Lithium : Encrypted installation, zeroing disk(ERASING DATA) [SOLVED]

yoda · 2020-02-26 17:59:59

Just a comment

We we choose our installation to be encrypted (Use Entire Disk, Encryptd etc etc ) , the installer is zeroing the disk (ERASING DATA) and it is " very very very long ...."

I know when we format a disk and zeroing (don't know how to say it)a disk to be sure nobody can recover DATA make sense, but doing it at installation ?

JF

Last edited by yoda (2020-02-27 16:48:04)

johnraff · 2020-02-27 01:00:30

The Debian installer (that the BunsenLabs installer is based on) offers you the choice of erasing all data on a partition before using it, or just formatting. Yes, erasing the data takes a long time (I made that same mistake once), but if there's nothing important there you can just choose to format it.

yoda · 2020-02-27 12:58:02

I'll make one more test in a VM.
If I remember well, if we choose to encrypt our installation (last choice), it doing that be default.... No way to choose encryption without ERASING DATA.

Will retest and let you know

yoda · 2020-02-27 13:15:01

Just tried again
If we choose the only formatting choice with the word, encrypted in it, it will ERASE the DISK ( older the PC, longer is LOL 30 minutes, 1 hour etc)

I didn't tried manual to see if I could endup being able to have everything ( SWAP for laptop, encrypted etc)

But then normal user who want his laptop encrypted will choose the CHOICE WITH ENCRYPTED in it's description and will be forced to ERASE DATA...

NOt the end of the world, but long...

JF

damo · 2020-02-27 14:02:21

yoda wrote:

...
But then normal user who want his laptop encrypted will choose the CHOICE WITH ENCRYPTED in it's description and will be forced to ERASE DATA...

But if you want to encrypt a drive then surely you wouldn't be using a Live Install process to install a new OS on it.

yoda · 2020-02-27 14:27:44

damo wrote:

yoda wrote:
...
But then normal user who want his laptop encrypted will choose the CHOICE WITH ENCRYPTED in it's description and will be forced to ERASE DATA...
But if you want to encrypt a drive then surely you wouldn't be using a Live Install process to install a new OS on it.

I come from the MIcrosoft world but have been using Linux distros on all my PCs now for 10 years approx.

I am not sure to understand what you mean ?

When you install an Linux Distro, you boot with a USB stick and install from the 1st start menu, or from within the LIVE OS you booted to, trying the OS and then installing ?

What other way do you have to fresh install a PC using an Linux installer ?

I tried tons of distros and stop hopping a couple of years ago from Ubuntu, Arch, Debian... And I now use Debian Distro only...

And Bunsenlab distos are in my top 2 ! I love your work...

And on my 2 SLower Laptop, I just installed Lithium, that I love...

Last edited by yoda (2020-02-27 14:28:03)

damo · 2020-02-27 16:00:54

^ My understanding is that if you install an OS on a drive, it will overwrite each bit it needs. If you haven't previously wiped it (zeroed the bits), earlier data may still be there but inaccessible without a low-level disc utility.

But then normal user who want his laptop encrypted will choose the CHOICE WITH ENCRYPTED in it's description and will be forced to ERASE DATA...

So installing to a partition where you want to still access the data is not very sensible. If you want to install, then it will erase data anyway, whether you are encrypting the drive or not.

yoda · 2020-02-27 16:05:24

OK we agree.

My point is if someone install a fresh Lithium on a PC and " doesn't care about the DATA thatwas already there", but care of the confidentiality of the " Future DATA" he will choose ENCRYPTED in the formating choice and will have to wait a lot for the installation to proceed...

But as I said, it's not the end of the world....

It's just, it's the 1st time I see that, tut do not care that much, but still, install took around 1 hour on a good, old, IBM Laptop using a mecanical Hard drive ( not SSD)

JF
tks !!!

tks

tynman · 2020-02-27 16:14:25

If you want to install, then it will erase data anyway, whether you are encrypting the drive or not.

I have installed Debian/BL a few times. I don't recall it "erasing" anything on the OS (root) partition. To do that, there would be a long lull in the install progress (duration depending on the size of the partition). It overwrites a few GB with the files it installs, but any existing data that isn't overwritten would still be there.

yoda · 2020-02-27 16:16:33

tynman wrote:

If you want to install, then it will erase data anyway, whether you are encrypting the drive or not.
I have installed Debian/BL a few times. I don't recall it "erasing" anything on the OS (root) partition. To do that, there would be a long lull in the install progress (duration depending on the size of the partition). It overwrites a few GB with the files it installs, but any existing data that isn't overwritten would still be there.

