Windows 10: USB drive bricked by Bitlocker. Can i salvage it?

Hi,

I tried to encrypt my USB drive using Bitlocker. After roughly 30 minutes, however, the encryption process crashed. Now, if I plug the device in a Windows PC, i can unlock the USB using the password, but then the encryption process restarts at the percentage it was when the process crashed, and it's stuck there.



https://preview.redd.it/l7b0hx9d4a5...bp&s=8be58260807a2fd5a70740e22e3cfd8cc990af7e

I can't remove Bitlocker, because if I try I get this error:

https://preview.redd.it/hfvbilwh4a5...bp&s=e13cb994337c61ac3e7e28de9b0f94eaf4852495

The drive appears to be write-protected, so I cannot modify or delete files, or format the drive, rendering the drive useless. I have tried multiple formatting tools for Windows, macOS and Unix but all report that the device is write protected. I don't want to retrieve the data on the USB, just to format the drive so I can use it again.

Someone has advices on tools or procedures that may work?

Thanks in advance.

submitted by /u/erachd
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:)

 

Bitlocker USB

Hi, Margaret.

BitLocker requires you to have a USB key in able to access the information. You can create a USB key by using a blank thumb drive or USB drive formatted to NTFS OR FAT32 and follow these steps:

• Click Start and go to Control Panel.
• Look for System and Security then click it.
• Select BitLocker Drive Encryption.
• Under BitLocker Drive Encryption, click Turn on BitLocker.
• Choose how you want to unlock your drive during startup: Insert a USB flash drive or
  Enter a Password and then click Next.
• On the How Do You Want To Store Your Recovery Key Page, click Save the Recovery Key To A File.
• In the Save BitLocker Recovery Key As dialog box, choose a save location, and then click
  Save.
• You can now print the recovery key if you want to. When you have finished, click
  Next.
• On the Are You Ready To Encrypt This Drive page, click Start Encrypting.

Note: Do not remove the USB flash drive until the encryption process is complete. How long the encryption process takes depends on the size of the drive and other factors.

Get back to us if you need further assistance.

 

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.

 

Need to turn off Bitlocker to install Windows 10

Hi,

We suggest doing the following steps again to resolve the issue. To complete the procedure, make sure that you have the following information:

• You must be able to provide administrative credentials.
• The drive must be BitLocker-protected.

To suspend BitLocker Drive Encryption on an operating system drive, please follow the steps below:

• Click Start, click Control Panel, click
  System and Security, and then click BitLocker Drive Encryption.
• Click Suspend Protection for the operating system drive.
• A message is displayed, informing you that your data will not be protected while BitLocker is suspended and asking if you want to suspend BitLocker Drive Encryption.
  
• Click Yes to continue and suspend BitLocker on the drive.

Let us know how it goes.