Unsolved
1 Rookie
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14 Posts
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54520
August 20th, 2021 06:00
XPS 13 9360, Asks for BitLocker after Update
Summary:
Hello, I’m running into BitLocker issues and need help coming up with a different solution to try before I consider completely resetting the PC and losing all my files.
Background:
I turned on my personal laptop (Dell XPS 13 9360) and get the BitLocker blue screen. I’m assuming it’s due to the recent Dell update since I didn’t do anything dramatic the day before.
The current error message says “BitLocker needs your recovery key to unlock your drive because Secure Boot policy has unexpectedly changed”.
On the next screen, I do have a “Recovery Key ID (to identify your key)” and FWIW the drive label states “DESKTOP-#######”.
I have also poured through forums and tried most everything.
What I’ve Tried:
No, I don’t have a 48-digit BitLocker recovery key.
I’ve never set one up, never saved it somewhere or on a USB drive, nor printed it out.
No, I didn’t find the recovery key after attempting to follow Microsoft’s published instructions - logged onto my Microsoft and Azure accounts but i receive “you don't have any BitLocker recovery keys uploaded to your Microsoft account.” FWIW, my device is listed there.
BIOS Screen:
I initially attempted to Restore Settings and tried all four options: BIOS Defaults, Factory Settings, Last Known Good Settings, and Custom User Settings. None worked.
I’ve also attempted the following steps (with no luck) -
- General > Boot Sequence > UEFI > Apply
- Security > TPM 2.0 Security > Enable > Apply
- Secure Boot > Secure Boot Enable > Enable > Apply
I’ve tried disabling above, restarting, then enabling, restarting and it does not help.
Command Prompt:
Below are the details if I go into the command prompt and type manage-bde -status c:
Size: Unknown GB
BitLocker Version: 2.0
Conversion Status: Unknown
% Encrypted: Unknown %
Encryption Method: XTS-AES 128
Protection Status: Unknown
Lock Status: Locked
ID Field: Unknown
Automatic Unlock: Disabled
Key Protectors:
TPM
Numerical Password
manage-bde -protectors -disable c:
I realize it shouldn’t work, but wanted to try and it says cannot be performed because volume is locked
Dell-specific Options:
I’ve tried the following screens / steps -
Reset this PC > Keep my files > Cloud download
Error message = “Unable to download. Use local reinstall”
Reset this PC > Keep my files > Local reinstall
Error = Brings me back to previous page
Advanced Options > Startup Repair
Error = “Startup Repair couldn’t repair your PC”
Advanced Options > Uninstall Updates > Uninstall Latest Quality Update
Error = Brings me back to previous page
Advanced Options > Uninstall Updates > Uninstall Latest Feature Update
Error = “Ran into a problem and won’t be able to uninstall latest feature update of Windows”
Advanced Options > Startup Settings
Error = “Must enter recovery key to access”
Advanced Options > System Restore
Error = no restore points created on computer
Advanced Options > System Image Recovery
Error = no system image found on computer
Factory Image Restore > SupportAssist OS Recovery
Repair > Requires BitLocker recovery key
Recover > Requires BitLocker recovery key
Scan Hardware > Battery an issue was detected
Message states, “We detected an issue with your battery. Try removing anything that might obstruct or clog vents. If that doesn’t work, update your computer BIOS, restart your computer and run the hardware scan again.”
I’ve cleaned my battery charger. Battery is @ 100% and also unplugged, replugged from overnight. I run the BIOS updates and scans again. Same message.
Any advice on next steps? Buy a new battery charging cord? Or actually crack open the laptop back cover to remove the battery, clean it, and put it back in?
Thanks ahead of time!
nomad
1 Rookie
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19 Posts
1
September 6th, 2021 20:00
@GuntherPelgrims @theacura Unfortunately your method has not worked.
I downgraded BIOS to 2.5.1.
Using Dell OS Recovery tool created Win10 image and reinstalled OS on the new disk.
Installed all Windows updates along with BIOS 2.10.
Put an old disk and BitLocker is asking a key.
However, I don't see logic behind it as installing OS on the new disk and updating BiOS via Windows updates has nothing to do with encrypted disk.
nomad
1 Rookie
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19 Posts
1
September 6th, 2021 21:00
I wonder if anyone contacted to Dell and opened a case. It's been two weeks since XPS has been locked out. Has anyone received official input from Dell Tech Support on it and how they are going to resolve this issue?
GuntherPelgrims
1 Rookie
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4 Posts
1
September 7th, 2021 00:00
@nomad
I understand your remark regarding to logic in my Windows Update method.
As an (average) tech guy my analysis:
Cause:
Bitlocker needs to see the exact same hardware before automatically unlocking the disk.
