This document belongs to Manual Full System Encryption (with Extras).
1. Description
- BIOS
- A system built into the hardware that allows the computer to start up.
- UEFI
- A newer system to replace BIOS.
UEFI stands for Unified Extensible Firmware Interface, often called just EFI for short (for historical reasons). It includes a hardware-based security measure to help protect against malware.
2. EFI and this process
These instructions pertain to machines with EFI.
If your computer is too old to have EFI, or for some reason you have disabled it, you would need a modified process, and the Boot cannot be encrypted. See Advanced features.
3. Do I have EFI?
3.1. Windows
Press Win+R and enter msinfo32.
In the window that opens, in the right-hand column, look for "BIOS Mode".
- If it says "Legacy", your computer doesn't use EFI and this process won't work.
- If it says "UEFI", your computer uses EFI and you can use this process.
3.2. Linux
Open a terminal (Ctrl+T).
- Type (or cut-and-paste) the following command.
[[ -e /sys/firmware/efi ]] && echo EFI || echo BIOS
- If the result reads "BIOS", your computer doesn't use EFI and this process won't work.
- If the result reads "EFI", your computer uses EFI and you can use this process.