Surface Pro 3 Bitlocker

Greggers · August 30, 2014

Howdy, I'm looking to buy a SP3 soonish, maybe wait for an SP4 with Win9 on it if they release it side by side. Anyway, I currently use Bitlocker so I have to plug in a USB drive to unlock my machine. SP3/4 will have a TPM module (which my current laptop doesn't) so will I still be able to use the USB method? I prefer this as I know my machine will be locked down without physical access to both device and usb drive and I don't have to remember anything besides the usb drive.

GoodBytes · August 30, 2014

I don't know. I have never used Bit Locker, despite owning a Surface Pro 2 which has a TPM chip for support.

But assuming someone steals your Surface Pro 3/4, then what? He can't decrypt the drive. He can't remove the drive out without breaking the system.

Sure maybe he can decrypt it, but so can he or she without the USB drive which I assume contains the decryption certificate. And it is from my understanding that Bit-drive encryption uses a good encryption algorithm which is very hard, and so far, impossible (as it looks like, else it would be everywhere in the news) to decrypt it.

Greggers · August 30, 2014

I don't know. I have never used Bit Locker, despite owning a Surface Pro 2 which has a TPM chip for support.

But assuming someone steals your Surface Pro 3/4, then what? He can't decrypt the drive. He can't remove the drive out without breaking the system.

Sure maybe he can decrypt it, but so can he or she without the USB drive which I assume contains the decryption certificate. And it is from my understanding that Bit-drive encryption uses a good encryption algorithm which is very hard, and so far, impossible (as it looks like, else it would be everywhere in the news) to decrypt it.

I'm wondering if I could just use TPM in conjunction with a USB drive, I don't like to remember passcodes to unlock devices as I'm prone to forget them but picking up my keychain is a rather hard thing to forget. I just like my devices to boot straight up so having to plug a usb drive in seems like the best solution.