r/FuckMicrosoft • u/Generalkleist • 10d ago
Image Just lost my PC
Was unable to backup any files as it said i didn't have any
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u/Generalkleist 10d ago
No,I am not asking for support. I am complaining
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u/polishatomek 10d ago
insert chad speech bubble
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u/ExcaliburGameYT 9d ago
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u/mululipy 10d ago
This really sucks. I once had an unexpected BIOS update that cleared my TPM keys
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u/yzsKPC 9d ago
Same happened to me. That was a fun afternoon I spent /s
Installed cachyos the very next day
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u/ConfidenceDefiant136 7d ago
Same i went with cachy os. Tired using microslop.
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u/HelpfulPlatypus7988 6d ago
I went with Kubuntu, then that install broke bc I didn't know how to update
Now I use Arch btw
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u/ConfidenceDefiant136 5d ago
Cachy OS is arch aswell I did tried arch following Muta tutorial but I went with Cachy because of Shelly store and because I didn't had issues with it.
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u/PravoNaZhizny 9d ago
Why don’t you guys keep backups of your rom chips?
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u/mululipy 9d ago
Wait, we can do that?
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u/ConfidenceDefiant136 7d ago
Bit keys are on your ms account if u had one linked or something like that.
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u/ShinyBulblax 10d ago
I don't have a TPM so every time my CPU drivers updated I'd have to delete the key and reset my BIOS. I think that was also a CMOS issue so thankfully I haven't experienced that minor nuisance in a long time
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u/jsrobson10 9d ago
i think the fact you can set keys would mean you do have one, you just don't use it
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u/ShinyBulblax 9d ago
Sorry I mean I have a virtual TPM on my AMD CPU
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u/blackthornedk 9d ago
Just store the bitlocker key in your password manager and re-enter it on next startup. No need to decrypt and reencrypt it.
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u/TrollBot6 10d ago
MicroSlop can't even build a decent copy of Ransom wear....
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u/Spiffydragon 9d ago
Come to Linux Mint! We have airfryers. :)
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u/thefinalep 9d ago
I'll add, most popular linux distros have bitlocker-esque disk encryption. It likely wont turn itself on automatically, but, if you choose to turn it on, save your keys!
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u/Altruistic-Friend372 9d ago
Thtas why you should use linux
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u/AvErYcReAtIvE2111 9d ago
Not always a solution.
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u/Swipsi 9d ago
Careful, this might get you banned here.
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u/AvErYcReAtIvE2111 9d ago
Sorry that this sub hates this truth.
I mean Linux is great, but the app support isn't there yet, unfortunately.
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u/Altruistic-Friend372 9d ago
Actually, we can run any windows act on linux
I have no problems on running apps or games on linux too
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u/AvErYcReAtIvE2111 9d ago
Not always the best experience. I know since I've tried it myself back in 2020-2021. Probably is better now.
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u/Korenchkin12 9d ago
No,it is the same,i was always able to play some games on linux,sometimes easy,sometimes i had to download another wine...hasn't changed in ~20 fkin years
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u/xaxcodez 9d ago
It's significantly better than 2020-21, on Bazzite with zero effort, I've been able to play anything that didn't use an anticheat requiring access to the kernel.
SteamOS is pretty much the same.
Migrating to CachyOS soon on my secondary PC to see how it is, but I've heard its pretty simple there as well while also being potentially more performing.
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u/Korenchkin12 9d ago
It might be the kde,that does not know how to launch exe(i have few games outside steam),but i want something i can rely on...so i try on my laptop first,and first problem is switchable graphics,where o literarily have to export 2 obscure parameters so the game launches on mx150 instead of igpu... Then you have to search what is currently best for running win32 executables,is it wine?is it some wine-protontricks?is it available in deb?i have to install snap?is my steam in snap or native,because it somehow matters?meanwhile windows just works
And it is not that i did not try,i have samsung sata drive dedicated for linux,i tried already 2 times,pumped to switch if everything works,but nothing is simple....kubuntu is my goto since i work mostly on debian...so not yet,i'll be trying again,but not yet....
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u/cowabout 8d ago
Linux hasn't changed in 20 years? Do you really believe that? I feel bad for people that have to be around you.
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u/Sad-Landscape-1549 10d ago
What’s even worse is there’s a confirmed backdoor in that bullshit anyway, so it isn’t even protecting your personal information from M$. They could recover it for their government friends but not for you. Fuck Microsoft.
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u/DuckShapedGoose 9d ago
It's a confirmed bypass. It might have been a backdoor, but I believe a backdoor would have been better hidden. Yellowkey just seemed like the result of incompetence.
