Windows 10: Factory Reset a Computer With Bitlocker No Recovery Key

I am trying to factory reset a computer that has a drive encrypted by Bitlocker and running Windows 11. I have no way to recover the key, so my goal is only to perform a clean install of Windows. If I try running Diskpart clean, the hard drive will no longer appear in diskpart list and cannot be detected by the installation media, however the BIOS is still able to recognize it. The computer will show "no boot device detected" after powering on.I've seen some mention of using delete partition override in other posts, but I'm unsure which partition I should be running this command on. Should thi

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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.

 

Need to reset computer that has bitlocker activated

We have a computer with Bitlocker (TPM) on it and I use Sophos to track the recovery key. Each time you use the recovery key it resets the key and tells Sophos the new key. We don't have the windows password to log on so we cannot change the boot pin and I need to do a computer reset which will wipe out Sophos as it does a factory reset basically. How do I get the recovery key once the computer has been reset? Will the reset turn off Bitlocker? I am worried that we will lose total access to the PC.

 

CORRECT BITLOCKER RECOVERY KEY AND FACTORY RESET FAILING TO WORK

Hi Ronald,

The system might be rejecting the incorrect BitLocker recovery key. Check this
article for tips to find your BitLocker recovery key. If you want to reset your Surface device, I would
suggest trying the refresh option first. Refreshing your Surface reinstalls Windows and keeps your personal files, settings, apps that came installed on your Surface, and apps that you installed from Microsoft Store. Here are the steps:

1. Follow the instructions on this link to download a recovery image for your Surface device.
2. Shut down your Surface and plug it in so you don’t run out of power during the refresh.
3. Insert the USB recovery drive into the USB port.
4. Press and hold the volume-down button while you press and release the power button. When the Surface logo appears, release the volume-down button.
5. When prompted, select the language and keyboard layout you want.
6. Select Troubleshoot > Refresh your PC, and select the operating system you want to refresh.
7. On the Refresh your PC screen, select Next >
   Refresh.
8. Surface restarts and the Surface logo appears during the refresh process (this can take several minutes).

Let us know if you need further assistance.