D
Dauphinet
Guest
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)]Hi all,[/COLOR]
Sorry this post is quite long because I want you to understand well my case (and surely hundreds of thousands Win users)
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)]I have a Lenovo X270 laptop that was running Windows 10 Professional. Here is what happened:[/COLOR]
Based on my reading and conversations with Microsoft Tech Support, when a Windows 10 computer is purchased, and the user signs in to a Microsoft account on the first startup, BitLocker is setup automatically.
So I went to that same Microsoft account that I used to set up the affected computer. Sure enough, my device was listed there, I went clicking on Devices, Manage...
However when I clicked in “Manage” then “Get Biclocker recovery keys”:
I was almost happy to see my nightmare end until I got this…
It even tells me BitLocker is ON:
It seems that no recovery key is associated with my account. How is that possible given that this was the correct account that was used to setup the device, the device is listed in the account, and it even tells me BitLocker ON?
Regarding the other possibilities where BitLocker recovery keys may be found:
1. The hyperlinks Microsoft OneDrive - Access files anywhere. Create docs with free Office Online., also don't work.
2. This is a home/personal computer (nobody ever used but me), so the recovery key cannot be on Azure Active Directory service (just to follow some people’s advice, I’ve still created an account and checked there just in case but nothing).
3. Since BitLocker was activated by itself, there’s also no way the recovery key could be on a printout.
4. It’s been +30 years since I am in IT (started before Windows 95) so I know a bit more than the basics: I know what is BitLocker, that it comes preinstalled in Windows but I never ran and less configured it! My laptop was brand new/unboxed, never used by anyone else than me.
5. To summarize: I don't have that key in any Microsoft/OneDrive account, on a printout I saved, on a USB flash drive, in an Azure Active Directory, held by a system administrator or whatsoever! Please trust me, even if I had Alzheimer's disease, I will remember it!
The data on my computer is very valuable so I can't afford to format the disk.
Could someone help?
I am in hell! :’(
Thanks a lot.
P.S: I found a user who in 2019 was, in almost the same situation so I've copied some parts as they were well explained
BitLocker Recovery key not found
Continue reading...
Sorry this post is quite long because I want you to understand well my case (and surely hundreds of thousands Win users)
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)]I have a Lenovo X270 laptop that was running Windows 10 Professional. Here is what happened:[/COLOR]
- [COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)]One day a little bit of soda poured out on it so I’ve turned it OFF immediately, dried it but it didn’t help, some keys stopped working, so I’ve decided to replace the keyboard.[/COLOR]
- [COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)]While I was waiting to get the spare, I removed the internal drive and plugged it into another laptop and there I got a BitLocker recovery screen.[/COLOR]
- [COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)]So I’ve thought, it is just protection (like someone who stole the laptop/drive) and was trying to steal the data. I’ve said to myself, once I get the laptop fixed, this should not happen.[/COLOR]
- [COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)]So once, I got the new keyboard, I’ve replaced it but as misfortune never comes alone, despite the laptop was turning ON, and the fan spinning, the screen remained black.[/COLOR]
- [COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)]After some crossover tests, I’ve found out that the RAM memory got damaged so after replacing it, I could have the screen turning ON, and instead of going to Windows, I had again the damn BitLocker recovery screen.[/COLOR]
- [COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)]Now all my internal SSD contents got encrypted on their own.[/COLOR]
- [COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)]Of course, I’ve contacted Microsoft Support, checked since the past sleepless 5 weeks a lot of KBs, forums tried many prompt commands, different BIOS settings, watched hours of videos, contacted recovery software companies (like Elcomsoft, Passware, TheGrideon...) all of them said their product won't be much help in my case because my drive seems to be encrypted with a numeric password (which is a 48 digits recovery key).[/COLOR]
- [COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)]Microsoft Support was useless: I had countless exchanges with them, it is like a ping pong discussion between Windows and Lenovo, each other rejects the responsibility on the other one and none wants to be liable...[/COLOR]
Based on my reading and conversations with Microsoft Tech Support, when a Windows 10 computer is purchased, and the user signs in to a Microsoft account on the first startup, BitLocker is setup automatically.
So I went to that same Microsoft account that I used to set up the affected computer. Sure enough, my device was listed there, I went clicking on Devices, Manage...
However when I clicked in “Manage” then “Get Biclocker recovery keys”:
I was almost happy to see my nightmare end until I got this…
It even tells me BitLocker is ON:
It seems that no recovery key is associated with my account. How is that possible given that this was the correct account that was used to setup the device, the device is listed in the account, and it even tells me BitLocker ON?
Regarding the other possibilities where BitLocker recovery keys may be found:
1. The hyperlinks Microsoft OneDrive - Access files anywhere. Create docs with free Office Online., also don't work.
2. This is a home/personal computer (nobody ever used but me), so the recovery key cannot be on Azure Active Directory service (just to follow some people’s advice, I’ve still created an account and checked there just in case but nothing).
3. Since BitLocker was activated by itself, there’s also no way the recovery key could be on a printout.
4. It’s been +30 years since I am in IT (started before Windows 95) so I know a bit more than the basics: I know what is BitLocker, that it comes preinstalled in Windows but I never ran and less configured it! My laptop was brand new/unboxed, never used by anyone else than me.
5. To summarize: I don't have that key in any Microsoft/OneDrive account, on a printout I saved, on a USB flash drive, in an Azure Active Directory, held by a system administrator or whatsoever! Please trust me, even if I had Alzheimer's disease, I will remember it!
The data on my computer is very valuable so I can't afford to format the disk.
Could someone help?
I am in hell! :’(
Thanks a lot.
P.S: I found a user who in 2019 was, in almost the same situation so I've copied some parts as they were well explained
BitLocker Recovery key not found
Continue reading...