Windows 10: Restore from Bitlocker encrypted external drive?

Is it possible to restore a system image from a Bitlocker encrypted external drive?

:)

 

Restore system image from a bitlocker encrypted external USB drive (Windows 10)

Hi,

I'm going to encrypt my C: drive with Bitlocker. I also want to save a complete system image on an external USB drive. Which shall be encrypted with Bitlocker as well.

My question:

Is is possible to restore a complete system image from a Bitlocker encrypted external USB drive?

My assumed experience:

My internal drive brakes and I replace it with a brand new drive. I connect the encrypted external USB drive (with the system image on it) at my laptop. I boot from a Win10 USB-Stick and go to the recovery/restore options. There I'm able to select the external
USB drive and have to enter my PIN/password to decrypt the drive. Than the restore process starts. After a reboot I'm back at my old environment.

Is that the case that will happen?

 

Encrypted External Drive that cannot be opened.

Hi Sana,

It is a good idea to use Bitlocker to protect hard drives. Please provide the following needed information:

1. How do you try to access the drive?

2. Do you get any pop-up message when trying to access the drive?

3. Is this an external hard drive?

You can turn off Bitlocker Drive Encryption by following these steps:

• 
  Login as Administrator to your PC.
  
• 
  Click Start, click Control Panel, click
  Security, and then click BitLocker Drive Encryption.
  
• 
  From the BitLocker Drive Encryption page, find the volume on which you want BitLocker Drive Encryption turned off, and click
  Turn Off BitLocker Drive Encryption.
  
• 
  From the What level of decryption do you want dialog box, click either
  Disable BitLocker Drive Encryption or Decrypt the volume as needed.
  

Regards.

 

File back up to bitlockered external drive

Thanks John.

By trial and error the solution is,

• Set the file back up to the desired external USB drive, Back up using file history.
• Run backup to completion.
• Dismount, (Remove) the drive used.
• Remount (Plug in) the drive used for the file back up (Steps 1&2) and encrypt using Bitlocker.

Note you can only encrypt drives using some versions of Windows (Pro for eg not Home)

• Once the external drive has been encrypted dismount.
• Remount the drive, go to the file back up option, Open, Settings, Backup,
  Back up using file history.
• The drive should now still be visible and has been encrypted.
• Accessing the drive will be dependant on how it was set up in Bitlocker,
  Open with this PC, password, pin code etc.
• Repeat file back up as in the first two steps.

Hope this helps someone else.