Bitlocker Shenanigans

[firstborn]

Hi,

Just set up a new PC all well and good - moved all my external (USB) drives to it (all BitLocked) and can access using password. However my old PC is now prompting for recovery key on boot and of course I don't have the key (only password) and the boot drive is the only one not listed in my MS account. I pulled the drive hoping I could just use the password to access in new PC, but it only asks for key.

Any tricks or is all lost?

Cheers

 

[firstborn]

The only drives I removed were ext USB drive after powering off the old . Which I'd done many a time anyhow. Then when powered back up it was asking for a key after searching for a boot drive, then searching network for same. All a bit odd. Old PC is now as it was and still the same.

 

[firstborn]

It sounds like you were probably using a PIN rather than a password. The PIN relies on the TPM to unlock the drive, but the TPM won't release the keys while your system is in this boot integrity failed state.

I'd suggest putting everything back exactly as it was, and it may set the boot integrity back into a good state. But if you're saying you've done that then you're probably out of luck without the recovery key.

If you did actually have a password protector on the drive (this is something you would have had to have gone out of your way to do on a system drive), then you should be able to mount it via another system or using recovery disc and unlock it with that password: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/p...er/unlock-bitlocker?view=windowsserver2022-ps

Thanks - that seemed sensible but no go. A reinstall it is then, at least it's just the OS and Apps and not data.

 

[firstborn]

Once everything is up and running make sure to do a backup of the keys.

I have mine saved for work else where as I do not want the hassle of getting the code from IT if it ever asks for it

Yupp, as I said all my others are in my MS account, so not sure what happened here. Live and learn! Cheers.