Rant at the Microsoft XP Recovery Console
I am used to needless security measures that get in the way of doing necessary things. I run Linux. This is part of the territory. If you wish to be needlessly told many times that "you may not do X" or not have your sound work because "you're not part of the sound group", Linux is the operating system for you.
What I don't expect is for Microsoft to pull this kind of stunt on me. I have an Acer laptop I'm repairing. The windows setup files are on the secondary hard drive partition. I can't use them to boot a new system, but I can install from them. So, I thought that I'd use the windows recovery console to boot into the drive and then start the setup from there. After all, even Linux allows you to do this. What could possibly go wrong?*
Well, it turns out that Windows has decided that they want your files to be secure even if someone is using a CD to boot around the operating system protections. It makes a kind of sense, in the way that even a mighty Linux system is completely open when you boot from a CD and manually mount your way into the disk. Anyone can get at files you protected because no protections are running, they haven't had time to start yet. So, to prevent against this, windows requires two things. The first is that you log into an existing installation. This caused me much grief a month ago, but I learnt to live with it as a Microsoft peculiarity, especially when tools exist that allow you to hack the user**. The second I just found out today. The recovery console deliberately restricts access to the root partitions and the system folder. You can copy files from removable media (e.g. USB) but not to removable media (which explains why my attempt to backup didn't work a month ago).
As far as protecting your computer, it's great. It just overlooks one tiny, little gaping hole of a detail, which is why Linux planted this huge security vulnerability into the design of their OS in the first place. It overlooks the fact that most people end up booting off CD because their computer is completely and utterly f**ked (a technical term). They want to unf**k it (another technical term). Having full access to your disk is useful to do that. Especially when there are otherwise useful ways for the security conscious*** to secure their system**** against this kind of attack.
The average user of Windows does not need this kind of security. Most of the time, their concept of security is stretched trying to remember their passwords**, let alone protecting their files against complicated exploits. All it does is that it serves to make the lives of people like me utterly miserable because it makes our lives Complicated in a completely unnecessary way when we try to dig these people out of the lovely big hole in the ground they have so carefully yet unwittingly excavated for themselves. Oh, I suppose I could be grateful, because with these kind of "enhancements", people like me are ensured a job for life, but I rail at the sheer mind-bending sloppiness.
*sigh* Back to "fixing" computers. This has been the kind of week where nothing computer related has gone right.
* This question, when asked around computers is normally answered by "You have not yet begun to experience the immensity of the unimaginable realms of what can go wrong...".
** Because it's too much to ask for anyone to remember the administrator password, isn't it?
*** Another name for the unreasonably paranoid.
**** Normally involving a BIOS password, but the security conscious*** can also encrypt their disks.
What I don't expect is for Microsoft to pull this kind of stunt on me. I have an Acer laptop I'm repairing. The windows setup files are on the secondary hard drive partition. I can't use them to boot a new system, but I can install from them. So, I thought that I'd use the windows recovery console to boot into the drive and then start the setup from there. After all, even Linux allows you to do this. What could possibly go wrong?*
Well, it turns out that Windows has decided that they want your files to be secure even if someone is using a CD to boot around the operating system protections. It makes a kind of sense, in the way that even a mighty Linux system is completely open when you boot from a CD and manually mount your way into the disk. Anyone can get at files you protected because no protections are running, they haven't had time to start yet. So, to prevent against this, windows requires two things. The first is that you log into an existing installation. This caused me much grief a month ago, but I learnt to live with it as a Microsoft peculiarity, especially when tools exist that allow you to hack the user**. The second I just found out today. The recovery console deliberately restricts access to the root partitions and the system folder. You can copy files from removable media (e.g. USB) but not to removable media (which explains why my attempt to backup didn't work a month ago).
As far as protecting your computer, it's great. It just overlooks one tiny, little gaping hole of a detail, which is why Linux planted this huge security vulnerability into the design of their OS in the first place. It overlooks the fact that most people end up booting off CD because their computer is completely and utterly f**ked (a technical term). They want to unf**k it (another technical term). Having full access to your disk is useful to do that. Especially when there are otherwise useful ways for the security conscious*** to secure their system**** against this kind of attack.
The average user of Windows does not need this kind of security. Most of the time, their concept of security is stretched trying to remember their passwords**, let alone protecting their files against complicated exploits. All it does is that it serves to make the lives of people like me utterly miserable because it makes our lives Complicated in a completely unnecessary way when we try to dig these people out of the lovely big hole in the ground they have so carefully yet unwittingly excavated for themselves. Oh, I suppose I could be grateful, because with these kind of "enhancements", people like me are ensured a job for life, but I rail at the sheer mind-bending sloppiness.
*sigh* Back to "fixing" computers. This has been the kind of week where nothing computer related has gone right.
* This question, when asked around computers is normally answered by "You have not yet begun to experience the immensity of the unimaginable realms of what can go wrong...".
** Because it's too much to ask for anyone to remember the administrator password, isn't it?
*** Another name for the unreasonably paranoid.
**** Normally involving a BIOS password, but the security conscious*** can also encrypt their disks.