As stated in the [[/about]] page, Tails is designed to leave no trace on the computer that you are using unless you ask it explicitly. It is important to understand some of the consequences of that.
Starting a computer on a media containing Tails does not change anything on the operating system actually installed on your hard disk: as a live system, Tails does not need to use your hard disk during the whole session. Be your hard disk absent or damaged, it would not prevent your computer to start Tails. Consequently, removing the DVD or USB stick containing Tails is enough to retrieve your usual operating system.
<ul> <li>You can leave traces of your activities in Tails on the hard disks.</li> <li>If Tails is compromised, a malware could install itself on your usual operating system.</li> <li>If an application in Tails is compromised, it could access private data on your disks and use it to de-anonymize you.</li> </ul>
<p>If your usual operating system is in hibernation, accessing it might corrupt your file system. Only access your disk if your system was shut down properly.</p>
<p>In all cases, you might encounter permissions problems. To bypass permission limitations, you can run the <span class="application">Files</span> browser with administration rights.</p>
