Windows 10: Accidentally nuked my bitlocker recovery key for a fixed data drive, want to doublecheck...

I have Windows 10 installed on C: and a D: with all my stuff. Both drives encrypted and D: set to autounlock on boot. I was smart and keep a printed out saved copy of my C: recovery key that I know where it is, and I know I printed one for the D drive too years ago but have no idea where it is. I probably didn't worry about it because I figured I'd only need if I was an idiot and screwing around with the manage-bde command in powershell and accidentally deleted the external key off of the C:. Well I'm an idiot and did that.

Well fortunately I'm not a total idiot and my files are backed up on an NAS via the built-in File History (and that NAS is backed up too!). I just want to make sure I know what I'm doing when I restore so I don't mess up anything more than I have - are these steps right?

1: In Disk Management I need to delete the encrypted partition and then format it, right?

2: I'll name the new partition D: - can I just directly restore from there and have it populate all my folders or do I need to recreate the folder structure or anything?

3: My libraries are linked to folders on the D: (Documents Library linked to D:\something\My Documents or however I named them) - as long as the folder names are the same will that all automatically work?

4: I did have some stuff installed on D: (games on Steam mostly so not too big a deal), those program files wouldn't be backed up - is there any way I could check what used to be installed? Windows registry maybe? Speaking of, will I need to clean stuff up to get rid of traces of programs that went kaput with the D drive?

4: Are there any other gotchas I need to look out for? Anything I'm missing that might magically let me recover the drive without restoring (but restoring isn't a big deal, that's why I have backups)?

submitted by /u/OldPersonName
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:)

 

bitlocker recovery key

Hi Singh,

Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.

In order to get clarity on this issue and assist you with appropriate troubleshooting steps, please reply with the answers to the questions below.

1. Are you not able login to your computer due to BitLocker Recovery Key?
2. Did you ever setup BitLocker Recovery Key on your computer?
3. Are you not able to login to your Microsoft Account to find the BitLocker Recovery Key?
4. Are you using Windows 10 Home or Windows 10 Professional?

Meanwhile, try finding BitLocker Recovery Key if you have ever setup BitLocker Recovery Key for your computer.

Please elaborate on the issue, so that we can understand the concern and get back to us to help you further.

 

No recovery key of BitLocker drive

Hello Anuradha,

I would like to know some information about the issue so that we could help you better.

Did you create any USB drive which contains pin to unlock the BitLocker drive?

I appreciate you for providing details about the issue.

I also realize the inconvenience you are experiencing due to BitLocker issue. I will certainly help you.

BitLocker Drive Encryption is a data protection feature that integrates with the operating system and addresses the threats of data theft or exposure from lost, stolen, or inappropriately decommissioned computers.

You can use BitLocker Drive Encryption to help protect your operating system drive (the drive where Windows is installed), a fixed data drive (such as an internal hard drive), or a removable data drive (such as a USB flash drive). The way
you unlock an encrypted drive depends on two things:

- What kind of drive it is.

- What kind of unlock method you chose when you set up BitLocker on the drive.

I would suggest you to refer these articles and check if it helps.

Refer:

Find my BitLocker recovery key

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/find-my-bitlocker-recovery-key

Unlock a BitLocker-protected drive

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/unlock-bitlocker-protected-drive

(Also holds good for Windows 10)

Additional Information:

BitLocker

BitLocker (Windows 10) - Microsoft 365 Security

Note: Modifying BIOS/ complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) settings incorrectly can cause serious problems that may prevent your computer from booting properly. Microsoft cannot guarantee that any problems resulting from the configuring of BIOS/CMOS
settings can be solved. Modifications of the settings are at your own risk.

I hope this information helps.

Please do let us know if you need any further assistance.

Thank you

 

Bitlocker data Recovery

I have encountered similar problems recently. I accidentally unplugged my external hard drive without unmounting it, then I couldn't access the bitlocker encrypted partition on this drive at all. I felt so sad at that time. Luckily, I found Hasleo Data
Recovery, a professional data recovery software helped me recover all the lost data from the bitlocker encrypted partition. Now I am very happy, thanks for the amazing program.