Windows 10: My PC says my recovery key is not correct. What do I do?

I got a screen asking for it. I tried several times and it keeps saying it’s incorrect. I verified the number was correct each time, but it still says it’s incorrect. What do I do now?

:)

 

BitLocker Recovery key not correct

Hi,



Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.



I understand that you are facing issues with BitLocker recovery key on your PC. I will certainly try my best to assist you with the issue.



Let’s try disabling secure boot on the PC. Follow the steps mentioned below and check if that helps.

1. Power the device off and then back on.
2. Look for a message on the boot screen just before or after the manufacturer logo appears. You may need to press the F1, F2, or Delete button, whatever key is indicated on the boot screen to enter BIOS Settings.
3. Inside BIOS, look for a tab called BOOT and select that page. Depending on the BIOS manufacturer, this page could be BOOT, ADVANCED, STARTUP, etc.
4. Look for a setting for UEFI Secure Boot. Each BIOS could have a different name for this. These are the keywords to look for: UEFI, Secure Boot, Legacy Boot.
5. Toggle the Secure Boot setting to disabled and attempt to boot the machine.

In addition, you can try disabling BitLocker using the manage bde commands and see if that helps. Try booting the PC in WinRE mode and then refer the article

Disable-BitLocker



Kindly follow the steps to boot to WinRE mode.

1. Reboot the PC using Power button and once you see the manufacturer logo press the power button again.
2. Repeat step 1 at least 2-3 times until you see the System Recovery Options screen
3. On the System Recovery Options screen, select
   Troubleshoot> Advanced options > Command Prompt.

If the issue persists, I would suggest you to post your query on TechNet
forums, where we have support professionals who are well equipped with the knowledge on issues related to Bit-Locker, to assist you with your query.



Regards,

Prakhar Khare

Microsoft Community – Moderator

 

PC prompting for Bitlocker recovery key, cannot find the recovery key

Hello Leckbir,



Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.



For further clarity on the issue and to guide you accordingly, respond to the questions listed below:

1. Since when are you facing this issue?
   
2. Are you aware of any changes being made to the PC?
   
3. Which version of Windows is installed on the PC?
   
4. What is the make and model of the PC?
   

This issue can be caused if a BIOS/firmware update has been pushed to your PC either through Windows Updates or any other OEM media update.



If you have set up the Bitlocker on your PC, I suggest you to look for the recovery key on your Microsoft account. Also, you can refer the article

Find my BitLocker recovery key.



Hope it helps.



Regards,

Prakhar Khare

Microsoft Community – Moderator

 

PC not compatible with Windows 10, cannot revert back to Windows 7 and says the product key is illegible.

Hello Doug,

Thank you for posting on Microsoft Community. We regret the inconvenience caused and will help you in resolving the issue.

Before assisting further, I would like to ask you few questions:

• Did you PC come with Pre-installed Windows 7 OS?
• Do you have the recovery partition on the drive of your PC?
• When you say “reset”, are you performing factory reset of the PC?

Recovery partition is a backup drive created by the manufacturer at the original factory settings in case if something goes wrong with the operating system. It is mostly stored in a hard drive partition of the PC rather
than on CD-ROMS or DVDs. It will not affect any part of the drive of the PC if you delete the partition.

You will be able to factory reset the computer without using the product key if your PC came preinstalled with Windows 7 OS.

I suggest you to check if you have the recovery partition drive intact on your PC by following the steps below:

• Press Window logo + X keys on the keyboard and select
  Disk management from the context menu.
• Look for the Recovery partition drive under Status tab of the window.

If you have the Recovery partition drive intact with the PC, I suggest you to factory reset the PC by following the steps from the device manufacturer’s website:

http://www.dell.com/support/Article/us/en/19/SLN291879/EN

Write to us with the status of the issue and the answers to the above questions on the same post for further assistance. Your reply is most important for us to ensure we assist you accordingly.

Thank you.