BitLocker Repair Tool - Recover Drive in Windows 7 and 8

How to Use BitLocker Repair Tool to Recover a Drive in Windows 7 and Windows 8
​
The BitLocker Repair Tool (Repair-bde) is a command-line tool included with Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 7, Windows Server 2012, and Windows 8. This tool attempts to repair or decrypt a damaged BitLocker-encrypted volume using the supplied recovery information to reconstruct critical parts of the drive and salvage recoverable data to another volume.

This tutorial will show you how to use the BitLocker Repair Tool to recover your data from a damaged encrypted operating system (OS) drive, fixed data drive (ex: internal volume/drive), or removable data drive (ex: USB drive) in Windows 7 and Windows 8.

You must be signed in as an administrator to be able to do the steps in this tutorial.
Note   Note

  • You must have at least one of the following for the BitLocker encrypted drive:
    • Password
    • Recovery key
    • Startup key .BEK file location
  • You will need to have an empty output volume (drive) of equal or larger size than the damaged BitLocker encrypted drive. The contents of the output volume will be completely deleted and overwritten by the decrypted contents of the damaged BitLocker drive.

warning   Warning
The BitLocker Repair Tool should only be used as a last resort when you were unable to decrypt or unlock the encrypted drive using either the password, recovery key, USB flash drive, or BitLocker Recovery.

Tip   Tip
If you were signed in to your Microsoft account when you encrypted a drive with BitLocker, then you can get your recovery key from your OneDrive at the link below.

Microsoft account: BitLocker recovery keys

EXAMPLE: Before and After using BitLocker Repair Tool
NOTE: In this example, the BitLocker encrypted drive is F: and the output volume is E: .

Computer_Before_BRT.jpg Computer_After_BRT.jpg



Here's How:

1. Do step 2, 3, or 4 below depending on what you would like to do.

2. To Use the Password in Windows 8
NOTE: This option is only available in Windows 8, and would be for an OS drive, fixed data drive, or removable data drive that you have configured to be unlocked by a password.

A) Open an elevated command prompt.

B) In the elevated command prompt, type the command below, and press Enter. (see screenshot below)

repair-bde F: E: -pw -F

Note   Note
For only items in red in the command above:

Substitute F for the drive letter of the Bitlocker encrypted drive. Not the last F.

Substitute E for the drive letter of the output volume you want to have the contents of the Bitlocker encrypted drive decrypted and copied to.



C) When prompted in the command prompt, type the recovery password for this encrypted drive, press Enter, and go to step 5 below.
NOTE: You will not see the password as you type it.

BRT_CMD_Password.jpg

3. To Use the Recovery Key in Windows 7 and 8
NOTE: This would be for an OS drive, fixed data drive, or removable data drive that you still have the recovery key either saved to your Microsoft account, saved to a file, saved to a USB flash drive, or printed.

A) Open an elevated command prompt.

B) In the elevated command prompt, type the command below, press Enter, and go to step 5 below. (see screenshot below)

repair-bde F: E: -rp BitLockerRecoveryKey -F


For example:

repair-bde F: E: -rp 261173-522599-237072-583517-442068-316811-199375-623755 -F

Note   Note
For only items in red in the command above:

Substitute F for the drive letter of the Bitlocker encrypted drive.

Substitute E for the drive letter of the output volume you want to have the contents of the Bitlocker encrypted drive decrypted and copied to.

Substitute BitLockerRecoveryKey for the actual 48 digit recovery key for the encrypted drive like below.

Saved to USB or File:

Recover_Key-1.jpg
Recover_Key-2.jpg

Saved to Microsoft account:

Recover_Key-3.jpg



BRT_CMD_Recovery_Key.jpg

4. To Use the Startup Key in Windows 7 and 8
NOTE: This would only be for an OS drive that you have configured to be unlocked by a USB flash drive.

A) Since you will not be able to boot from the OS drive, you will need to first connect it to another Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 7, Windows Server 2012, or Windows 8 PC.

B) Open an elevated command prompt in the other PC.

C) In the elevated command prompt, type the command below, press Enter, and go to step 5 below. (see screenshot below)

repair-bde F: E: -rk I:\StartupKey.BEK -F


For example:

repair-bde Z: E: -rk I:\AFA58D77-94CD-4300-8009-68B36AE53276.BEK -F

Note   Note
For only items in red in the command above:

Substitute F for the drive letter of the Bitlocker encrypted drive.

Substitute E for the drive letter of the output volume you want to have the contents of the Bitlocker encrypted drive decrypted and copied to.

Substitute I for the USB drive letter that the startup key has been saved or copied to.

Substitute StartupKey for the actual file name of the startup key for the encrypted drive like below. The BEK file (startup key) will be a hidden protected OS file.

