Mounting LUKS / dm-crypt Partitions in Microsoft Windows

I blogged earlier detailing my experiences in installation of Fedora Core 10, encrypted internal hard disk drives, and external removable hard disk drives. For some, it’s also necessary to be able to access encrypted removable drives in other Operating Systems, such as Microsoft Windows.

Under Microsoft Windows XP, you will need two pieces of software. A filesystem driver, such as Ext2fsd, and an application capable of opening and closing the LUKS container, such as FreeOTFE. Simply install both pieces of software, and ensure that both are executing. Ext2fsd seems to run at start-up by default, but FreeOTFE does not.

Plug in your LUKS/dm-crypt encrypted USB drive, and open up FreeOTFE. It’s quite tempting to jump straight for the big ‘Mount partition’ button, but instead you will need to go to the File menu, Linux volume, and Mount partition…

You will then be prompted to select the partition. Once you do, you’ll receive a prompt for the passphrase, and some additional mounting options. Input your LUKS passphrase for this parition, and change the Mount as option to Removable disk.

Click OK, and that’s it. The partition should mount correctly. When it comes to unplugging the device, remember to unmount first from FreeOTFE, and then go through the normal hardware disconnection procedure.

Related posts:

1. Fedora Core 10: LUKS and dm-crypt
2. Fedora Core 10: Encrypted Swap Partition
3. More Gadgetations