LinuxQuestions.org - encrypted file system

hello

im going to buy a new laptop (acer aspire 1694), i had a big problem with my last laptop, it was stolen and someone got access to all the data in the harddrive!

i used microsoft windows xp in a fat32 partition, now i want to use both microsot windows xp and slackware linux, i know almost nothing about linux but im going to learn...

my question is, what option should i take to save and secure all my data/files?

1- i need to have read and write (or at least read) in both operating systems.

this means... i can't put all the files in a ntfs drive or ext2, i know there are some third party add-ons that let me work in other file systems, i saw a microsoft windows xp add-on that would let me work in ext2 partitions, but i don't know if i can trust them!

2- i would like to use encrypted file system so that if someone i don't know gets access to my data/files they can't view them!

the problem is that i really don't know how encypted file system work! i have no clue! i mean, it would be great it worked like e a normal file system after the user loging in, for example: in microft windows xp or linux "welcome screen" (where people type the username and password) i enter them as i normaly do, and then get access to my harddrive like a normal file system, this means that if someone doesn't login with the rigth username/password they can't view my files!

this would be great if it worked like this, but i think theres lots more... ca anyone explain me how encrypted file systems work in ntfs ext2?

3- if i use a encrypted file system i'm almost sure that i won't be able to access and work in files as i said in "1-" (being able to use/work with files encrypted in ntfs or ext2 using both operating systems. i would only be able to work with ntfs files in microsoft windows and ext2 files in linux) maybe i will use a normal fat32 partition to install microsoft windows xp, leaving the files unecrypted and only encrypt the ext2 partition, saving all files (that don't need to be encrypted) in the fat32 this way i could work with them using both operating systems.

i coul also use a encrypted ntfs partition to install microsoft windows, a encrypted ext2 partition to install linux and then create a fat32 partition to store files that don't need to be encrypted and to have read/write access from both operating systems

but i don't even know how encrypted file systems work anyway eh eh, i did already search google for it but didn't help, i know that for microsoft windows xp i need the professional version, that's not a problem

thanks!!!