System encryption with Veracrypt

Lestech

Hi,

I tried encypting my system drive using Veracrypt but it fails the boot test. It looks like the operating system isn't booting from the drive it's installed on. It looks like there are 4 partitions, with 3 and 4 being the C and D drive. Can I just change the boot sequence?

Win 7 Home Premium. Aspire M1930.

 

Thanks.

philetus

Did you encrypt the system drive? Did you make a rescue disk?

 

"However, in order to boot a system encrypted by VeraCrypt, an unencrypted copy of the VeraCrypt Boot Loader has to be stored on the system drive or on a VeraCrypt Rescue Disk."

 

https://veracrypt.codeplex.com/wikipage?title=VeraCrypt%20Rescue%20Disk

Lestech

HI,

Yes, I have created a rescue disk as part of the process. However, after doing that the system runs a test prior to actually encrypting the system drive. Normally you would be presented with the boot scrren and password request but that doesn't happen. Just a black screen.

After another reboot, and finally getting back into windows, Veracrypt reports that the test failed and explains that it may be because the operating system is not booting from the drive the system is installed in.  Having looked, I can see there are two additional small partitions in addition to C and D. I think it's booting from one of those. Looking at the BIOS sequence it sets the order as partition 1 first. Partition 1 is one of the smaller ones and not C or D.

 

Any ideas?

 

 

philetus

While I would like to help you, This is an Acer forum and I am here to help people with Acer problems.

If you want to run Veracrypt, my idea is you should learn how to use it. Go here:

https://veracrypt.codeplex.com/documentation and read about Hidden Operating system and here is a Veracrypt help forum: https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=veracrypy%20forum

I hope you get it ironed out and have no more problems with it.

dsanta

I just ran into this. I had to make sure Secure Boot was disabled in the bios. Then in another area there is the option to Launch CSM. You want this enabled. It will then set things to legacy boot. I did have to use Macrium Reflect rescue/usb boot to fix boot problems to ensure that it wrote the mbr to the partition. Once all this was done I was able to encrypt the drive.

 

The two part disabling of UEFI is what threw me for a long time.

Lestech

Hi dsanta,

 

Thansk for your helpful reply. I do know heo to use Veracrypt but it was the way Acer have set up their drives that was my issue. Your explanation is useful and I'll look into it further. Many thanks.

EndLess1512

Hi
I have the same problem of Lestech, but mine Acer runs windows 10... Anyone can help me??

JackE

Endless---Your problem is similar to Lestech. But the solution will not be the same because Lestech's HDD uses the older MBR partitioning scheme with a legacy BIOS. Your HDD uses the newer GPT partitioning scheme with a UEFI BIOS. In both cases, the Veracrypt installation issues are likely related to its inability to determine which partition the original Windows installation places its  bootloader and boot files. In Lestech's case it is in the system reserved partition which can be transferred to Windows system C: drive as shown in this link

https://www.terabyteunlimited.com/kb/article.php?id=409

This can't be done with the newer GPT partitioned drive. So I must agree with Philetus that  your best information on doing this is joining the Veracrypt technical forum https://sourceforge.net/p/veracrypt/discussion/technical/

Jack E/NJ