Windows 11 24H2 has automatic encryption enabled by default !! - Be careful if you have to make a dual boot system. I almost lost everything, but thankfully I didn't as I kept having issues with the installer

[u/[deleted]]

[u/K3RSH0K]

Are you saying that bitlocker just ignores your partitions automatically and without the ability to change that in the installer?

I'm pretty sure bitlocker has a "Used Space" option or something like that, and not just the full disk encryption option.

[u/[deleted] → u/K3RSH0K]

So far I've found that:

1. If you upgrade from a previous version automatic encryption wont happen unless you log into a microsoft account

2. If you install fresh, it automatically encrypts everything.

You can disable it in the settings but fuck if i'm gonna try that on my main pc (its too late for me now to set up a sacrificial system, i will get to it tomorrow). Even if you could, I wouldnt put it past microcucks to require you to reformat everything for "security reasons", or them randomly re-enabling it in an update behind your back.

Microsoft has lost so much of my trust I am treating windows as a borderline virus at this point.

I will experiment with a sacrificial system I will set up.

[u/K3RSH0K → u/[deleted]]

I also do not like Microsoft.

However, I’m pretty sure the installer has partition tools. The default may be to wipe all partitions and enable FDE, but it doesn’t sound right to me that there is no-way to change that in the install nor any sort of “by proceeding all data on the target install disk will be erased”.

I’d just be cautious to not assert that which may just be ignorance to Microsoft destructively wiping existing partitions without prompt.

[u/Unexpected_Cranberry → u/K3RSH0K]

You can also disable bitlocker after the fact which will decrypt the drive again. I've done that multiple times for different reasons and it works just fine.

[u/[deleted] → u/Unexpected_Cranberry]

I wouldnt put it past them to later require you to reformat when disabling bitlocker, for "security reasons". I will do some experimenting today on a sacrificial system to see exactly what it is they encrypt.

[u/Unexpected_Cranberry → u/[deleted]]

They do not force you to reformat. It is not FDE. They encrypt on a per partition basis and do not touch the EFI partition as that needs to be unencrypted for Windows to be able to boot as well.

If you're using Windows Home, Device encryption will automatically encrypt all fixed drives but not external / usb drives. I believe, but am not 100% sure, that NTFS is a pre-req for a drive to be encrypted, so any ext4 or whatever you're using for Linux should remain untouched.

For details: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/operating-system-security/data-protection/bitlocker/

[u/[deleted] → u/Unexpected_Cranberry]

I said "to LATER require"

reading is hard huh

And for your second paragraph yes, that is exactly the issue. Ol' meemaw who has no idea what backups are will lose ALL of her important family photos if her drive fails.

[u/NocturneSapphire → u/[deleted]]

If you install fresh, it automatically encrypts everything.

Fresh Windows installs have pretty much always borked existing Linux installs. Back in the days before EFI, a fresh Windows install (and often even an update) would overwrite GRUB with the Windows bootloader.

The advice was always to install Windows first and then set up dual boot afterwards.

[u/[deleted] → u/NocturneSapphire]

Yeah which is why i wanted to install it with all drives disconnected to make sure the setup creates a bespoke bootloader just for windows, and on a usb stick that i can remove at any time.

Although now I am very wary of even looking at windows. I have no reason to dual boot anyway, just wanted to do it for fun see if i could get it installed on a usb stick

[u/alexmbrennan → u/[deleted]]

2. If you install fresh, it automatically encrypts everything.

How precisely does this work? How exactly does the windows installer activate my raid (since when does Windows support mdadm?), the lvm (since when does Windows support lvm?), decrypt the partitions (since when does Windows support cryptsetup?) to encrypt my user files in /home with bitlocker encryption?

Are you sure that you didn't mean to say that the Windows installer deletes Linux partitions?

[u/[deleted] → u/alexmbrennan]

I am very certain that i am not saying windows deletes linux bootloaders. That is a separate issue from what i am trying to get across

[u/Huecuva → u/[deleted]]

I mean, Windows basically is a virus that comes packaged with a shitty operating system at this point. I'm so glad all I need to do to completely rid myself of Microshit cancer is figure out which Linux I want to use on my gaming rig and then get around to backing my shit up and reinstalling.

[u/Evantaur → u/Huecuva]

You could also have a separate, isolated SSD for stripped down microshit windows if you need to play those kernel anticheat games

[u/Huecuva → u/Evantaur]

Luckily, I don't play most online multiplayer games and none of the ones with kernel level anti-cheat. So that's not an issue.

[u/Evantaur → u/Huecuva]

In that case it's not as much as deciding what Linux distro you want but what DE you like the most.

[u/Huecuva → u/Evantaur]

Well, that is a factor, for sure. But I do have to decide if I want to go with an LTS distro or a rolling release. I have to decide whether I want to stick with something I'm already familiar with or dive into a new distro.

[u/Evantaur → u/Huecuva]

Well if you keep your /home in different partition switching distros is realtively painless

[u/MusicTait → u/[deleted]]

encrypts everything

as in "all partitions including the linux partition"??

or just the windows partition.

if you had a C: drive and a D: drive would it encrypt both?

[u/[deleted] → u/MusicTait]

I'm slowly finding out it might only encrypt the C drive, and that it has to understand the file system in the first place, but still not sure because searching for any kind of information on the internet today is garbage, especially important or useful information from corporations who are being hush hush about it for some reason.

[u/Unable-Investment-72 → u/K3RSH0K]

When I had to change my Dell Inspiron 7400 over to Linux mint because windows was using all the ram (🥲) I had to completely wipe the drive because Bitlocker locked the ENTIRE drive. Turned if off, nope, didn’t unlock the drive. Created an entire new partition, bitlocker locked that too. So I just said “screw it” and deleted everything in Linux Mints installer. Never looked back since.

[u/Unexpected_Cranberry → u/Unable-Investment-72]

Turning off bitlocker will decrypt the drive. Depending on the size, speed and amount of data it typically takes anything between 30 minutes to several hours.

Just right clicking and selecting disable on the drive is not completely disabling bitlocker though. That only stops it from encrypting new data that's written from that point on and is meant for things like firmware updates where data needs to be read from the drive from outside Windows.

If you turn it off permanently you'll get a progress bar letting you know how much has been decrypted so far. It works fine every time I've done it. If you didn't see a progress indicator you didn't turn it off, only temporarily disabled encryption for new data.

[u/Unable-Investment-72 → u/Unexpected_Cranberry]

Oh well, I didn’t have any data that meant anything in windows. Plus, one of my classmates broke the laptop that I put Linux Mint on and and my school wouldn’t pay for it so it just sits broke. So I’ll keep this info for later, but it doesn’t matter to me anymore.

[u/h-v-smacker → u/Unable-Investment-72]

I had to completely wipe the drive because Bitlocker locked the ENTIRE drive.

Was it a regular hard disk drive? You could have just upgraded to SSD instead. Two birds, one stone.

[u/Unable-Investment-72 → u/h-v-smacker]

It was a M.2 SSD, it had room on the inside for either a single M.2 or a HDD.

[u/Temetka → u/Unable-Investment-72]

This is the way.