PGP Whole disk Encryption but for Windows Partition only ?

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Level 1

10 points

PGP Whole disk Encryption but for Windows Partition only ?

Hi,

Slightly unusual situation here. I want to use my MacBook Pro at work and home. OSX at home and XP at work. Now at work they have a strict policy of only allowing computers on the network with PGP Whole disk Encryption. I've looked into this and there doesn't appear to be a way of setting this up via bootcamp because PGP makes use of MBR which as far as I know bootcamp doesn't use and PGP themselves say bootcamp isn't supported.

Looking around the web there are various articles about tripple/quad booting Mac systems not using bootcamp but things such as Grub or reFIT. I'm wondering if there is a way of using this boot technique but using the partition option when installing PGP for windows and only setting it up on the defined windows partition.

Has anybody tried this or have alternatives ?

Thanks in advance

Steve

iMac 2.8 Extreme, Mac OS X (10.5.7)

Posted on Jul 7, 2009 1:46 PM

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Answer 1

KJK555

Level 4

2,906 points

Jul 7, 2009 4:52 PM in response to swebb99

Hi Steve:
Windows has a boot manager built in. Windows can be installed on a logical NTFS partition, the boot
manager can sit on a tiny fat or fat32 primary partition. I have used this arrangement on my PC's
many times. I have not tried it on a Mac, but it should work. You will need to have some working
knowledge of partitioning to pull it off.

I don't know how PGP designed their software, but it should support this arrangement, unless they
have some cheesy engineering design built into their software that would prevent it from working.

The windows boot manager has been with NT from the beginning. It is not rocket science, NTLDR
sits in the usual spot reserved for system boot files, the boot ini file tells NTLDR what partition
the /windows/system32/ntoskrnl.exe is on and NTLDR passes the ball to ntoskrnl and away
she goes if everything is Kosher. Windows boot manager can boot other OS's as well.
Be aware though that windows may assign a drive letter to the windows installation other than
"c" (usually "d" of "f". That doesn't keep anything from working though.

Kj

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Answer 2

swebb99 Author

Level 1

10 points

Jul 8, 2009 3:39 AM in response to KJK555

Thanks for the reply. My understanding is that they do some trickery with the boot partition which restricts the way things work for dual booting. Its not at all clear from there website what is possible and what isn't. There certainly seems to be a lot of people with problems mac machines.

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Answer 3

KJK555

Level 4

2,906 points

Jul 8, 2009 7:37 AM in response to swebb99

You would think that since they offer an Intel Mac version of the product and since the coming of
GPT partitioned drives is inevitable anyway, that they would offer a GPT aware product, especially
in light of the fact that a free encryption product (True Crypt) of equal strength and reliability
is knocking on their back door.

IMHO entire boot drive encryption is utter nonsense anyway. I bet just to get it to work they had
to implement more tricks than a herd of monkeys in a mile of grapevines.

You could try the virtual machine route, run it under Parallels Desktop. It should work without a
hitch in a virtual machine, theoretically should be be even more secure too.

Kj

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Answer 4

swebb99 Author

Level 1

10 points

Jul 9, 2009 6:42 AM in response to KJK555

Yes I attempted to explain the VM route to where I work but they would not entertain the idea of having an apple box on the network running XP under VM. Its Windows with PGP full disk encryption or nothing. They wanted to wipe OSX and just setup windows. I'd assumed it was possible to have both and Windows running with encryption when required. Its looking like a pipe dream now 😟

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Answer 5

Jul 9, 2009 7:03 AM in response to swebb99

Hi sweb99;

If I were working in a place where IT was run by such bunch of stupid Gestapo-like personnel, I would be working on one thing and one thing only, my resume because I would be looking to move somewhere else to work and soon.

Allan

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Answer 6

KJK555

Level 4

2,906 points

Jul 9, 2009 10:15 AM in response to swebb99

Well, looks like curtains for PGP on XP on the Mac in your neck of the woods unless PGP engineers
antes up and fixes the GPT compatibility issue. They are going to have to do it sooner or later
because the PC Bios days are numbered already, unless they don't mind losing sales.

If those engineers were working for me they would either be looking for a solution or looking
for another job.

Kj

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Answer 7

KJK555

Level 4

2,906 points

Jul 9, 2009 12:28 PM in response to Allan Eckert

Hi Allan:
Like the last two lyric lines in song by the "Who": 'won't get fooled again' says:
Meet the new boss
Same as the old boss

In most organizations there is a right way, a wrong way and THEIR way.

Kj

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