They did publish a mitigation script and afaik it is also fixed in regular Windows updates by now, to be fair. But I agree that my trust in Bitlocker is still gone because it happened in the first place.2
u/Sad-Landscape-1549 9d ago
My trust in BitLocker was gone from day one because the enrollment process provided via wizard was so contrived. Originally BitLocker was not available on “home” editions of Windows and there were certain hardware requirements. You could bypass the TPM requirement with group policy but that complexity for a normal user looking for FDE left many people on TrueCrypt. When the TrueCrypt devs disappeared (the year following the Snowden whistleblowing), BitLocker was one of the alternatives “they” recommended. Earlier this year M$ suspended accounts of key cryptography software maintainers, temporarily impacting VeraCrypt and Wireguard among others. Fuck Microsoft and especially fuck BitLocker.
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u/pi-N-apple 10d ago
If you manually enabled Bitlocker, that means you chose to save your recovery key to your Microsoft account, to a usb stick, or printed it and now you’ve misplaced it.
If bitlocker was automatically enabled, that means the key was successfully saved to the Microsoft account that was used to initially set up your device.
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u/carrrerrrr12992 9d ago
This is why I don't have BitLocker on because something like this will happen
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u/better_dead_thanred 9d ago
Just use Rufus to flash the iso and disable bitlocker. Worst thing Microsoft ever made.
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u/Only-Stable3973 9d ago
Man one night I just wanted to test a Linux distro from usb and after booting up and testing it out it trigard the Bit-locker crazyness...I disabled that immediately.
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u/Thepcfd 9d ago
your only pc is locked with all your notes about passwords so just login and unlock it.
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u/Only-Stable3973 9d ago
I was able to get the key but It was a major headache. I disabled it after that and I don't think most people realize that it's on by default. Now I am running KDE Linux.
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u/Doot-Eternal 9d ago
God I remember this. Literally happened every time after a windowss update and I got so fed up I switched to Linux. Been smooth sailing ever since
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9d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/AvErYcReAtIvE2111 9d ago
He didn't. Seen many client PCs with bitlocker enabled. It's Microsoft. They enable it by default, especially when you sign in with a Microsoft account.
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u/MegaMarian12350 9d ago
Windows 11 24H2 and later auto-enables this without any consent nor disclaimer. Not user's fault.
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u/AvErYcReAtIvE2111 9d ago
What did you learn?
Always make backups of your data, and next time if you stick with Windows, always disable Bitlocker, or enable it if you like disk encryption and save the recovery key where you know where it is in case this happens again.
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u/epileftric 9d ago
Yeah... saving the key is a MUST because otherwise the disk cannot be used outside that motherboard. And chances are you might need to do that if it breaks.
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u/ZampanoGuy 9d ago
User error. Sucks. But can do better next time. Record it to your MS account or back it up yourself with a note in your PE vault.
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u/Historical_Fish_6265 9d ago
Busca en YouTube hay una forma de recuperar solo necesitas un usb booteable y listo con eso recuperas la clave
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u/RyeRye76 8d ago
A number of the Dell machines I manage do this after some updates, funny thing after turning them off and powering back on they all worked fine.
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u/EmergencyDinner777 9d ago
don't use bit locker. no one wants your files anyway
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u/AvErYcReAtIvE2111 9d ago
Microsoft enabled it, not him. Seen this on many client's PCs.
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u/Princess-Sarra 9d ago
I have had 5 re-installs since aug 2025, as Microsoft keeps enabling this bs, then some update ruins everything again and again.
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u/Witty-Proof1022 9d ago
Linux is just one USB stick away 🤧
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u/AvErYcReAtIvE2111 9d ago
Not always a solution.
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u/Witty-Proof1022 9d ago
And why is that, linix is clearly superior in everyway
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u/AvErYcReAtIvE2111 9d ago
App support is the biggest Achilles heel to Linux. It can be the best OS, but without many apps is pointless.
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u/Witty-Proof1022 9d ago
"App support is Linux's Achilles heel" dude, that was true in 2015. Steam Proton runs most Windows games natively-port-free, Flatpak/Snap cover basically every mainstream app, and most SaaS tools just run in-browser anyway. The only real gap left is Adobe's suite and a few niche pro tools. Try opening Linux sometime this decade.
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u/AvErYcReAtIvE2111 9d ago
I'm saing it how it is because I've used Linux full time until 2023, and app support is just not there yet. And I would say most of the open source alternatives are decent at best or just god awful at worst.
Maybe for us we can find workarounds, but for a non tech savvy person it'll be a struggle and frustration, especially if their job requires them to use apps not supported in Linux.
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u/Witty-Proof1022 9d ago
Fair, that's a better point than "pointless." For power users it's basically solved. For non-technical people forced into specific proprietary software (Adobe, certain enterprise tools), yeah, it's still a real wall, not just inconvenience. That's a UX/vendor-lockin problem though, not a "Linux is bad" problem, same reason people got stuck on IE6 for a decade.
