iSCSI drive, Bitlocker HELP!!!

Question

So, i have in my set-up a PC (my main) I have a surfacepro, I have a NAS that I use, Everything is on this nas, I do have backups however they are old. and I don't see how this should lead to a full recovery either but lets put it to the masses.

The Surface Pro decided to bitlock my drive (did not ask it to) and woke up to it doing it. I then pause the process. I then stop it from doing any other drives, however now I can not resume, I can not do anything, I have access to two drives. Oh btw this is physically 2 drives 6tb raid so 12tb. anyway, these drives on my PC are 4 HDD.

however, 2 are missing.

they are unlocked

I have the Key.

I have tried manage bde Resume/stop/etc
I have tried turning the nas off and on again
I have tried restarting iSCSI Discconecting and reconnecting.
It also Comes up saying I need to empty bin on D: and when I say yes todo it, I get another error this one is random and dose not happen all the time.

If I try to open the drive I get a message saying "The disc structure is corrupted and unreadable"

I fear the worst.

If anyone has any idea how to sort this without wiping the data I would greatly appreciate it.

Answer 1

Hello JayJuli，

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community forum.

It sounds like a complex issue involving BitLocker encryption on a NAS setup, which can be particularly challenging to resolve. Here are some steps you can try to recover your data without wiping everything:

General Troubleshooting Steps

1. Verify the BitLocker Key:
   • Ensure you have the correct BitLocker recovery key for the encrypted drives.
2. Check iSCSI Configuration:
   • Ensure that the iSCSI targets are correctly configured and connected on your main PC.
   • Verify that the NAS and the iSCSI initiator on your main PC are properly communicating.
3. Use Command Line Tools:
   • Open Command Prompt as an administrator and try to unlock the drive using the recovery key. Use the following commands:

     
          manage-bde -unlock D: -RecoveryPassword YOUR-RECOVERY-KEY-HERE 
     
          manage-bde -unlock E: -RecoveryPassword YOUR-RECOVERY-KEY-HERE 
     
     

   • After unlocking, try to resume the encryption process:

     
          manage-bde -resume D: 
     
          manage-bde -resume E: 
     
     

4. Check Disk Health:
   • Use disk management tools to check the health of your drives. Bad sectors or other hardware issues can cause the problems you're experiencing.
5. Attempt Recovery with chkdsk:
   • Use the chkdsk command to check for and repair file system errors:

     
          chkdsk D: /f 
     
          chkdsk E: /f 
     
     

Specialized Recovery Steps

1. Use BitLocker Repair Tool:
   • Microsoft provides a BitLocker Repair Tool that might help recover data from a corrupted BitLocker drive.
   • The command is:

     
          repair-bde D: X: -rp YOUR-RECOVERY-KEY-HERE 
     
     

   • Replace D: with the drive letter of the corrupted drive and X: with the drive letter where you want to save recovered data.
2. Data Recovery Software:
   • Consider using specialized data recovery software like Recuva, EaseUS Data Recovery, or R-Studio. These tools can sometimes recover data even from encrypted and corrupted drives.

Consulting Professional Help

• Professional Data Recovery Services:
  • If these steps do not resolve the issue, consider consulting a professional data recovery service. They have specialized tools and expertise to handle complex cases like this.

Preventative Measures

• Frequent Backups:
  • Ensure that you have regular and up-to-date backups of all important data. Consider using a robust backup solution that can automate this process.

I hope the information above is helpful.

If you have any question or concern, please feel free to let us know.

Best Regards,

Haijian Shan