Windows 10: Can't Encrypt USB with BitLocker on New PC

Hi - I have a new HP laptop that came with Windows 11 Home. I upgraded it to Windows 11 Pro, because I want to use BitLocker. I was able to turn on BitLocker on for the C drive. However, when I try to encrypt a USB drive with BitLocker, I receive an error saying: "Starting BitLocker - The Group Policy settings for BitLocker startup options are in conflict and cannot be applied. Contact your system administrator for more information." I contacted HP, and they said it wasn't a hardware issue, so I needed to contact Microsoft. I called Microsoft Customer Support, which routed me to their website.

:)

 

External USB HDD drive bitlocker encrypted without a key

Hello CatchyWater7200,

Thank you for reaching Microsoft Community. We're sorry for the inconvenience this has caused you.

I am aware that you're having trouble accessing your external USB disk drive that has been encrypted by BitLocker. I am here to help. Allow me to ask a question.

• Would you mind sharing what exactly the message shows when ask for the USB key?
  

Your drive appears to have been encrypted using BitLocker, a function that guards your data against illegal access. For access to the drive, BitLocker requires a password or recovery key. Since you don't have a BitLocker USB key, you can try using the BitLocker recovery key to unlock the drive. Here are the steps to do that:

1. Connect the external USB disk drive to your Surface Pro 6.
   
2. When prompted to enter the BitLocker key, click on "More options". Or you can enter "Esc" key or the Windows key to continue.
   
3. Click on "Enter recovery key".
   
4. Enter the BitLocker recovery key that you found on your Microsoft account.
   
5. Click on "Unlock".
   

If the above steps don't work, you can try disabling BitLocker on the external USB disk drive. Here are the steps to do that:

1. Connect the external USB disk drive to your Surface Pro 6.
   
2. Open File Explorer and right-click on the external USB disk drive.
   
3. Click on "Manage BitLocker".
   
4. Click on "Turn off BitLocker".
   
5. Follow the on-screen instructions to disable BitLocker on the external USB disk drive.
   

Please note that disabling BitLocker will remove the encryption from the external USB disk drive and make it less secure. Therefore, it's recommended to re-enable BitLocker once you've accessed your files and photos.

Let me know how it goes.

Kind regards,

Lavenia

 

BitLocker Encrypted Hard Drive to MAC

Hi,



Thank you for posting your query in Microsoft Community. I regret the inconvenience caused to you. Let me help you.



I suggest you to perform below mentioned steps to disable BitLocker.

To disable BitLocker I would suggest you try the following steps and see if it helps.

• 
  Press Windows key + X and click on
  Control Panel.
  
• 
  Change View by from Category
  to Large Icons/Small Icons.
  
• 
  Click on BitLocker Drive Encryption and click on
  Turn BitLocker Off.
  
• 
  Follow on screen instructions. Click on Decrypt the Drive
  when the message appears.
  

I would suggest you click on the link below and refer the following article.

Scenario 12: Turning Off BitLocker Drive Encryption (Windows 7)

Scenario 12: Turning Off BitLocker Drive Encryption (Windows 7)

(You can refer the steps in the above link as they are applicable for Windows 10 as well)



Check if it helps.



I hope the information helps. Please keep us posted on the issue. We will be happy to assist you accordingly.

Thank you.

 

USBs encrypted with BitLocker To Go causes Windows 10 machines to hang following Windows Defender update to 4.18.1812.3-0

Hi Scott,



Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community forum.



This issue could be because of the drive letter being assigned automatically when the encrypted USB drive is plugged in.



You may want to try the steps listed below and see if it works for you.

• Plug in a flash drive without any encryption, format it completely.
  
• Right click the Windows icon on the taskbar and choose
  Disk Management.
  
• In the Disk Management console, right click the volume with the USB drive letter and select
  Change Drive Letter and Paths.
  
• Click on Change, choose E, and click
  OK.
  
• Restart the machine, plug in the encrypted USB drive
  and see if the issue persists.
  

If the issue persists, as the query is related to the BitLocker To Go configuration, I suggest you to post your query in the
TechNet Forums,
where we have support professionals who are well equipped with the knowledge on BitLocker to assist you with this.



Regards,