Bitlocker not found issue

Question

Bitlocker not found issue

Anonymous

Hi there,

I used to have an SSD on my laptop with Windows 11, and decided to get a faster/larget one. Then, I got a UGREEN enclosure for the old one, assigned a letter to it, but when clicking on the drive, previously installed on the same laptop, it asked me for my Bitlock Recovery key.

Went on Windows account, got "No BitLocker recovery key found for this device"

Via Powershell:
PS C:\Windows\system32> Disable-BitLocker -MountPoint "x"

Disable-BitLocker : This drive is locked by BitLocker Drive Encryption. You must unlock this drive from Control Panel.

(Exception from HRESULT: 0x80310000)

At line:1 char:1

Disable-BitLocker -MountPoint "x"


    + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (:) [Write-Error], COMException 

    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException,Disable-BitLocker

PS C:\Windows\system32> manage-bde -off X:

BitLocker Drive Encryption: Configuration Tool version 10.0.22621

ERROR: The operation cannot be performed because the volume is locked.

As per enclosure spects, the SSD is compatible and I have opened it and made sure everything is in place.

What can be happening here?

Thanks,

Alex

***moved from Windows / Windows 11 / Devices and drivers***https://answers-afd.microsoft.com/static/images/image-not-found.jpg

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Answer 1

Hello Alex C. Weerth，

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community forum.

Here are a few steps and considerations that might help resolve this issue:

**Check for Other Microsoft Accounts**: Ensure the BitLocker recovery key is not associated with another Microsoft account you may have used previously. Log in with any other accounts you might have used on the same machine.
**Local Copy of Recovery Key**: When BitLocker is first enabled, it might have prompted you to save the recovery key to a file, print it, or store it on a USB drive. Double-check any physical documents or USB drives you may have used for this purpose.
**Active Directory or Azure AD**: If your device was part of a work or school domain, the BitLocker recovery key might be stored in Active Directory (AD) or Azure AD. Contact your IT department for assistance if this might be the case.
**Attempt to Unlock via Command Line**: Sometimes, additional recovery options might work better via the command line. Try running the following command to unlock the drive if you have the password:
```
   manage-bde -unlock X: -password 
```
Or, if you have the recovery key:
```
   manage-bde -unlock X: -RecoveryPassword YOUR-RECOVERY-KEY-HERE 
```
**Try Safe Mode**: Sometimes booting into Safe Mode can help bypass certain restrictions or conflicts. Restart your computer and boot into Safe Mode, then attempt to unlock or disable BitLocker as you did before.
**Hardware Compatibility**: Although you mentioned checking the physical connection and compatibility, ensure that there's no firmware update needed for the UGREEN enclosure or any specific requirements for the SSD to function properly when connected externally.
**Data Recovery Services**: If none of the above steps work, you may need to consider professional data recovery services. These services often have specialized tools and techniques for handling encrypted drives.

If none of these steps resolve the issue, you might need to consider the possibility that the drive's encryption key has been lost, which would make data recovery very difficult. Always ensure to back up your encryption keys in multiple secure locations to prevent such issues in the future.

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

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Bitlocker not found issue

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