Every bios update means Bitlocker sees your computer as 'different' hardware.
To avoid this: BIOS update tools turn off Bitlocker before the update and back on once the update is finished.
Dell Command Update does this and even mentions it.
Unfortunately the Windows Update Firmware update did not do this.
So we can say that everyone who has this problem, update to 2.16 using Windows Update.
The Solution:
We need to revert to the exact same BIOS version we had before the Windows Update.
So bitlocker will see this as the same hardware.
How to:
Unfortunately there is no way of knowing what your BIOS version was, before the windows update.
So I tried all of them from latest to newest.
No luck. This was weird, because at least one of them should have worked.
Dell:
So I decided to contact Dell to get a working BIOS.
They blew me off by saying "Putting the correct BIOS will not solve your problem. Once bitlocker has been triggered, it will not go away unless you put in the recovery key. Even if you downgrade to the same previous BIOS, you still need to put in the key."
THIS IS NOT TRUE.
The odd workaround:
Because I was 99% sure that Dell was wrong and just blew me off, I decided to try to recreate the problem with a new disk.
This is how I found my workaround.
Doing windows update on the new disk, I noticed it would just install firmware 2.10.
This should have been 2.16. Because we all got 2.16 through windows update which causes the problem.
So I suppose the Dell solution was to remove 2.16 from windows update and leave the people who already did the update hanging.
Weirdly, with the 2.10 update. My old disk booted.
This is weird because I am 100% sure that I tried the 2.10 BIOS from the Dell site.
The only conclusion here is that 2.10 from Dell is not the same as 2.10 from windows update.
Conclusion:
A. If you used Dell Command Update to update your drivers before, or had Dell Command Update installing updates automatically. You need to try flashing with the BIOS from the Dell Site to find your old BIOS.
B. If you have never updated using Dell Command Update in the last 3 years (around the age of the 2.10 BIOS), you need to use the new disk workaround.
So in your case:
You ran Dell Command Update in the last 3 years? You probably need to try flashing manually from 2.15 working back down.
theacura
1 Rookie
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16 Posts
1
September 7th, 2021 02:00
@nomad Sorry to hear this didn’t work for you. One thing I did differently from @GuntherPelgrims was that I installed all of the windows updates (via windows desktop by searching windows update in settings) but it never upgraded my BIOS to 2.10 from these updates. I restarted my computer 3-4 times after installing each update.
Did you manually update to BIOS 2.10? Despite me installing all of the windows updates, my BIOS remained at 2.5.1.
Note when I initially tried to downgrade to 2.5.1 without changing out the SDD and reinstalling windows, I still got the Bitlocker screen. I have no idea why installing a fresh windows on a new SDD would have allowed me to access the login screen using the same BIOS version 2.5.1 after switching back to the old SDD.
nomad
1 Rookie
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19 Posts
1
September 7th, 2021 05:00
@GuntherPelgrims @theacura Thanks for your valuable inputs.
I've never used Dell Command Update utility. Possibly thereby my downgrade attempts to versions from Dell site - 2.15, 2.14 and 2.12 did not succeed as all this do not match to the version which were before.
@theacura
I tried to install two times, first time from image created with MS Media Creation Tool, second time used Dell OS Recovery. On both cases, Windows automatically flashed BIOS to 2.10 along with updates.
Probably, I need to figure out what version was in order to match old Bios and see whether OS boots (a colleague of mine has the same XPS, which hadn't powered for while, waiting for reply from him). May be @GuntherPelgrims had BIOS 2.10 whereas @theacura 2.5.1. I believe that was the strategy you followed to get out of this mess.
And why Dell Support is still silent about it? Looks like they didn't find remedy.
AlexQ_68
12 Posts
1
September 7th, 2021 23:00
Just tried to send here a question here about world wide notification for all laptop owners from Dell, but it couldn't pass automated forum censorship. ))
isama
2 Posts
2
September 8th, 2021 10:00
Thanks to the solution introduced by @GuntherPelgrims and @theacura , my laptop has been recovered after around two weeks of struggle. I think I owe it to the community to contribute my experience.
Pretty much the same story: After an update in late August, my xps 13 9360 asked me for a bitlocker recovery password. I've never set up Bitlocker myself. The Bitlocker screen hints me to check my school or work account, suggesting that the bitlocker could have been set up while using the school and/or work account. Unfortunately for me, I've left the school and the work. I contacted the school and the workplace. School told me that there is no bitlocker information linked to my device. Workplace told me that my work account has been permanently deleted upon my leaving the post and all information contained in that account would have been lost.
