Windows 11 encrypted my drive automatically


After upgrades no drives are BITlocked on my /SYS win pro - new system totaly, uprgrade then.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    win11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Me
    CPU
    i9 10850
    Motherboard
    MS-7C75
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    nVIDEA Geoforce 3070
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung 55inch TV
    Screen Resolution
    3040 X 2160
    Hard Drives
    6TB over 4 drives
    Case
    generic
    Cooling
    water cooled
    Keyboard
    generic
    Mouse
    generic
    Internet Speed
    500mb
    Browser
    various
    Antivirus
    ATM Bitdefender
That is a serious issue to me considering how hard it can be to get into an encrypted drive. One example, my daughter's laptop failed to boot after an upgrade to Windows 10. I was able to remove the hard, connect it to my desktop, and use dism to revert pending changes
It really does astonish me the anti encryption sentiment on this forum.

Would you rather anyone can read your daughter's hard drive when she loses her laptop? Or her phone? I would not.

With bitlocker your backups aren't encrypted (unless you chose it) so you are trading minor convenience for complete lack of security.

Encryption should be opt out imo as it is with UAC. Protect people from their hope it doesn't happen to them by default. If they insist on saying "I'm the administrator of my PC, I can do whatever" or "No-one will ever steal my PC" then let'm. They are wrong but it's their choice.

Both iOS and Android have taken this approach for years and so does macOS which since T2 encrypts with a null password even if you turn filevault off.

Should they have mentioned it and given opportunity to backup the key? Sure, of course, it's a error. That's the only issue I can see but for me it's immaterial as all my devices have been encrypted for more than a decade.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10
I have learnt my lesson about MS, as soon as I install Windows, disabling this junk is part of my routine:
Code:
fsutil behavior set disableencryption 1
cipher /d /s:C:\
reg add "HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\EnhancedStorageDevices" /v "TCGSecurityActivationDisabled" /t REG_DWORD /d "1" /f
sc config BDESVC start= disabled
sc config "EFS" start= disabled

It really does astonish me the anti encryption sentiment on this forum.
What is the point of the whole disk encryption? I encrypt important files, more than once actually.
Should they have mentioned it and given opportunity to backup the key? Sure, of course, it's a error.
LoL, that is like jumping out of a plane and then finding out, that they forgot to give you a parachute.
Encryption is a double edge sword, just like 2FA, once you are locked out, your life can be ruined, literally.
I have seen people loosing jobs, diploma, even family photos, because of those. And there are worse cases.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 5 3600 & No fTPM (07/19)
    Motherboard
    MSI B450 TOMAHAWK 7C02v1E & IFX TPM (07/19)
    Memory
    4x 8GB ADATA XPG GAMMIX D10 DDR4 3200MHz CL16
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI Radeon RX 580 ARMOR 8G OC @48FPS (08/19)
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster Z (11/16)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" AOC G2460VQ6 (01/19)
    Screen Resolution
    1920×1080@75Hz & FreeSync (DisplayPort)
    Hard Drives
    ADATA XPG GAMMIX S11 Pro SSD 512GB (07/19)
    PSU
    Seasonic M12II-520 80 Plus Bronze (11/16)
    Case
    Lian Li PC-7NB & 3x Noctua NF-S12A FLX@700rpm (11/16)
    Cooling
    CPU Cooler Noctua NH-U12S@700rpm (07/19)
    Keyboard
    HP Wired Desktop 320K + Rabalux 76017 Parker (01/24)
    Mouse
    Logitech M330 Silent Plus (04/23)
    Internet Speed
    400/40 Mbps via RouterOS (05/21) & TCP Optimizer
    Browser
    Edge (No FB/Google) & Brave for YouTube & LibreWolf for FB
    Antivirus
    NoAV & Binisoft WFC & NextDNS
    Other Info
    Headphones: Sennheiser RS170 (09/10)
    Phone: Samsung Galaxy Xcover 7 (02/24)
I have learnt my lesson about MS, as soon as I install Windows, disabling this junk is part of my routine:
Code:
fsutil behavior set disableencryption 1
cipher /d /s:C:\
reg add "HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\EnhancedStorageDevices" /v "TCGSecurityActivationDisabled" /t REG_DWORD /d "1" /f
sc config BDESVC start= disabled
sc config "EFS" start= disabled


What is the point of the whole disk encryption? I encrypt important files, more than once actually.

