# mount a pointsec NTFS partition

## malenko

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: 

```
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

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

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> 
> 
> 

 

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

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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