I tried downgrading BIOS with the drivers provided on dell website to many previous versions, including 2.12.0 which worked for many people here, with no avail. The same bitlocker screen occurs.
I almost gave up at this point, but when checking back at this forum I saw the new input by @GuntherPelgrims and @theacura , so I followed step.
I bought a new SSD from a technology mall, a screw driver set, and a FAT32 usb flash drive. I made the new USB flash drive a Windows 10 installation media, which is rather easy because the media creation tool provided by Microsoft takes care of everything. Opened the laptop, took out the old SSD, installed the new one. Turn on the laptop with USB plugged in and it automatically initiates Windows 10 installation. After the OS is installed, I performed all available updates from control center, and notably one of them is a firmware update to 2.10.0. After all updates completed, I put in the old SSD and started the laptop.
Here is where I encountered an extra setback comparing to @theacura and @GuntherPelgrims . While turning on, the laptop automatically started a firmware/BIOS upgrade to 2.16.0 and landed me on the bitlocker screen again. Good thing is, some of the earlier posts mentioned such occurence when those users tried downgrading BIOS and offered the solution of turning off UEFI automatic update at BIOS setup (press F2 at the dell logo) -> security -> UEFI capsule firmware updates -> disable. So I did that, and this time simply installed BIOS 2.10.0 from the USB instead of changing the SSD again. Restart, booted to login screen, logged in and hooray! There's my lovely desktop again. Backed up bitlocker recovery key and later dycrypted the drive.
The interesting questions is, why did the BIOS 2.10.0 work after the whole process of changing SSD and installing various updates including a firmware update to 2.10.0, whereas it didn't work before this process?
I think this confirms what @GuntherPelgrims said, that the 2.10.0 from windows update is somewhat different from the 2.10.0 downloaded from the dell website. To be more specific, I think the 2.10.0 from windows updates has something key to the device that the 2.10.0 downloaded from the website doesn't. With this key element restored, whatever it may be, the bitlocker problem is resovled.
I hope this may help others who have the bitlocker problem and for whom merely downgrading BIOS to previous versions didn't work. Another piece of advice is, don't lose hope too soon. When I first checked this thread the solution which worked for me didn't exist yet. I kept coming back from time to time to see if there has been any new, potentially ground-breaking inputs, and there was. So even if all the methods mentioned here do not work for you, hold on, perhaps a new idea that will be posted in the near future will do the trick for you.
I hope Dell can look deeper into this problem and help those who are still suffering from the consequences.
Peace be upon you.
Alemaozc
1 Rookie
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4 Posts
1
September 8th, 2021 20:00
Dell please do something about this issue, I am still trying to recover my system ... Please Dell, this is your responsibility !!!
I have been your customer for 10 years, now I will go with HP or Asus... Very frustrating situation!
jimy
4 Posts
1
September 9th, 2021 01:00
It's been more than a week I tried several methods yet dell is finding the solution. I downgraded the bios still not working.
jimy
4 Posts
1
September 9th, 2021 01:00
I downgraded bios using bootable USB but still, it doesn't work for me. Seriously, how dell can make such a careless update. I may sell my dell laptop and never gonna buy it again. It wasted my 3 days and no solution has yet been posted by Dell services.
jimy
4 Posts
1
September 9th, 2021 02:00
It didn't work for me. I downgraded using this method and using bootable USB. Nothing working. Dell needs to come up with a solution ASAP. It
jimy
4 Posts
1
September 9th, 2021 02:00
I downloaded 2.12.0 an older version. The bios downgraded but still same problem persists.
Crasher9998
1 Message
1
September 9th, 2021 11:00
Same problem as many in here. I tried reinstalling BIOS driver 2.12.0 like the Dell support person in this thread suggested but to no avail. Thanks to the other posters who provided this tidbit:
Turning off UEFI automatic update at BIOS setup (press F2 at the dell logo) -> Security -> UEFI capsule firmware updates -> Disable.
After I did this, I booted up from my flash drive and installed BIOS 2.12.0 and it worked.
Backed up all my files and saved my Bitlocker key. I didn't even know Bitlocker was on my PC until I got locked out last week. I thought it was ransomware. Nope, just insane encryption pre-installed without consent or user knowlege and without a glaring warning to write down the key or you'll lose your files forever.
AlexQ_68
12 Posts
1
September 10th, 2021 01:00
Ransomware guys are not that bad guys as Dell engineers!
At least they would send you encryption key for money. Dell - wouldn't.
AlexQ_68
12 Posts
1
September 10th, 2021 01:00
It's not working for me and a lot of other ppl.
Looks like our last chance 2 posts above - replace HDD, install windows and allow to Windows update to flash good BIOS.