Locked out of Windows by Bitlocker

[SerHoneyBadger]

A friend of mine has been locked out of her Laptop thanks to this program does anyone know a method to get her into her Laptop again?

 

She already tried many things and simply does not know how to get in fixed.

[Tom_nerd]

try retriving the key by using the link below the type in section on another PC.

[Arika]

have they followed the instructions on this screen?

[SerHoneyBadger]

Could you guide me trough that i don't use Bitlocker myself do i just go to a site or do i have to install it myself. I prefer not to get the same issue.

 

[SerHoneyBadger]

[14:32, 5/28/2020] Jelica: When I open my laptop there’s like a part of it where you put the key in and there’s a link under it
[14:32, 5/28/2020] Jelica: Tried the one the first time
[14:33, 5/28/2020] Jelica: And it will ask you to sign with your Microsoft acc
[14:33, 5/28/2020] Jelica: I didn’t have one so I created an acc
[14:33, 5/28/2020] Jelica: But the key was never there

[Eigenvektor]

5 minutes ago, SerHoneyBadger said:

[14:33, 5/28/2020] Jelica: I didn’t have one so I created an acc
[14:33, 5/28/2020] Jelica: But the key was never there

This tells you where the recovery key could be: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4530477/windows-10-finding-your-bitlocker-recovery-key

 

Simply put: If she didn't have a Microsoft account prior to encrypting her drive, there's no chance the recovery key is in that newly created account. If she doesn't have a local backup of the recovery key (that was created at the time of encryption), like on a USB drive or a printout of the key, she's pretty much out of luck.

[SerHoneyBadger]

She followed all the steps from Microsoft itself and watched like 50+ youtube videos. This problem has persisted for longer then a week now.

 

[SerHoneyBadger]

So to my understanding she really can't get in with conventional means. How do we get rid of this problem with alternative means?

[jj9987]

Bitlocker is full disk encryption. It's meant to be secure and not recoverable - that's the point of using disk encryption in the first place. If there was a security flaw or a way to hack through it, it wouldn't be any use (e.g. you lost a laptop with valuable data - someone found it and now has a way to access that data).

 

If you have the recovery key (which has been explained above already), you can get access to it. If you don't, wipe the drive, install new Windows, restore backups. Simple as that.

[Eigenvektor]

Just now, SerHoneyBadger said:

So to my understanding she really can't get in with conventional means. How do we get rid of this problem with alternative means?

You really can't. The drive is encrypted. Without a valid key there's no chance to decrypt it. If you could break the encryption that easily, it would be useless.

 

From the site:

Quote

Your BitLocker recovery key is a unique 48-digit numerical password that can be used to unlock your system if BitLocker is otherwise unable to confirm for certain that the attempt to access the system drive is authorized. This key may be stored in your Microsoft account, printed or saved as a file, or with an organization that is managing the device. The requirement for a recovery key in these cases is a critical component of the protection that BitLocker provides your data.

As I said, she didn't have an account at the time she encrypted her drive. So the only possible location a recovery key could be is a file or print out she has in her possession. If she doesn't have either, then there's no way to decrypt the drive.

 

Quote

BitLocker is the Windows encryption technology that protects your data from unauthorized access by encrypting your drive and requiring one or more factors of authentication before it will unlock it, [...] Some changes in hardware, firmware, or software can present conditions which BitLocker cannot distinguish from a possible attack. In these cases, BitLocker may require the extra security of the recovery key even if the user is an authorized owner of the device. This is to be certain sure that it really is an authorized user of the device attempting to unlock it.

So basically BitLocker detected some condition that made it go "Hey, I want a key for added security". If you don't have that key anywhere... there's really nothing you can do. I assume she has no backup, so essentially all data on the PC is lost. The only thing you can do at that point is to reinstall Windows.

[Fiery_Eagle954]

On 5/28/2020 at 5:55 PM, SerHoneyBadger said:

A friend of mine has been locked out of her Laptop thanks to this program does anyone know a method to get her into her Laptop again?

 

She already tried many things and simply does not know how to get in fixed.

Try turning on safe mode my G

[The_Geek]

I thought we did not help hack machines...

The drive is BLocked for a purpose.

This could be a stolen device, or an unauthorized access attempt on a machine that belongs to someone else.

We should not encourage helping on a security issue.

 

[Kilrah]

On modern prebuilts Bitlocker is enabled by default, but on the first boot you'll get a setup assistant giving you the recovery key and telling you to store it in a safe place and not lose it, or login with an MS account.

If they didn't do that becasue users, then the data on that drive is irretrievable.