File Share Encryption

Hi,

Original post below. Updated to PGP 10.2.0 MP2 and tried again but exactly the same experience as below i.e. still getting the "Inconsistent system files" dialog box. I'd be grateful from some thoughts from the Symantec staff on the forum as there have been only questions and no answers to previous posts. Here's hoping!

Cheers

Iain

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Using Crucial M4 512GB SSD with Mac OSX 10.6.8 with MacBook Pro 2007. Manged to update firmware to 009 and get drive to boot in internal bay but now having problems with PGP 10.2

Initial error was PGP encrypting drive prior to cloning my system to it. This didn't work externally or in drive bay.

Then decrypted and found it would work externally but not in drive bay. Updated Firmware to 009 and it worked externally and in the drive bay.

Then encrypted the drive and though it works OK I get a message at startup as follows

This worries me a bit and I've run Disk Warrior and Disk Utility on the drive and it checks out fine. I've tried to reset the PMU and reset the PRAM.

I've decrypted the drive and verified that it works OK and doesn't generate this message, then re-encrypted it and found it generates the error message again.

What is happening here?

Oh and as an aside am I correct in thinking that there's no point in trying to enable TRIM on a PGP encrypted drive?

Cheers

Iain

Hi Iain,

I don't have an answer for you, but I can contribute to the conversation that I am running 10.2.0MP1 on 10.6.8 on a macbook pro and I get the "Inconsistent System Files" dialog box each time I boot my machine. I have a standard, not SSD, hard drive in my machine.

A little bit of further digging has revealed the following messages in system.log which I believe to be the source of the message:

Oct 31 22:04:45 localhost com.apple.kextd[13]: Warning: mkext on root filesystem does not match the one used for startup
Oct 31 22:04:45 localhost com.apple.kextd[13]: Warning: mkext unexpectedly out of date relative to Extensions folder.

These messages started appearing after my machine crashed a couple of days ago. I have not been able to get rid of the dialog box, but for now the machine seems to be running ok.

Sorry I can't be more help, but I'd be interested in seeing if symantec have anything to say about this.

regards,

daveor

Thanks Daveor,

I got the 'inconsistent system files' error on a non-encrypted disk after a system freeze and force reboot (holding the power button down).

I also found that trying to startup in safe boot mode caused a kernel panic. I uninstalled PGP, reset the PRAM (not sure if this was necessary) and the problem went away (I was then able to boot in safe mode). I re-installed PGP 10.2 MP2, re-encrypted and the problem is back, so it does seem to be a PGP issue.

I use hardware growler and did on one occasion see a volume loading briefly called 'firmwaresyncd' that sounds as if it might be involved and it may be that PGP somehow delays the loading of some file such that the system generates the error though subsequently the files are loaded OK, (my MBP seems to run fine when the error is generated)

It would be nice to hear from PGP though I'm not holding my breath.

In the end I may have to upgrade to Lion and use the Mac OS whole disk encryption if this isn't resolved satisfactorily.

Anyway, thanks again for the info

Cheers

Iain

Hi Iain,

the thought crossed my mind to upgrade to Lion to get around this issue too. (As an aside, I initially thought the problem was vmware so I purchased an upgrade for my version of vmware which obviously didn't solve the problem!).

I've been using PGP WDE for long enough at this stage to step way, WAY back from the cutting edge of releases and I only upgrade either the operating system of PGP after several months of monitoring forums to make sure there are no known issues.

I have a bronze support contract with PGP for my product but I haven't contacted them yet. I'll give it a couple of weeks and then try the support directly.

regards,

daveor

Hi Daveor

I'm not keen to upgrade to Lion either. I still need to find out what to do now Sync services is gone and a few other issues (not keen to have all my calendars/contacts in the 'iCloud')

The more I look into this the more it seems that it's something to do with the EFI partition. Though PGP allegedly doesn't do anything to this, the fact that the 'inconsistent system files' error goes away with PGP uninstalled and comes back when it's re-installed is suggestive.

At present I'm continuing to use my mac encrypted and nothing untoward seems to be happening so I guess I'll just keep my Time Machine backup up to date and clone my drive regularly.

I'm disappointed that PGP aren't contributing to the discussion.

BTW, I had a Bronze support contract with PGP but have no idea whether this is still the case with Symantec. 

Cheers

Iain

I am sorry that you feel that PGP has failed you on responding to this discussion. But the problem seems to be fairly isolated to your machine and your model of SSD. I usually take the stance of, if I don't have anything relevant to say that fixes the problem. Don't comment at all. Or else, I find, that some people try to attack everything that I say.

I haven't seen any other reports of this problem and I'm also talking with other senior mac techs who haven't seen any reports of this problem either.

- Can you confirm with 100% surety that by decrypting the disc and then uninstaling PGP the problem goes away?

- How many machines are you seeing this on?

- Do you have a conventional spinning disk that you can test with to see if you are getting the same errors?

- What build of PGP Desktop 10.2 are you on now? Is that 2068?

Do you have an Enterprise support agreement? If so, I would highly suggest that you create an incident through our support line (800) 342-0652. This will get you a faster response. The forums are meant for customers that are not entitled to Essential support (because they did not purchase a maintenance agreement as such) and those that come here to ask questions.
 

daveor or IainF is it possible that you are booting multiple operating systems? How many partitions do you have installed?

Hello PGP_Ben,

Answers from my side:

- Can you confirm with 100% surety that by decrypting the disc and then uninstaling PGP the problem goes away?

I have not tried this.

- How many machines are you seeing this on?

Just one

- Do you have a conventional spinning disk that you can test with to see if you are getting the same errors?

Yes. I am seeing this error with a conventional spinning disk.

- What build of PGP Desktop 10.2 are you on now? Is that 2068?

I am using build 1950.

regards,

daveor

Ben,

I appreciate your getting involved in your spare time but have to ask why Symantec allows this to be the case (in other words why is there no official support in the forums?). I used to have a Bronze support contract with PGP and paid my fee each September but since Symantec took over I haven't had a reminder and so haven't paid. I don't know what is going on. My stance on Symantec reflects to some extent others posts and the fact that, for example, the Symantec website is one of the worst that I have ever come across in terms of finding what you want, truly awful. Try finding how to download an update and see how you get on...

In terms of your questions

- Can you confirm with 100% surety that by decrypting the disc and then uninstaling PGP the problem goes away?

I had a need to do a hard reboot and the problem occurred without PGP encryption but with PGP installed. Nothing got rid of it until I uninstalled PGP and reset the PRAM and then everything was OK. When I re-installed PGP AND encrypted the drive the problem immediately re-occurred

I had a spinning disk prior to the SSD and used PGP without problems

I'm using PGP 10.2 MP2 Build 2068

As far as I can see there isn't a problem apart from the dialog box that appears at startup and have now continued to use my SSD encrypted with PGP but it does suggest that PGP is messing with the EFI partition somehow (or something related)

Thanks for your continuing help

Cheers

Iain

As you can see in this PDF, Symantec provided notice some time ago that Bronze Support was no longer being offered; and that those having it were being provided upgrade assurance as a replacement.

This PDF describes the current method for receiving upgrades/updates.

This forum has the active involvement from tech support personnel and other Symantec employees that provide valuable assistance to customers.  However, it is not official tech support and has no personnel assigned full time to it. 

So are you still seeing the errors come up, even after decrypting the disk and then re-encrypting as well? This will elimate all the PGP instrumentation data for bootguard and any changes that we have made to the EFI and give it a chance to rebuild those.