Dual Booting Options: Windows, Linux (Unencrypted), Hidden OS, etc.

[Eric Duncan]

Hello! Thanks for the hard work in Veracrypt.

What is the overall support for Linux with Veracrypt?

I am a bit confused reading the documention on supported OS (which includes Linux) and Bootabled Encrypted OSes (which is only Windows).

Question #1: Can VeraCrypt dual-boot a Windows and non-Encrypted Linux setup?

Let's don't care about encrypting the Linux setup (LUKS is good for that). Why can't VeraCrypt store the first couple of bytes of the partition for the boot record? Why would it even care to boot a non-encrypted volume?

IOW, can VeraCrypt's "Boot Manager" per say be used to boot a non-encrypted OS?

Question #2: What about a "hidden Linux" partition, in a Dual Boot?

Building on Q1 above, if VeraCrypt can boot non-encrypted Volumes on the local disk, what about a Hidden veracrypt partition that is Linux?

I think that would be a No, since "any" partition Veracrypt uses as containers would be Encrypted - and it is stated that VeraCrypt does not support an encrypted Linux. But, I'd like to know.

End Game

Under the ideal world, my overall objectives would be:

• Dual Boot on my Windows 10 tablet, with a hidden Linux OS.
• The Hidden OS cannot be seen by any physical access to the machine, and rebooting it. (reading the documentation on hidden OS and veracrypt, i see that it is indeed hidden with the alternative passpharse approach).
• USB key + Password two-factor (I see 1.2 has this stuff in it from a different branch).

Under normal workflows, it would boot to VeraCrypt password prompt and I'd enter the WIndows 10 encrypted password. It boots to Windows 10 and all is perfectly fine (zero information about a hidden disk, except Disk Manager showing unallocated space at the end of the disk).

But for Linux, I'd reboot back to VeraCrype pwd prompt again - and enter the hidden OS password, which would boot the Linux OS partition.

Again, we don't have to encrypt the Linux partition. I just need VeraCrypt's Boot Manager to boot that Linux partition!

[Alex]

Everything is possible. Note: LUKS supports VeraCrypt format also.

See demo: https://sourceforge.net/projects/dc5/files/beta/

Probably clarification: Hidden means - encrypted data is hidden inside another encrypted data. It is difficult to distinguish. (not partition)

one more: It does not work from box but it is possible to configure.