drive encryption for laptops and desktop

What OS?

If you use Windows 7 ent, 8.1 pro use bitlocker. Part of the Windows.

•CipherShed
•Veracrypt

Both the above-mentioned tools are also freeware and works on the ideologies they have borrowed from TrueCrypt.

https://ciphershed.org/
https://veracrypt.codeplex.com/

windows 7 .

is bitlocker free?

Just a quick note that MD5 is completely and utterly broken.

Again, depends on goals but this is Microsoft OS.  You did not specify.

In that same area you can do IPSEC Wrapper Policies, set audit levels higher, custom Microsoft FW rules, a lot more.

Also, you have low level drive encryption which is actual drive encryption.  Don't lose the passphrase. McAfee is an example.  Or, Bitlocker aforementioned from Microsoft started with Vista I think.  

Then you have file system encryption, aka NTFS file system encryption such as EFS and forward.  EFS is not disk, that would be Bitlocker.

Then you have 1-way hash, aka SHA256.

Depends on your goal.  None of the above would protect your from SSL 1, 2 or 3 protocols and RC2 and RC 4 cipher suite attacks with browser.

There is a tool, or was a tool from SSLABS www.ssllabs.com

ISCryto.exe

I used this to remove all the low ciphers and disable SSL 2, and 3 which some sites still try to use.

Only TLS 1.0, 1.1, 1.2 is enabled as protocols and I reorder the cipher suite by preference.

So, the file encryption or disk encryption comes in handy if you have confidential data and lose your laptop.  Or, USB Drive, etc.

If you don't think the aforementioned is a problem.  Just go here:
https://www.ssllabs.com/ssltest/viewMyClient.html?_ga=1.181609383.1663915395.1444167649

Mine is all green, and no vulnerability on every test, only 9 cipher suite combinations and first 4 support forward secrecy.