Account reset required to obtain bitlocker-key

Question

Almost a year ago I bought a new laptop for my wife. During first-time start I had to create a Microsoft account to continue, so I created a <name>@outlook.com account and continued with the startup. My wife uses Gmail so never used that outlook account for email.

Now, almost a year later, the laptop started and showed a bitlocker-screen, requesting a bitlocker key. I don't have that key and discovered that it is stored in that created outlook account. Tried to login there, but could not remember the password! Stupid, but, well, never used it anymore...

After too many tries now the account is locked. I requested a password reset and had to fill in as much as I can. But it asks for previously used passwords, but never changed the password, so nothing to enter. It asks for email adresses and subjects to which you send a mail. Again, never sent a mail so nothing to enter.

The result is that the password-reset request is rejected (by email), as I did not enter enough information. I cannot reply to this received email, and there is no other way to reach Microsoft support. Even when calling their support phone, I end up in a response that I should go to help.microsoft.com.

I can reset the laptop, but without the recovery key I can only do a full reset, losing all data.

I had a web-chat with a microsoft support engineer, but he could not help me to reset the password or retrieve the bitlocker-key.

Is there anybody reading this that can help me to get in contact with a real support person?

The fact that my request is rejected seems dubious:
Never sent a mail could be verified. Never changed the password could be verified.
And first of all: Why did I suddenly have to enter the bitlocker recovery key? Due to a windows update?

Answer 1

Without the recovery key that's correct a clean install will be necessary. Another option for the future is to print out the recovery key in case of future needs.

--please don't forget to close up the thread here by marking answer if the reply is helpful--

Answer 2

Hi @Paul van de Wijngaard

It could be because you have recently made some changes, such as changing the hardware configuration or changing the operating system. These changes can cause issues with BitLocker and require a recovery key.

If you need to obtain a BitLocker recovery key, you can retrieve it from your Microsoft account. However, if you are unable to access your Microsoft account, you may need to reset your account password. To reset your Microsoft account password, go to the Microsoft account recovery page and follow the prompts to verify your identity and reset your password. Once you have access to your Microsoft account, you can retrieve your BitLocker recovery key.

Notice: Reset your account will delete your personal settings and files, so make sure you back up your data before doing this.

Hope it helps.

Kind regards,

Lei

Answer 3

For all people trying to help: Thanks!

But the real problem is that I cannot get past the account recovery page (to reset my password) and the 'We could not verify your account". I see no way to get past the automatic handling and come in contact with a human support engineer who could reset my account password.

This is the only way to be able to recover the key...