BitLocker may fail to unlock when the key is entered. When the key is entered (even when registered in Active Directory), BitLocker reports the key was accepted and the unlock was successful, but then prompts you to reenter the key again. This behavior then loops.
Work around To Unlock
To terminate this BitLocker recovery loop, BitLocker must be suspended from within WinRE. To do so, follow these steps:
- On the page where you are asked to enter the recovery key, select the Skip this drive link at the bottom. You should be presented with a menu that will let you get to a command prompt. The sequence is Advanced options > Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Command prompt.
- In the command prompt, use the following command to check the BitLocker status of the C: Drive:
- If the status is returned as locked, you must use the following command to unlock it using your recovery password:
- Once the drive is unlocked, you must use the following command to suspend protection:
- Exit and reboot.
- The computer should now successfully boot Windows. Once there, use the BitLocker control panel to resume BitLocker protection.
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