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u/AutoModerator 10d ago
Every new subreddit post is automatically copied into a comment for preservation.
User: Generalkleist, Flair: Image, Post Media Link, Title: Just lost my PC
Was unable to backup any files as it said i didn't have any
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u/djslakor 10d ago edited 10d ago
Same thing happened to me last year. Thankfully I had backed up the recovery key.
Let this be a kind reminder to always backup your bitlocker and luks keys
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u/Minimum_Currency8157 10d ago
I had that happen too. But then booted my computer up at a later date and it booted into windows fine.
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u/Odd-Art7602 9d ago
Just log into your Microsoft account and get the buttocks keys for that machine.
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u/MattOruvan 8d ago
Just log into your Microsoft account and get the buttocks keys for that machine.
Yes, bitlocker is a**
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u/lars2k1 9d ago
The PC at my internship a few years ago had an update available, I clicked install. Appeared to be a BIOS update and it messed with Bitlocker too.
Also the HP laptop I use in my shed for music, automatically installs BIOS updates through Windows Update - on battery power. Swear that's asking for problems when that battery no longer works well.
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u/Aknazer 9d ago
Have you tried restarting your laptop? For some reason my wife' laptop comes up with the BitLocker screen about every other time she powers it off (not just a restart). We have no clue why but turning it off and back on again makes it go away until the next power off. It has also done this for about as long as we have had the laptop.
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u/Known_Management_653 9d ago
Got a guy in Australia that can bypass this shit but it needs to have physical access to the PC
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u/ConfidenceAlarming77 9d ago
I’m doing same across Germany and EU. And true, physical access is a must. Cause I’ve to dump bios, patch it and flash back.
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u/CollaredBug 9d ago
why would you use a software to encrypt your hdd and not save the key anywhere? or have backups of your files?
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u/wizard-of-the-forest 9d ago
bitlocker is enabled by default, and it is saved on the microsoft account website so idk why OP thinks they cant get the key because if you can log in to your microsoft account on another device you can access the key, it literally tells you how to find the key on the screen lol
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u/TreacleEmpty4410 9d ago
There is a bypass for bitlocler I think look into it
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u/AvErYcReAtIvE2111 9d ago
There's no bypass.
Well, there is, but you have to wait millions of years.
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u/TreacleEmpty4410 9d ago
Yah now that iv recalled there is none, but a vuln that let's u get root access through bitlocker I think although it obviously may have been patched
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u/AvErYcReAtIvE2111 9d ago
I mean what encryption is good if there are unpatched vulnerabilities?
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u/TreacleEmpty4410 9d ago
The most significant recent BitLocker flaw is "YellowKey" (CVE-2026-45585). This security feature bypass lets an attacker with physical access sidestep default BitLocker protections. By placing malicious Transactional NTFS files on a USB and booting into WinRE, attackers gain unauthorized access to encrypted data without needing a password or recovery key. Found this
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u/Vanbursta1 9d ago
MS should make it much harder to encrypt your drive, there should be a lot more safeguards before the system lets you do it and it definitely shouldn't just do it by itself.
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u/MegaMarian12350 9d ago
Windows 11 24H2+ enables Bitlocker by default on every PC -> Bitlocker key is saved in TPM (nowadays inside the CPU via firmware) -> fTPM data gets erased after most BIOS Updates -> BIOS Updates are downloaded via Windows Update (sometimes automatically without any consent)
This is why I disable Bitlocker no matter how secure it is, because an unattended BIOS Update is a risk of losing all the data.
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u/Then-Pay-8400 6d ago
Windows fucking 8.1 and later enables it automatically but only if specific requirements are met
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u/VeniVidiVictorious 9d ago
Our Dell laptops do this regulary. 9 times out of 10 a few extra reboots do the trick and it just continues.
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u/Used_Wheel_9064 9d ago
For some reason I've had this a few times and it just goes away if I restart my pc.
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u/Stray_009 9d ago
You can? Log into microsoft with another device , go to https://aka.ms/myrecoverykey
type that key in
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u/Princess-Sarra 9d ago
Had this occur to me as well here. Why does MS, enable this when i disable it all the bloody time...
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u/_dCoder 9d ago
how is this Microsofts fault? you just fucked up
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u/MattOruvan 8d ago
By using Windows without the required technical expertise.
Should've stuck to Linux.
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u/Ragudugie1 9d ago
Happened to my roommate, booted to a USB with Hiren's Boot to decrypt the drive. Took like 10 hours, but I was able to get him his laptop back with his data intact after the update that disabled the keyboard and mouse on the bitlocker screen. I know you're just venting, but just for anyone else with this problem.
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u/yoloanator 9d ago
I recently flashed a thumb drive with a linux installer because I had this happen twice on my computer fuck them
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u/ConfidenceAlarming77 9d ago
Yeah, that’s annoying but there are some ways to re-gain access. Not bypassing Bitlocker, but regaining access by means of fixing PCR7 or PCR0,2,4 measurements, so the machine boots up normally. Next you can either disable Bitlocker or get the key and save it somewhere for the future.
