Re: trying to install Debian encrypted in an existed partition, keeping the rest as it is ...
On Tue 05 Feb 2019 at 04:42:02 (-0500), Albretch Mueller wrote:
> On 1/31/19, David Wright <deblis@lionunicorn.co.uk> wrote:
> >> If for whatever reason you disown that computer, you would just
> >> delete that partition. Your own data you will keep on a USB pen or
> >> microdrive.
> >
> > Something like that. I'd run badblocks over the unencrypted partitions.
> >
>
> Why? Do you mean the low level formatting on an encrypted drive
> physically messes with it?
If by "low level formatting" you mean what manufacturers do, certainly not.
No, I'm just shredding any unencrypted partitions that are in the
"created space" (your item 2). Sorry if that wasn't clear.
> If you start the Debian installation Live DVD and remove that
> partition using parted. Would the BIOS, file system utilities under
> Windows not see and handle the deleted partition just as extra space?
I assume so. I've not done it, but I would think that you could regrow
the filesystem that you shrank at the start.
> This is of crucial importance because you don’t own those computers
> at work. Your supervisors, "tech support" would not mind you bending
> the rules a bit as long as you safely reset them back to their initial
> state when you disown them.
In my own circumstances, there are two scenarios, and the recipe
I posted was for the first. Here, the Debian installation is
permanent, but the preinstalled Windows must continue to function
without any interruption in availability. Being a laptop, the
options are a bit more limited.
The other scenario is for conventional PCs, and there are many
options depending on the loan. Sometimes the safest option would
to remove the drive and use your own for the duration. In my case,
the only reason the equipment hasn't been disposed of is the
stunning bureaucracy involved. Running the installed OS on a network
would be irresponsible, so there's no point in preserving it.
(BTW disposal would involve either three passes of badblocks
or total destruction of the drive.)
Cheers,
David.
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