Bitlocker and Windows 11 Boot Problem

Question

Hi everyone, I need help with an ASUS Vivobook laptop (Micron 2400 NVMe SSD) running Windows 11 with BitLocker enabled. I have the recovery key, but I can't access my data due to a boot issue. I'm out of ideas; it would be great if there were a way to open the Command Prompt (CMD) from that blue error screen. The problem: When turning on the laptop, I get a blue screen with a boot error (winload.efi / 0xc0000185). When I use a WinPE USB drive (Sergei Strelec), the NVMe SSD doesn't even show up (due to missing drivers). What I've done: I removed the SSD from the laptop and connected it to another PC via USB. The drive appears, but BitLocker blocks access. The issue is that BitLocker won't accept my 48-digit recovery key via USB (it throws an error in manage-bde), even though the key ID matches the one in my Microsoft account exactly. If I put the SSD back into the laptop and use the Command Prompt from a Windows installation USB, the key is accepted, but I can't repair the boot process because it is corrupted. How can I get BitLocker to accept the key via USB so I can save my files, or how can I make the SSD appear in WinPE while in its original slot?

Answer 1

Welcome Rodrigo,

I understand how frustrating it can be when you are unable to access your BitLocker-protected Windows 11 SSD due to a boot failure (winload.efi / 0xc0000185), and although the recovery key is accepted when the SSD is installed internally, it is not being accepted when the drive is connected through USB. 

Before proceeding, could you please confirm: 

• Does the SSD appear in Disk Management on the second PC when connected through USB, even though it remains locked by BitLocker? 
• Was BitLocker enabled using a Microsoft account only, or was a local/saved recovery key also created at the time encryption was configured? 

I look forward to your reply so we can continue working together to address the issue.