-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA256

   ***^\     ."_)~~
 ~( __ _"o   Was another beautiful day, Mon, 16 Oct 2006,
   @  @      at 19:47:56 +0500, when Richard H. Stoddard wrote:

> With WinPT, I have the option of creating an RSA key up to 4096; with
> PGP I can create an RSA key only up to 2048, while a DH/DSS key can go
> to 4096. Which is the better option for PGP? (Eventually I will phase
> out of using PGP, but need to have GnuGP working reliably first.)

It is safer/best to create new keys using GnuPG. (PGP will manage then
with 3072 bits RSA keys quite fine, and even with bigger ones.) Besides,
GnuPG as such is reliable always (which is not case with other crypto
software, including the "modern" PGP). In combinations with other
programs it may vary (as you experience yourself). Best combination (so
far) is GnuPG + GPGShell (and of mailers + The Bat).

> Also, how do I change the hash algorithm? With PGP v8.1 I have several
> algorithm options, but they all seem to result in a hash SHA1.

SHA1 is also unsafe algorithm. In GnuPG you add/remove hashes and the
rest by updating the key preferences. It is done by typing in on the
command line (in Windows the DOS Prompt -- Start | Run | cmd | [OK])...

gpg --edit-key (and here you type in ID of the key you want to edit)

...then you type in...

setpref (and here you choose wanted hashes -- see the table below)

...and then when you are finished, you type in this...

save

...hit [enter] button and your key preferences are updated.

                                   *

The list of abbreviations for algorithms is here...

   ##########################################################
   # Cipher-Algos:    # Digest-Algos:    # Compress-Algos:  #
   ##########################################################
   #                  #                  # Z0  Uncompressed #
   # S1  IDEA         # H1  MD5          # Z1  ZIP          #
   # S2  3DES         # H2  SHA1         # Z2  ZLIB         #
   # S3  CAST5        # H3  RIPEMD160    # Z3  BZIP2        #
   # S4  BLOWFISH     #                  #                  #
   #                  #                  #                  #
   #                  # H6  TIGER192     #                  #
   # S7  AES          #                  #                  #
   # S8  AES192       # H8  SHA256       #                  #
   # S9  AES256       # H9  SHA384       #                  #
   # S10 TWOFISH      # H10 SHA512       #                  #
   #                  # H11 SHA224       #                  #
   ##########################################################

...so you can choose what you prefer (you may choose them all and what
is not applicable will be simply omitted), and write it in the form...

setpref S10 S9 S8 (and so on) H11 H10 (etc) Z3 Z2 (etc)

...just bear in mind that for H6, the TIGER192 algorithm, you will need
specially modified version of GnuPG with more features, and if you
really need it for any reasons you may download such one here
<http://tronogi.tripod.com/gpgcvsdl.html>. It also is able to create
keys up to 16,384 bits and has some other handy additions.

These GPG versions are like any other ones, just having more features,
so it works well with The Flying Suc...Mammal too. You install it by
simply copying its files over already installed ones.


> I'm still having some problems with TB!'s integration. For example, I
> seem to be able to decrypt okay - most of the time - but tonight it
> still tells me there is no secret key when I try to sign/encrypt using
> its privacy menu options. WinPT, on the other hand, was working
> tonight, although now I'm having troubles again. (It keeps defaulting
> to another open message to sign, and after closing that one it now
> tells me there it could not extract text from the window.) Again, maybe
> if I use just one of them I'll be okay.

Integrated decryption works with no problem in TBat, using GnuPG. Tricky
is with encryption however, since this part of the Bat's being is a bit
dull, a bit stubborn and a bit seemingly retarded a longer time already
in this regard, so I manage other way for mail encryption (using
Clipboard feature in GPGShell, most of the time).

> Thanks for all of the advice and assistance.

As the Sir McAntony Dubbya of/von Boom would say, You Was Welcomes. (-:

More specific and "expert" answers you'll most probably get on the
other, PGP, more specialized, list, as for GnuPG alone, while the
matters of Bat's and GnuPG's integration have better chance to be solved
here. I guess. Even only in theory. (:

- --
Mica
 ~~~ For personal mail please use my address as it is *exactly* given
     in my "From" field, otherwise it will not reach me. ~~~
GPG keys/docs/software at: http://blueness.port5.com/pgpkeys/
                           http://tronogi.tripod.com/pgp/pgpkeys/
[Earth LOG: 670 day(s) since v3.0 unleashing]
OSs: Windows 98 SE Micro Lite Professional IVa Enterprise Millennium
     Windows XP(ee) Micro Lite Professional 1.6, Gentoo & Vector ~ Wine
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.4.6-svn-4217 <>o<> tiger192 i686 (MSYS/MinGW32)

iQEVAwUBRTO8hbSpHvHEUtv8AQjdTgf8Dlvn6B+hpBgnpIdCdZMcdORy1bLtDhLE
/YKqcEPF2ATpLsXaCXYwlJ76QmODjrzZ2+WOqP8oUt+tQWwT+gdd0R/CkzZCkYdN
8H25y9gLGx+RC6pMbvrsZ9t2OTKuaG9Jy/jNjN1xBAXw+9T2kCq14F58T32wU8t9
waAmHp0UtK1XHUQOLTRTWtTfH6eQTuVnqmfUOYjOPTiYXaPFSO3Z1FH7c4B4vUl4
HjRLGHGCNI65pRVdnBNwgzbatriWb3hiTd0rk1D0WrucZWVJXXtJwqjPgDeQCFYT
4JrMMGn4MjUs0SLW0Ll9X/Gb1rTJQwfYCNBWmuNq5XWMtWgm2X+fPQ==
=TKUi
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----


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