Bitlocker won't accept Second recovery key

Question

Hello, I got a problem about the Bitlocker.

So, I'll start from far, two days ago I turned on my laptop and there is a Bitlocker. Out of no where, I did not do anything, I did not even know before that it exists. Then when I got into it, It helped me get everything I need, gave me instructions on how to find the recovery keys. So I tried to put it in, and it accepts the first key, but when I put in the second key, it says it's incorrect. I am sure that all the key ID numbers match and so do the recovery key, I tried to put it in minimum 7 times, and it accepts the first recovery key, but rejects the second recovery key. There is one more key on that site with keys, but I never actually got to it. Then there are a couple of options of what happens next. After inputting the first key it says "a device which does that exist was specified, if you already entered the recovery password and restarted try alternative steps" but they do not work - it was saying that I can input the key through flash drive, but for laptop that has Bitlocker to do that, it needs an app to read the text message through Note, but it cannot read it because Bitlocker can't read it itself and to get the app working I need to have an access to a laptop, but I don't, because of Bitlocker. The other times after it loads after accepting the first recovery key it says ''network media is not present" and I got nothing else to do but to restart it, because it is trying to do something, to load, but it is unsuccessful. OR after inputting the first key it might say "enter the recovery key to get going again" and it asks me for a second recovery key, I know it by the different key ID, and when I do so it says "failed to unlock was this recovery key" even though the recovery key DOES match with key ID, I double checked everything. And where it says drive label which is a key upload date, it DOES match with recovery key and with its ID. And that's it, I am stuck. After that I try pressing skip this drive and it tells me that my PC did not start correctly and I have to restart it, again. So it just sends me to an endless cycle of restarting the laptop and rejecting the second recovery key. Maybe the problem is in the code or something in the system. The laptop is new. So I would like to get some help if possible.

Thank you for your time.

Natallie.

Answer 1

Hello

Thank you for posting in Q&A forum.

Here are some steps you can try:

1. Double-check that both recovery keys are entered correctly, including all characters and formatting.
2. Use Command Prompt to Unlock:

Open Command Prompt as an administrator.

Run the following commands (replace X with the drive letter of your BitLocker-encrypted drive):

manage-bde -unlock X: -RecoveryPassword <FirstRecoveryKey>

manage-bde -unlock X: -RecoveryPassword <SecondRecoveryKey>

3. Ensure your device has a stable network connection, as BitLocker may need to access Microsoft servers to verify the recovery keys.
4. Save the recovery key to a USB drive and use it to unlock the drive. Insert the USB drive when prompted for the recovery key.
5. If the issue persists, contact your device manufacturer for further assistance.
6. As a last resort, you may need to reinstall Windows. This will result in data loss, so ensure you have a backup of your data.

Reference:

• BitLocker Recovery: Known Issues
• BitLocker Recovery Key Not Working Solutions

I hope the information above is helpful.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to let us know.

Best Regards,

Daisy Zhou

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