To regain access to a computer that is protected by BitLocker and for which the recovery key is needed, you can follow these steps:
- Check Microsoft Account: If the BitLocker recovery key was saved to a Microsoft account, you can access it by logging into the account at Microsoft account. This is the most common method if your wife had set it up using her Microsoft account.
- Use Self-Service Portal: If your organization uses Microsoft BitLocker Administration and Monitoring (MBAM), you might be able to use the Self-Service Portal to retrieve the recovery key. However, you need to have signed in to the computer at least once successfully to use this method.
- Contact IT Support: If the computer is managed by an organization, contact your IT department for assistance in retrieving the recovery key.
- Physical Documentation: Check if there are any physical documents where the recovery key might have been recorded, like printed copies or notes.
If none of these options work, unfortunately, you may need to consider data recovery services or resetting the computer, which could result in data loss.
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