Windows 10: Bitlocker has locked my external HDD how do I unlock - never encrypted

Bitlocker has locked my external HDD how do I unlock - never encrypted

I use Windows 10 and Microsoft support just reinstalled Windows 10.

Now I can't access any of my files

:)

 

Unable to unlock USB drives encrypted/locked with Bitlocker To Go


Hey All,

Recently my company provided me with a Windows 10 SOE image as part of a UAT. The image includes Symantec Endpoint Encryption which utilizes Bitlocker for encryption.

I went through all of the motions with the C:\ drive to be encrypted and even printed the recovery key. Well, at some point I plugged in a few My Passport USB drives and they became locked by Bitlocker To Go. Everytime I try to unlock or click on these drives it asks for the 48-bit key which I don't have because I never was prompted to encrypt/lock these drives.









IT says that there are no keys stored on the servers for these USB drives and suggested that this would be a "local" encryption. However, they also stated that they wouldn't be encrypted unless I was prompted about it. So, there's this mystery about how these USB drives came to be locked.


I've been doing some research and the closest I've come is getting some output about the protectors:
Code:

Code:

c:\Windows\System32>manage-bde -protectors g: -get BitLocker Drive Encryption: Configuration Tool version 10.0.10011 Copyright (C) 2013 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.   Volume G: [Label Unknown] All Key Protectors       Numerical Password:       ID: {27319850-4EB5-42AC-9BA5-1C0CCB997EE7}       External Key:       ID: {A4A49BE5-70A4-4388-8B2F-8C13B1CA765C}       External Key File Name:         A4A49BE5-70A4-4388-8B2F-8C13B1CA765C.BEK

I've tried to copy the .bek file to another non-encrypted/locked USB but get:

Code:

Code:

c:\Windows\System32>manage-bde -protectors -add g: -rp f:\key BitLocker Drive Encryption: Configuration Tool version 10.0.10011 Copyright (C) 2013 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.   ERROR Cannot specify multiple volumes  c:\Windows\System32>manage-bde -protectors -add g: -rp f:\key\key.txt BitLocker Drive Encryption: Configuration Tool version 10.0.10011 Copyright (C) 2013 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.   ERROR: The operation cannot be performed because the volume is locked.

I've tried all of the passwords (even blank) I have in an attempt to unlock the drive:

Code:

Code:

c:\Windows\System32>manage-bde -unlock g: -pw BitLocker Drive Encryption: Configuration Tool version 10.0.10011 Copyright (C) 2013 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.   Enter the password to unlock this volume: ERROR: The password failed to unlock volume G:.

When I search my laptop by either the Numerical or External IDs, I get nothing even with hidden files enabled.

Can anybody provide any recommendations here? I can always provide any additional info. Should I also post in the MS forums?

There's so much data on these drives that I cannot loose.

Regards, Jimmy

 

Bitlocker encrypted external drive without user authorization

I primarily use a 2TB external hdd on my dell xps laptop.

The laptop is on a Windows 10 home edition OS, with bitlocker turned on by default (possibly by the local distributor of the laptop) on the C drive. I have left it on and made no changes to it.

When i plug in the external hdd into the laptop, it works fine, with no indication that it is encrypted or locked. The bitlocker settings page on the laptop does not show that the drive is encrypted and i can just plug-and-play the hdd with no problems.

But on my desktop PC (or any other PC other than the dell laptop), the same external hdd shows that it is encrypted by bitlocker and requires a 48-digit recovery key, which i do not
have. I have checked on my microsoft account where the recovery key for the laptop is saved, but only the recovery key (with the key ID) for the C drive of the laptop is found, not the external drive.

As i understand, bitlocker-to-go - which encrypts external removable drives - is a feature only available on windows 10 pro. My desktop PC, which i use occasionally with the hdd, is
windows 10 pro. But my laptop is windows 10 home and would not have that feature available to it.

Is it possible that since the laptop C drive is bitlocker encrypted, it somehow extended its encryption to the removable external drive? Because the external drive works perfectly
when connected to the laptop, with no indication that it is bitlocker locked. But if thats the case, why does the laptop 48 digit recovery key didnt work on the external drive? Would it help for me to turn off bitlocker on the laptop and let it decrypt the
C drive? But if i do this, do i leave the external drive connected while it is decrypting the C drive?

I knew the drive is encrypted by bitlocker as the prompt window to unlock the drive states 'Bitlocker #alphabet'

 

Can't unlock Bitlocker Encrypted Drive

I have a Bitlocker encrypted external HDD without any OS installed in it. I plugged it to pc with usb then i unlocked my drive on Win10 with my password as usual then i was copying the data from my unlocked
Bitlocker encrypted drive to another non-encrypted drive. Then power cut suddenly. After that i can't access my Bitlocker encrypted drive anymore.

-When i try to unlock that drive from Windows Explorer pop-up says "Encryption on this drive is not compatible with your Windows. Try to unlock it with newer version of Windows." without password and recoverypassword/recoverykey
input options. But my Win10 is fully updated (1703)

-Tried Win7 popup came without asking any password "Failed to unlock the drive. No protector keys found in this drive."

-I also tried manage-bde -bitlockerdrive -protectors -get the output is "ERROR: No key protectors found". But drive seems like encrypted already.

-I tried repair-bde with 48 digits recovery password for recovering data to another HDD. Recovery done without any errors. Then did "chkdsk
outputdrive: /f" it says "File system is NTFS. The first NTFS boot sector is unreadable or corrupt. Reading second NTFS boot sector instead. Unable to determine volume version and state. CHKDSK aborted." The disk shown as RAW and i can't access it.

-After that i also tried thirdparty recovery tools for recovering data on the drive that created after repair-bde (decrypted RAW one). I recovered all my files without any corruption. But all of them shown
as RAW files and had randomized names without folder structure. Somehow repair-bde can't transfer folder structure. I tried thirdparty recovery tools on unaccessable Bitlocker encrypted drive. It listed all my files with correct file names and folders. So
folder structure on encrypted drive is not corrupted i think but i can't recover them because they are encrypted and i can't open any file. I need folder structure, my files are too dispersed. What is the solution ? Thanks.