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Orbixx

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How to install a hidden operating system?

Much like what OEM vendors provide in their hidden partitions for OS recovery... How do I create a bootable operating system which is hidden from an existing Windows operating system on a computer?

What OEM consumer PC vendors seem to be doing for their recovery systems is listening for a keypress on boot and then booting the hidden partition if it receives the keypress or handing off to the proper Windows bootloader if it doesn't receive the keypress.

How can I replicate this with a real operating system instead of a recovery environment?

(FYI, Truecrypt's hidden operating system feature is NOT what I'm looking for, even though it's likely the first Google result you'll find)
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IanTh
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the recovery partition is just made inactive usually

you can make a partion inactive and that means the os wouldn't see it and when the key is pressed during boot the code makes the bios see that partion as boot by changing its status flag to enabled and boot

so your problem is going to be as your not rewritting the bios how would you get your keypress and boot code into the bios
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Chris B
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Oh and yes, you can totally hide the "other" OS from the active one, or allow file transfer between them.

Chris B
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Orbixx

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So the partition magic basically deployed a custom alternative bootloader?
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rindi
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Are there are free or open source alternatives?
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