To go to the bottom of this, I will download previous version of the installer, not lithium... And try the ENCRYPTED install choice to see if it " FORCE ON US" to ERASE DATA...

JF

yoda · 2020-02-27 16:47:26

Yes debian installer of Helium, is doing SAME.... So it's a normal behavior of the DEBIAN installer.

JF

rbh · 2020-02-28 20:15:24

yoda wrote:

To go to the bottom of this, I will download previous version of the installer, not lithium... And try the ENCRYPTED install choice to see if it " FORCE ON US" to ERASE DATA...

A workaround is to abort the wipe of the disk. Then when resuming the installation, accept diskpartition, it goes direkct to formating disk. No need to wait for overwriting with zeroes.

Last edited by rbh (2020-02-28 20:38:14)

yoda · 2020-02-29 06:09:46

tks rbh !
JF

rbh · 2020-02-29 08:34:26

rbh wrote:

A workaround is to abort the wipe of the disk. Then when resuming the installation, accept diskpartition, it goes direkct to formating disk. No need to wait for overwriting with zeroes.

Can someone post the workaround in Annoyances and workarounds? (Or give me rights to do it?)

damo · 2020-02-29 08:54:59

rbh wrote:

rbh wrote:
A workaround is to abort the wipe of the disk. Then when resuming the installation, accept diskpartition, it goes direkct to formating disk. No need to wait for overwriting with zeroes.
Can someone post the workaround in Annoyances and workarounds? (Or give me rights to do it?)

Write it up as a new thread in "Scripts...", as a proper HowTo, then we can link to it.

rbh · 2020-02-29 15:17:49

damo wrote:

Write it up as a new thread in "Scripts...", as a proper HowTo, then we can link to it.

Done: Faster installation when choice of encrypting disk

#1 2020-02-26 17:59:59

Lithium : Encrypted installation, zeroing disk(ERASING DATA) [SOLVED]

#2 2020-02-27 01:00:30

Re: Lithium : Encrypted installation, zeroing disk(ERASING DATA) [SOLVED]

#3 2020-02-27 12:58:02

Re: Lithium : Encrypted installation, zeroing disk(ERASING DATA) [SOLVED]

#4 2020-02-27 13:15:01

Re: Lithium : Encrypted installation, zeroing disk(ERASING DATA) [SOLVED]

#5 2020-02-27 14:02:21

Re: Lithium : Encrypted installation, zeroing disk(ERASING DATA) [SOLVED]

#6 2020-02-27 14:27:44

Re: Lithium : Encrypted installation, zeroing disk(ERASING DATA) [SOLVED]

#7 2020-02-27 16:00:54

Re: Lithium : Encrypted installation, zeroing disk(ERASING DATA) [SOLVED]

#8 2020-02-27 16:05:24

Re: Lithium : Encrypted installation, zeroing disk(ERASING DATA) [SOLVED]

#9 2020-02-27 16:14:25

Re: Lithium : Encrypted installation, zeroing disk(ERASING DATA) [SOLVED]

#10 2020-02-27 16:16:33

Re: Lithium : Encrypted installation, zeroing disk(ERASING DATA) [SOLVED]

#11 2020-02-27 16:47:26

Re: Lithium : Encrypted installation, zeroing disk(ERASING DATA) [SOLVED]

#12 2020-02-28 20:15:24

Re: Lithium : Encrypted installation, zeroing disk(ERASING DATA) [SOLVED]

#13 2020-02-29 06:09:46

Re: Lithium : Encrypted installation, zeroing disk(ERASING DATA) [SOLVED]

#14 2020-02-29 08:34:26

Re: Lithium : Encrypted installation, zeroing disk(ERASING DATA) [SOLVED]

#15 2020-02-29 08:54:59

Re: Lithium : Encrypted installation, zeroing disk(ERASING DATA) [SOLVED]

#16 2020-02-29 15:17:49

Re: Lithium : Encrypted installation, zeroing disk(ERASING DATA) [SOLVED]

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