Startup_Key_BEK.jpg



BRT_CMD_Startup_Key.jpg

5. When finally successfully finished, follow any given "ACTION REQUIRED" first. For example, to run chkdsk on the output volume before opening. (see screenshots below step 2, 3, and 3 above)

NOTE: The BitLocker Repair Tool may take a long time to finish, but you will still be able to use your PC during the recovery process. Just do not turn off the PC until it has finished.

6. You will now be able to open the output volume (ex: E) to view the decrypted files from the BitLocker encrypted drive (ex: F).


That's it,
Shawn


Related Tutorials

 

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Click to expand...
As.97 said:
I dont i use onedrive to save my data i dont have any physical restore point
Click to expand...
Since your data is saved to OneDrive, you could clean install Windows to clear BitLocker.
 

My Computer

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Brink said:
Since your data is saved to OneDrive, you could clean install Windows to clear BitLocker.
Click to expand...
Could you help me how do i do that i already installed a windows installation media
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows
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    64
As.97 said:
Could you help me how do i do that i already installed a windows installation media
Click to expand...
Once you boot from the installation media, you could use the steps in the tutorial below to clean install Windows.

Clean Install - Windows 8

How to Do a Clean Install of Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 This tutorial will show you how to do a clean install of Windows 8 (ex: System Builder copy) or Windows 8.1 on your PC. Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 System Requirements Windows 8 works great on the same hardware that powers Windows 7...
www.eightforums.com
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
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    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
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    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Brink said:
Once you boot from the installation media, you could use the steps in the tutorial below to clean install Windows.

Click to expand...
Honestly ive done this step n im stuck in step 7. Selecting the partitions, they are all write protected n the hard drive wont work bc it says i have to disable bitlocker first then i can install windows.
 

My Computer

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As.97 said:
Honestly ive done this step n im stuck in step 7. Selecting the partitions, they are all write protected n the hard drive wont work bc it says i have to disable bitlocker first then i can install windows.
Click to expand...

If you have booted from a Windows installation USB to start the clean install from, you should normally be able to delete all partition on the disk you want to install Windows to until the disk shows as unallocated.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Brink said:
If you have booted from a Windows installation USB to start the clean install from, you should normally be able to delete all partition on the disk you want to install Windows to until the disk shows as unallocated.
Click to expand...
Thats issue it wont let me , thats why ive been trying to fix the issue from cmd. Trying to decrypt my drive n then delete the partitions. What do you think could be the issue?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows
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As.97 said:
Thats issue it wont let me , thats why ive been trying to fix the issue from cmd. Trying to decrypt my drive n then delete the partitions. What do you think could be the issue?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure. Usually, you shouldn't have a problem deleting the drive's partitions. Even when encrypted.

Just to verify, you have booted to a bootable USB in Windows Setup and not from within Windows 10 advanced options?

If able, post some screenshots showing what you're seeing to see if anything may stand out.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
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    Browser
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    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Brink said:
I'm not sure. Usually, you shouldn't have a problem deleting the drive's partitions. Even when encrypted.

Just to verify, you have booted to a bootable USB in Windows Setup and not from within Windows 10 advanced options?

If able, post some screenshots showing what you're seeing to see if anything may stand out.
Click to expand...
20210508_234425.jpg
this is what happens, when i try to use my hard drive c: , it wont work or format because of the bitlocker
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
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16205075731431514687257253934316.jpg
this is status of my drive
 

My Computer

System One

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16205085948726204725478507178790.jpg
ive tried everyway to unlock or format or clean, even when it says enter the password my keyboard doesnt type i restarted my computer and tried it again to type the password to unlock the volume n nothing shows up.
 

My Computer

System One

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Ah, ok. I see the problem now.

While in Windows Setup, you need to "Delete" (not format) all partitions on "Disk 0" until it just one "Unallocated" space.

You would then select to install Windows on this "Unallocated" space.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Brink said:
Ah, ok. I see the problem now.

While in Windows Setup, you need to "Delete" (not format) all partitions on "Disk 0" until it just one "Unallocated" space.

You would then select to install Windows on this "Unallocated" space
1620511999478290905173768682013.jpg
ive tried deleting them they all show this message
Click to expand...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Windows surface
    Memory
    64
I even tried deleting through cmd n it didnt work...
20210509_013044.jpg
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Windows surface
    Memory
    64
As.97 said:
I even tried deleting through cmd n it didnt work..
Click to expand...

When trying to delete the partition with Disk Part, try the command below with the override parameter to force it.

delete partition override
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Brink said:
When trying to delete the partition with Disk Part, try the command below with the override parameter to force it.

delete partition override
Click to expand...
I did if u see towards the end i did put delete partition override then it would say data error cyclic redundancy check
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Windows surface
    Memory
    64
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