Windows uninstalled itself

Question

I tried to turn on my computer today, only to find out I was stuck on the loading screen. When I restarted to attempt to troubleshoot, I learned that Windows uninstalled itself from my hard drive. After doing some research, I found that I needed to disable BitLocker. In order to achieve this is need a recovery key, however, I am having issue after issue attempting to retrieve this code. Is there anyway possible to contact a Microsoft tech in order to resolve this issue? I have tried looking for a customer service number, however, none exist, or the ai bot keeps disconnecting me from the call.

Answer 1

Hi Julie,

I haven't received the message from you yet. 

Please let me know if these steps I provided could help.

If there is anything more that I can do for you or if anything is unclear, please do not hesitate to let me know.

Sincerely,

Answer 2

Dear Julie,

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Q&A Forum.

I understand that you are in an extremely stressful and frustrating situation. I can reassure you that Windows did not uninstall itself.

• Your computer tried to turn on, but it failed. This could be from a bad update, a driver-specific error, or file corruption.
• After failing to start a few times, your PC automatically booted into the Windows Recovery Environment to try and fix the problem.
• The recovery environment needs to access your hard drive to fix Windows. However, your hard drive is encrypted with BitLocker for security. The recovery environment is locked out and cannot do anything until you prove you are the owner.
• This is why it is asking for the 48-digit BitLocker recovery key. It is the only way to unlock the drive so the recovery tools can even see Windows.

To fix this issue, you need to get the recovery key:

1. On a different computer or your phone, go to this website: aka.ms/myrecoverykey
2. Log in with the exact same Microsoft account that you use to log in to your computer.
3. You will see a list of any recovery keys saved to your account. Match the "Device Name" or "Key ID" to the one shown on your locked computer's screen.
4. Enter the 48-digit key to unlock your PC.

If no key appears on that website, you must check if you ever printed it or saved it to a USB drive. If you cannot find the key, and it is not in your Microsoft account, there is no way to open the drive. The only solution, unfortunately, is to completely reinstall Windows, which will erase all of your data.

If you find your key and still have issues, or you want to talk to someone about your options, the best way to contact support via Microsoft Support - Contact Us.

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