Questions tagged [bitlocker]

Microsoft Windows technology for full disk(volume) encryption.

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How to access a BitLocker-encrypted drive in Linux?

I have a laptop running Windows 7 Ultimate. I have encrypted my drives using BitLocker. Now I have also installed Lubuntu along with Windows. But my encrypted drives are not visible in Linux. How ...
Suyash Mohan's user avatar
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49 votes
2 answers
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Does changing the encryption password imply rewriting all the data?

Let's say I have 1 TB of data on a partition encrypted with BitLocker, TrueCrypt or VeraCrypt. Does changing the encryption password imply rewriting all the data (i.e., will it take hours/days)?
Basj's user avatar
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47 votes
11 answers
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Bitlocker Performance Impact on SSD

I've put a brand new SSD into my work computer and my IT department wants me to use BitLocker. I read one of the other threads on BitLocker performance on standard harddrives, but I was wondering - ...
Aaronontheweb's user avatar
41 votes
1 answer
9k views

What does BitLocker actually encrypt and when?

I need full disk encryption for business laptop computers running a current version of Windows 10 Pro. The computers have an NVMe SSD drive from Samsung and an Intel Core i5-8000 CPU. From some web ...
ygoe's user avatar
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34 votes
13 answers
553k views

How to format a drive encrypted with Bitlocker?

I have a HD protected by Bitlocker. Login, password and restorekey are unknown and all I want to do is wipe the whole drive. When I try to boot from a windows installation cd I have no access to the ...
Amenti's user avatar
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31 votes
10 answers
47k views

BitLocker asking for protection code after Ubuntu installation

I have just installed Ubuntu side-by-side to a Windows 10 partition shipped on a new laptop. Meaning, the laptop shipped with Windows 10, and I installed Ubuntu alongside the Windows partition using ...
matanox's user avatar
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30 votes
3 answers
84k views

Is a volume with BitLocker "Waiting for Activation" encrypted or not?

In Disk Management, the partition says "NTFS (BitLocker Encrypted)": In the BitLocker Drive Encryption control panel applet, it says "BitLocker waiting for activation" and it has an option to "Turn ...
Jason's user avatar
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29 votes
3 answers
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Is BitLocker useful in the case of stolen laptop?

Imagine the case when a BitLocker enabled Windows 10 Laptop is stolen and the thief wants to read the data on the hard drive. He knows taking out and reading the hard drive on another computer is not ...
bobo's user avatar
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23 votes
2 answers
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Windows Bitlocker and automatic unlock password storage safety

I've encrypted my external HDD with a Bitlocker and after rebooting computer I tried to open that drive and got this message: Say, if I pick to "Automatically unlock on this computer from now on", ...
ahmd1's user avatar
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22 votes
4 answers
40k views

Is it better to use Bitlocker or the built-in-drive-encryption that my SSD offers?

My system: Intel Core i7-4790, which supports AES-NI ASUS Z97-PRO mobo Samsung 250GB EVO SSD (with built-in encryption option) 64-bit Windows 7 If I just want to encrypt my boot drive with AES256 or ...
Eddie's user avatar
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19 votes
4 answers
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Can Bitlocker be used in a dual boot system with Windows on one drive, Linux on another?

My workplace allows for remote logins to the company network, with certain prerequisites for securing a computer before making the connection, one of which is that Windows must be used to make the ...
bgvaughan's user avatar
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18 votes
3 answers
90k views

Is it possible to access BitLocker protected drives on other platforms?

Is it possible to access BitLocker encrypted external hard drives from other platforms, like Windows Mobile, Android, Surface, Linux, Mac OS X?
saber tabatabaee yazdi's user avatar
17 votes
2 answers
5k views

Windows/Linux dualboot: Windows asks for bitlocker recovery key every boot after reinstalling Linux

I had a working dual-boot with Windows 10, bitlocker encrypted, and Fedora 23, LUKS encrypted. When I turned it on I got the GRUB2 menu, and could boot Linux or Windows. Both OSes worked fine. Both ...
Åsmund's user avatar
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16 votes
1 answer
34k views

Cannot re-enable Bitlocker

I've installed a fresh Windows 10 in a partition on my system, enabling bitlocker. Then I booted Linux from the other partition and overwrote the master boot record with Grub so I could boot Linux and ...
lorenzog's user avatar
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16 votes
2 answers
58k views

Windows BitLocker not offering unlock-by-password option

I have a problem in a single computer trying to do a process I've successfully done on another computers. What I have successfully achieved on another computers: Have a non TPM compatible module ...
Áxel Costas Pena's user avatar
15 votes
3 answers
28k views

I initiated decryption of my bitlocker drive from Windows 8 recovery prompt. Any indication how long it will take?

Booted into the Windows 8 recovery menu to see if I could decrypt my secondary HDD with the recovery tools. Found that I can do it in the dos prompt there after unlocking the drive. However, after ...
gogogadgetinternet's user avatar
14 votes
3 answers
26k views

What would happen if my computer shuts down while BitLocker is encrypting my OS partition?

