How to fix "ERROR: An error occurred (code 0x80070057): The parameter is incorrect" when trying manage-bde -status

Question

I have a hard drive that was working in the morning, then in the afternoon it shows that it is locked. When trying to open the drive in file explorer I am prompted in the top right with "The BitLocker encryption on this drive isn't compatible with your version of Windows. Try opening the drive using a newer version of Windows." I have tried this on a Windows 11 machine that is updated and a Windows 10 machine that is updated and both give me the same thing.

I also tried to check the status of the drive with manage-bde -status and this is what I get:

C:\WINDOWS\system32>manage-bde -status
BitLocker Drive Encryption: Configuration Tool version 10.0.22000
Copyright (C) 2013 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Disk volumes that can be protected with
BitLocker Drive Encryption:
Volume C: [OS]
[OS Volume]

    Size:                 474.21 GB
    BitLocker Version:    2.0
    Conversion Status:    Used Space Only Encrypted
    Percentage Encrypted: 100.0%
    Encryption Method:    XTS-AES 128
    Protection Status:    Protection On
    Lock Status:          Unlocked
    Identification Field: Unknown
    Key Protectors:
        TPM
        Numerical Password

Volume D: [Label Unknown]
[Data Volume]

    Size:                 Unknown GB
    BitLocker Version:    None
    Conversion Status:    Unknown
    Percentage Encrypted: Unknown%
ERROR: An error occurred (code 0x80070057):
The parameter is incorrect.

How do I fix this error and unencrypt the drive?

Answer 1

winders 10

Answer 2

leats winders 10

Answer 3

Hello,

From what I am reading it is appears that the BitLocker encryption on your drive is not compatible with your version of Windows, or the drive may be experiencing issues.

A possible solution to resolve this issue is the following, but keep in mind it maybe don't work, the prerequisite is to have your recovery key. So:

1. First of all, if it is possible make sure you have a backup of your data. If the drive is accessible on another system or using a different method, copy the data to another location as a precaution.
2. Run the command prompt as an administrator: a. Type cmd in the search bar. b. Right-click on "Command Prompt" and select "Run as administrator."
3. Unlock the drive using the recovery key: a. Type manage-bde -unlock D: -RecoveryPassword YOUR_RECOVERY_KEY and press Enter. Replace YOUR_RECOVERY_KEY with your actual recovery key. Note: If you don't have the recovery key, check if it was saved to your Microsoft account or printed/saved elsewhere when you first enabled BitLocker.
4. If the drive is successfully unlocked, try disabling BitLocker: a. Type manage-bde -off D: and press Enter.
5. If the above steps do not work, you may need to repair the drive. To do this, run the following command: a. Type manage-bde -repair D: -RecoveryPassword YOUR_RECOVERY_KEY and press Enter. Replace YOUR_RECOVERY_KEY with your actual recovery key.
6. Monitor the repair progress: a. Type manage-bde -status D: and press Enter. The repair process may take some time.

After the repair process is complete or BitLocker is disabled, you should be able to access the drive.

I hope I help.

BR,