bit version (pgpclk32.zip). Just unzip the appropriate version into a new subdirectory. Also download the Visual Basic runtime routines. As with PGPClick, there are two versions: the 16-bit version (vb4run16.exe) for use with Windows 3.1 or WFW 3.11 and the 32-bit version (vb4r32p.exe) for use with Windows 95 or Windows NT. (The Visual Basic routines are self-extracting archives. Just execute (run) the files and the Visual Basic routines will be installed in the proper locations automatically.)
In summary:
If you have a Macintosh, then you will find what you need on the MacPGP 2.6.3 Home Page
If you have a DOS-based machine (not running Windows), then all you need are pkunzip.exe, pgp262.zip, How to Use PGP, and wepinkey.asc but you will be constrained to using the command line interface.
If you are running Windows 3.1 or WFW 3.11, you will need pkunzip.exe, pgp262.zip, How to Use PGP, wepinkey.asc, pwf31.zip, vbstuff.zip, pgpclk16.zip, and vb4run16.exe.
If you are running Windows 95 or Windows NT, you will need pkunzip.exe, pgp262.zip, How to Use PGP, wepinkey.asc, pwf31.zip, vbstuff.zip, pgpclk32.zip, and vb4r32p.exe.
Good luck. If you need any assistance or have any questions, send email to wepin@wepin.com.
Copyright at Common Law, West El Paso Information Network, 1996