The title is the question. I am now enctypting a 107 GB partition and it takes ages. I am dying to know what would happen if the encryption was stopped by, let's say, a thermal shutdown or if the ...
Vercas's user avatar
  • 562
13 votes
1 answer
21k views

What is the performance cost to running BitLocker?

BitLocker encrypts the entire hard drive. I run Visual Studio and build projects much of my day. How much will BitLocker slow me down (dual core laptop with 3 GB of RAM)?
Andrew Arnott's user avatar
13 votes
3 answers
21k views

Enable Bitlocker auto-unlock without system drive encryption

Does anyone know of any trick - registry change, group policy etc. which will allow a Bitlocker volume to be auto-unlocked without having a bitlocker encrypted system drive? My system drive is a ...
user1751825's user avatar
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13 votes
4 answers
18k views

Bitlocker won't initialize on a 4TB drive with 4K sectors

I'm trying to enable BitLocker on a 4TB drive with 4K physical sectors (Advanced Format) on a 64-bit Windows 7 box with SP1. The drive is partitioned GPT (1 partition using all of the available ...
Mark Johnson's user avatar
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12 votes
5 answers
13k views

BitLocker takes days on an empty external disk / Is "Encrypt used disk space only" available on Windows 7?

I have Windows 7 x64 and a brand new USB external 2 TB hard drive. I formatted it and I confirm it's empty. I enabled BitLocker, and two things happen: It is about to take at least 10 hours or even ...
Basj's user avatar
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12 votes
3 answers
13k views

Is it possible to re-lock a bitlocker drive?

I'm running a partition with bitlocker on a Windows 7 Ultimate machine, which contains secure data that I have to recover infrequently. Unlocking it to access the data is obviously no problem, but is ...
Sean Edwards's user avatar
12 votes
6 answers
12k views

How to "eject" non-existing USB drive from Windows 7 host?

I use a USB key which is encrypted with BitLocker to store various data. I keep that key with me all the time. What happens all the time is that I send my home computer to hibernate without ...
Oliver Salzburg's user avatar
11 votes
2 answers
53k views

Will clearing the TPM make BitLocker encrypted data unavailable?

I've learned in this answer that starting with Windows 10 v1607, Windows will not allow to set, save or change the TPM owner password by default. So the option to reset a TPM lockout by entering the ...
u17's user avatar
  • 539
11 votes
5 answers
235k views

How to disable Bitlocker through command prompt?

I turned on Bitlocker on drive F:\ which has alot of important content in it. Now when I try to unlock it the PC hangs. Only restart fixes this. I know the password, but the recover key is lost. Is ...
user avatar
10 votes
2 answers
9k views

Windows 10 reports "The drive protected by Bitlocker is already unlocked" but does not allow access to that drive through File Explorer

When accessing an external drive with BitLocker / BitLocker "auto-unlock" enabled, occasionally Windows 10 reports, in the top left of the screen, that "The drive protected by Bitlocker is already ...
PatKilg's user avatar
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10 votes
3 answers
55k views

Can I upgrade to Windows 10 with BitLocker Enabled?

I am currently running Windows 8.1 Pro, with BitLocker enabled (the hardware has no TPM, though). I am curious as to whether I will be able to upgrade to Windows 10 when it is rolled out without ...
Alex's user avatar
  • 201
10 votes
6 answers
29k views

Full drive encryption with Bitlocker freezes at 99.9%

I have enabled Bitlocker for fully encrypting a partition/drive on my disk a few days ago (it took some hours to reach 99.9% completion). This partition only contains a few GB of data (which Windows ...
CPHPython's user avatar
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10 votes
2 answers
37k views

What identifier is meant in the Bitlocker recovery key document?

when turning on bitlocker for a device, the following recovery key document is created: BitLocker Drive Encryption recovery key To verify that this is the correct recovery key, compare the ...
joh's user avatar
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10 votes
5 answers
16k views

Unlock Bitlocked data drive as standard user on the command line

I have a Windows 10 Pro PC, no domain, I don't use BitLocker on the system drive but have encrypted some fixed data drives using BitLocker and a password (no TPM). When I like to unlock these drives I ...
Peter Hahndorf's user avatar
10 votes
2 answers
23k views

How can I resize a windows-bitlocker partition with gparted?

I want to shrink my windows partition, and windows does not allow to shrink more than a few GB. Can I access that bitlocker partition with GParted, parted or any other partitioning program?
thi gg's user avatar
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10 votes
2 answers
5k views

Full Disk Encryption with TPM, not subject to cold boot attack

Here's a passage from Wikipedia on BitLocker Once a BitLocker-protected machine is running, its keys are stored in memory where they may be susceptible to attack by a process that is able to ...
galets's user avatar
  • 391
9 votes
1 answer
20k views

Why does BitLocker want a recovery key instead of a password?

I have a .vhd image of a BitLocker encrypted drive. When I mount and double click the drive, BitLocker wants me to enter a 48-digit recovery key and doesn't ask for a password. Why is that so and ...
bytecode77's user avatar
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8 votes
3 answers
36k views

Find out if a PC has a TPM chip installed?

I have several Windows XP laptops that I need to check to see if they will work with Bitlocker if I install Windows 7. If they have a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chip then Bitlocker should work ...
pelms's user avatar
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8 votes
2 answers
8k views

How to diagnose and fix Starting Bitlocker "Access Denied" message?

