Daniel51

11 Posts

6049

April 22nd, 2018 04:00

Bitlocker

I have a Inspiron 5579. I was working with Dell support to fix a bios problem. Support had me reset the bios to default and reboot. The PC then asked for my bitlocker key. I never setup bitlocker and had no idea what the key was. The support person had no idea how to fix it. He just said send the PC back.

Anyway I found the key on the Microsoft site and got the PC booted.

My question is does dell set bitlocker as a default when you reset bios?

Also I have turned off bitlocker because it will ask me for the key each time I reboot. Is that safe?

Responses(5)

J

jphughan

4 Operator

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14K Posts

0

April 22nd, 2018 06:00

BitLocker Recovery Keys are 48-digit codes that are randomly generated when BitLocker is enabled on a partition, so you would not have just found yours on a Microsoft site — that would defeat the whole point of encryption — unless you mean your own Microsoft account page, which BitLocker does support backing up to. But unless you’re in an enterprise setting that forces BitLocker to be enabled via corporate policy, BitLocker also doesn’t just enable itself. You have to turn it on and then it makes you save, print, or upload your Recovery Key to your Microsoft account before it starts encrypting anything specifically to avoid you getting locked out. When it IS enabled, BitLocker will prompt for the Recovery Key under certain circumstances, including when the hardware environment has changed, such as after updating the BIOS or making certain configuration changes, since that causes the TPM not to trust the new environment and therefore refuse to release the decryption key automatically in case the environment change could compromise it. After you enter the Recovery Key, the TPM trusts the new configuration going forward. Getting a motherboard replacement would cause this prompt too since you no longer even have the TPM that contains the decryption key, and that one takes a bit more effort to solve.

As for whether turning it off is safe, most people don’t use encryption especially since BitLocker is still only included in the Pro versions of Windows, but I personally consider running without encryption unsafe. I would turn it on and then just make sure you back up your Recovery Key, ideally to somewhere that you can access even when your PC isn’t booting.

Saltgrass

3 Apprentice

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4.3K Posts

0

April 22nd, 2018 07:00

My XPS 13 365 always encrypts the C drive is I reinstall. Even did it once using Windows 10 install media and the drive was encrypted.

Possibly, because this system has a vPro processor.

D

Daniel51

11 Posts

0

April 22nd, 2018 09:00

Thanks for your reply. I am a home user and I did find the key on MY Microsoft account.

Dell must turn bitlocker on by default I never did.

So does dell turn on bitlocker by default? I am still concerned as to how it was turned on.

J

jphughan

4 Operator

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14K Posts

0

April 22nd, 2018 10:00

According to this link, BitLocker can automatically enable if your system meets certain hardware and configuration requirements and you choose to sign into your PC using a Microsoft account rather than a local account. OEMs can set a registry key to specifically prevent this, but it appears to occur by default. I must have never noticed that because I hate the idea of using a cloud-based account to log onto a PC, so I never do that -- although Microsoft does try hard to bury the option to set up a regular local account and force you to use a Microsoft account. They deviously hide that option under the "Create a Microsoft account" link....

I suppose this isn't so bad. The requirement to use a Microsoft account means that your Recovery Key will always be backed up, and encryption is a good security practice. Smartphones are typically automatically encrypted these days, for example, so it makes sense that laptops would be as well.

UH

UserBasicLevel-HU

1 Message

0

November 19th, 2021 09:00

BITLOCKER troubleshooting. How can you remove Bitlocker if you never used it?

I have got Bitlocker after morning start. It was strange for me bcause I am not an IT system specialist.
My solution works:

DELL INSPIRON 15 3567 + Windows 10 Home
I read somewhere that W10Home ed hasn't BITLOCKER.. But it blocked my DELL Laptop.

I tried to restore an old version (2.9.0 to 2.17.0) from FLASH. I did it first with *.exe, later with *.rcv
BIOS got older, but BITLOCKER didn't change.

I tried upload 2.14.0 and 2.15.0 too, but it was not available.

I had no more idea to do. And at this maks I decided to push FACTORY SETTINGS.

After FACTORY SETTING got BITLCOKER deleted, and started my Windows 10 Home edition.
I have all files.

I think that you can do it without any old version only with FACTORY SETTING.
I think that a new refreshed Windows wrote in BIOS to use BITLOCKER at start.
FACTORY SETTING could change values to original. So problem is away for me. (My life was blocked for 2 days)

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