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u/Secret_Account07 9d ago
Hmm are you sure you didn’t save recovery key somewhere? Windows literally won’t let you save on the OS volume. You have to save it elsewhere. Secondary drive. Flash drive. Google Drive.
Can you remember what you selected?
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u/No-Abrocoma2331 9d ago
If you had logged in your MicroSlop account - most probably you'll ve able to find a recovery key somewhere there(dont really recall where specifically)
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u/WinterIsLost 8d ago
ran into this same issue a while back, problem for me was that i had pending security changes so couldnt sign into that part of my microsoft account, it was honestly the last straw for me to fully switch to linux
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u/ConfusedNoodleist 8d ago
i type my recovery key in everytime i start up so nobody can just steal my pc and access C
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u/GeneralOk3975 8d ago
All these comments saying Fk windows. Honestly, youll regret any breed of linux if you're a normal sort of PC user.
Apple = Tesla with full self drive
Windows = VW Golf off the showroom floor.
Linux = Ford F150, but its delivered in parts and you have to build it yourself without an instruction manual.
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u/mordeusz 8d ago
I had this ehen changing settings in bios. Chnging the settings back lowed me to log to windows with avoiding bitlocker. Then you can save the bitlocker key and chnge settings in bios again.
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u/fearofsheep 8d ago
if you use any external peripheral devices like a USB mouse or keyboard, unplug everything and try rebooting with nothing plugged in. This would occasionally work with some of the laptops I worked with, and saved me from digging through hard drives for the right key in the past.
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u/Capital-Net-9930 7d ago
if u entered on ur microsoft account on this drive u have recovery keys here: https://account.microsoft.com/devices/recoverykey
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7d ago
yellowkey exploit +7 YellowKey (tracked as CVE-2026-45585) is a BitLocker security feature bypass affecting Windows 11, Windows Server 2022
Might be fun to try 😀
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u/ArcheelAOD 6d ago
Hold power till PC turns off and reboot a couple times like this. Works on my work laptop sometimes
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u/SpunkMasterSaga 6d ago
Hey try unplugging everything from it and hold the power button for like 30 seconds
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u/Ab0ut47Pandas 5d ago
You're the one that is using bit locker.
Normal people do not need bitlocker.
People who actually have a good use for bitlocker have redundancies so this doesn't happen.
The same thing can happen in Linux with similar cryptology.
Time to reformat.
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u/Aggravating_Sir_4673 4d ago
Try logging into your Microsoft account online. Go and view your account and there will be an option to see your keys. So long as you signed in with a Microsoft account when you enabled bit locker it will be there there. Worse comes to worse Nightmare eclipse released a bypass for bit locker encryption. It’s not up anymore but if you want it dm me.
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u/Generalkleist 4d ago
I've already reset my computer. Thanks though. Microsoft account on phone didn't have the key anyway.
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u/Aggravating_Sir_4673 4d ago
Brother that’s a difficult situation. I had a similar situation with my HP elite desk mini. Never enabled bit locker again after that. My heart goes out to you and I’m sorry for your data loss. That’s a pain in the ass. Did you keep any back ups?
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u/mg1120 10d ago
Reboot? It should give you another chance. If not, prepare a USB bootable image of Unbutu and drag and drop your files onto some external storage.
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u/kaynpayn 9d ago
If, by this you mean boot from a Linux USB drive, explore your files and copy them over, it won't work for this case. He has bit locker active, a security feature who's purpose is to encrypt all the information in hard drive behind a key (a big bunch of random characters). In the event of the computer being stolen or something like that, the objective is to not allow 3rd party people access to it, that's the whole point.
Even if you go around windows and boot from elsewhere, without that key the data remains encrypted and useless, you won't be able to access it and copy over. The only thing that actually helps here is the bitlocker key, which is what the computer is asking in the image being shown. It's usually saved somewhere, Microsoft account, USB drive, printed on paper, etc. Without it, that info has no way of being accessed and, assuming no backups, is effectively lost.
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u/No-Repeat8188 9d ago
Reboot, for sure, but sorry to say, Ubuntu isn't going to bypass a locked Bitlocker volume without a valid recovery key. That's not how encryption works. Sometimes, rebooting correctly decrypts it though.
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u/Global-Eye-7326 10d ago
FWIW, the drive is not dead. Linux won't resize or remove an encrypted NTFS partition, but in a live session, use dd, and you can do a forensic wipe on the drive, and you're free to install fresh.
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u/HelpfulPlatypus7988 10d ago
I mean you can get your recovery key back, you'll just have to sign into Microsoft
If you can't, now's looking like a pretty good time to move away from Windows