I've been trying to get my C: drive to use BitLocker, but it fails at some initializing step. Is there a log or some other method that will explain the issue? I've searched event logs etc.
Mesh's user avatar
  • 452
8 votes
2 answers
16k views

BitLocker refuses to enable via RDP on data drive but Ok on the OS drive

I've recently installed Windows 10 Enterprise on an old AMD-based machine without a TPM. I use it mostly via Remote Desktop, due to lack of monitors and keyboards. While connected via RDP, I then: ...
ChrisA's user avatar
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8 votes
2 answers
8k views

Computer randomly shuts down during Bitlocker prompt?

Recently I encrypted my main Windows drive with Bitlocker (no TPM, just password), but during the boot prompt to 'enter your Bitlocker password' the computer will shut down at a seemingly random time. ...
MatthewSot's user avatar
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8 votes
1 answer
9k views

Got a Warning For Enabling Firmware TPM

I recently enabled Firmware TPM in my BIOS in order to see if my system is compatible with Windows 11. My question is about the following warning I got when I enabled Firmware TPM: Intel PTT is a ...
Floating Sunfish's user avatar
8 votes
3 answers
7k views

Locally encrypt Dropbox folder

I would like to encrypt the local copies of my Dropbox files, but not the online versions. I have log on password protection (not BIOS) on my Windows 7 Ultimate laptop but that's easily circumvented ...
Tamlyn's user avatar
  • 310
8 votes
1 answer
5k views

I turned off BitLocker encryption on my 5TB drive and now it continues to decrypt for days!

I am worried I will lose my data while the drive decrypts. It is now at 23.2% encrypted and continues dropping to 23.1 etc. Do I have to wait until it reaches 0% encryped before I can turn my PC off? ...
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8 votes
2 answers
25k views

BitLocker issue. Recovery Key is required on each startup after installing secondary OS

I'm using a laptop with TPM module with BitLocker-encrypted internal HDD, running Windows 7. Recently I've installed a Windows 8 on the external, eSATA drive. Windows 8 detected the Windows 7 and ...
user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
13k views

(Closed) Is there a way to unlock a bitlocked hard drive using TPM in command prompt?

******************* Final Update at the bottom ******************* Long story short, I have made a really dumb mistake. I thought I backed up my recovery key, but apparently I only backed up the ...
ku8zi's user avatar
  • 81
8 votes
2 answers
21k views

How do I encrypt Samsung 840 SSD with Bitlocker?

I need help encrypting my Samsung 840 Evo with Bitlocker. Here is my hardware: Samsung Evo 840 500GB hard drive (firmware EXT0BB6Q) Asus P8z77-v motherboard (BIOS v. 2104) Asus TPM chip - purchased ...
Igor's user avatar
  • 443
8 votes
2 answers
5k views

Stopping BitLocker from prompting for the recovery key at startup

My motherboard on my laptop was just replaced. I have a hard drive encrypted with BitLocker. How do I get it to stop prompting me for the recovery key at startup? Extra details: I have the recovery ...
Jason Berg's user avatar
  • 1,094
8 votes
2 answers
6k views

Cannot Eject USB Drive With NTFS and Bitlocker

I have an external HDD (WD My Passport Ultra) formatted with NTFS and encrypted with Bitlocker (Windows 10). After plugging in the drive, I can no longer remove the drive using "Eject". The error is "...
Steve's user avatar
  • 1,105
8 votes
2 answers
2k views

Find out type of encrypted hard disk

say you get a random harddisk into your hands which is encrypted. is it possible just from the layout of the data to see what kind of encryption has been used? i.e. Bitlocker, Truecrypt, dcrypt?
clamp's user avatar
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8 votes
2 answers
6k views

Is Linux full-disk encryption with seamless user experience ala FileVault (macOS) or BitLocker (Windows) possible?

I've found some full-disk encryption (FDE) solutions for Linux OSes. Specifically, I've looked at solutions that work on Linux Mint or Ubuntu, since that's what I tend to use. But I'm sure this ...
JDS's user avatar
  • 472
8 votes
1 answer
3k views

BitLocker recovery key required after dual-booting Ubuntu

I have a Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon with Windows 10 and a BitLocker-encrypted drive. I installed Ubuntu dual-boot recently and didn't realize I was supposed to disable BitLocker during the installation....
Ryan McCampbell's user avatar
7 votes
3 answers
67k views

How do I get a TPM module for a motherboard that does not already have one?

I have an ASUS P8P67 DELUXE motherboard, which (as far as I can tell) does not come with a TPM module, so I can't use BitLocker without a PIN or USB key. Is there any way to buy and install a TPM ...
grant's user avatar
  • 183
7 votes
3 answers
6k views

How to enable BitLocker when booting Windows 10 from a non-Microsoft boot manager?

My setup I have ThinkPad P1 Gen 3 laptop and want it to dual boot Linux and Windows 10. For that I want to use a boot manager supporting both Linux and Windows; currently I'm using rEFInd. I also want ...
Robert Kusznier's user avatar

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