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malenko
n00b
Joined: 01 Nov 2003
Posts: 15
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 Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2008 1:24 pm Post subject: mount a pointsec NTFS partition |
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Hello
I was given a new work notebook. I want to boot a linux live cd and read the windows partition. The disk (or maybe just the windows partition) is protected by pointsec. I knowe my pointsec login name and password. Running fdisk -l, I can see there is exactly one NTFS partition, but I cann't mount it (the message says something like the filesystem is not recognized; same if I force to mount it as ntfs partition).
Do you have any ideas how the windows partition can be mounted? I read several pages at internet, but in fact there are not much useful information.
I hardly realize how pointsec works at low level. I describe the boot process now. If I start the computer, immediately after BIOS I can enter my login name and password. Then windows starts. Briefly: | Code: | 1. BIOS
2. PointSec login
3. Start windows |
I don't know if PointSec protects whole disk or only the windows partition (I don't get to BIOS to change the boot order), so I don't know if point 2 is part of starting windows (point 3) or just a protection of disk MBR.
Anyway, during the pointsec login (point 2) it is possible to press ctrl-f10, and after passing the login, pointsec displays a list of boot posibilities. At this point I can select CD-ROM and boot a linux live cd. Now fdisk -l works, but mount does not. My understanding is that because I logged to pointsec, it should transparently (= encrypting/decrypting on the fly) allow access to the windows partition.
This is a puzzle I was tying to solve for several past weeks, but without any success. Any clues? Thanks! |
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alex.blackbit
Advocate
Joined: 26 Jul 2005
Posts: 2397
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| Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2008 2:17 pm Post subject: |
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there are actually 2 ntfs drivers available. the one provided by the kernel and sys-fs/ntfs3g.
did you try both? |
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monsm
Guru
Joined: 26 Sep 2007
Posts: 467
Location: London, UK
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| Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2008 3:39 pm Post subject: |
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Pointsec is disk encryption, so that's why the ntfs driver doesn't recognise it.
I did find this quote from Apil 2007:
| Quote: | Pointsec for Linux isn't really "full disk encryption"... It will encrypt Linux swap and ext2 and ext3 partitions, but /boot has to be unencrypted and any vfat/ntfs volumes are ignored. It is very specific concerning the partitioning, too. It is a workable product and quite robust. I prefer it to the Windoze counterpart. <BG>
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You can try the pointsec website and see if they have updated their software since then. They might have. I doubt either of the two ntfs drivers for linux have direct support for this encryption (I haven't checked, so you might want to find out, maybe there is a parameter you can pass in your fstab file).
Mons |
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alex.blackbit
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Joined: 26 Jul 2005
Posts: 2397
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| Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2008 4:21 pm Post subject: |
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| if the partition is really encrypted, monsm is right. the ntfs drivers will have no chance to give you access to the data without support from some kind of pointsec software. |
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