LoL, that is like jumping out of a plane and then finding out, that they forgot to give you a parachute.
Encryption is a double edge sword, just like 2FA, once you are locked out, your life can be ruined, literally.
I have seen people loosing jobs, diploma, even family photos, because of those. And there are worse cases.
Yep, Bitlocker can be compromised as well - it's not the sure-thing MS thinks it is - there are (I'm sure good reasons) the OEM's did not enforce TPM (as eg.) since whenever MS wanted them to..

This enforced 'security' stuff from MS grates me.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows
In my case, my C drive has that exclamation mark, this is on a Dell XPS 15 9570 notebook which shipped with Windows 10 Home that was upgraded to Windows 11 Home that I posted about in another thread here: In File Explorer, is this icon how your C: drive shows up under This PC?

What was weird was that the bitlocker was paused so I tried to resume it and it kept complaining about TPM needs to be configured correctly and I ran the tpm.msc that said TPM is ready, etc. so the only way to even get bitlocker turned on was first use the bitlocker manager to unencrypt the drive and then encrypt the drive. This was before I upgraded to Pro from Home. I guess after reading this thread, it's safer to turn bitlocker off since my notebook leaves home about once every 4-5 years or longer.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows XP/7/8/8.1/10/11, Linux, Android, FreeBSD Unix
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 15 9570
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i7-8750H 8th Gen Processor 2.2Ghz up to 4.1Ghz
    Motherboard
    Dell XPS 15 9570
    Memory
    32GB using 2x16GB modules
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel UHD 630 & NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti with 4GB DDR5
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC3266-CG
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6" 4K Touch UltraHD 3840x2160 made by Sharp
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba KXG60ZNV1T02 NVMe 1024GB/1TB SSD
    PSU
    Dell XPS 15 9570
    Case
    Dell XPS 15 9570
    Cooling
    Stock
    Keyboard
    Stock
    Mouse
    SwitftPoint ProPoint
    Internet Speed
    Comcast/XFinity 1.44Gbps/42.5Mbps
    Browser
    Microsoft EDGE (Chromium based) & Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender that came with Windows
But from that article, I wonder IF being tied to a Microsoft account, is what's turning on BitLocker?
Two things...

1) I've been running Windows 10 since pre-release to now with a Microsoft Account and never ever had BitLocker auto turned on.
2) I'm currently running Windows 10 on my Lenovo laptop and BitLocker is off. Currently running Windows 11 build version 22449.1000. This is an insiders install. And yes, being used with a Microsoft Account (the same one used for 10).

Anyway, it's odd that this would happen without any notification as Navy is right that it could causes issues if one doesn't know their drive is now encrypted :scream:

That said, as one who is currently using BitLocker on my main system, I have no issues with it. But I do agree users need to be told if this is indeed happening when or after Windows 11 is installed.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (Build 22631.3296)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom built
    CPU
    Intel i9-9900K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Aorus Z390 Xtreme
    Memory
    32G (4x8) DDR4 Corsair RGB Dominator Platinum (3600Mhz)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon VII
    Sound Card
    Onboard (ESS Sabre HiFi using Realtek drivers)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    NEC PA242w (24 inch)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    5 Samsung SSD drives: 2X 970 NVME (512 & 1TB), 3X EVO SATA (2X 2TB, 1X 1TB)
    PSU
    EVGA Super Nova I000 G2 (1000 watt)
    Case
    Cooler Master H500M
    Cooling
    Corsair H115i RGB Platinum
    Keyboard
    Logitech Craft
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    500mb Download. 11mb Upload
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge Chromium
    Antivirus
    Windows Security
    Other Info
    System used for gaming, photography, music, school.
  • Operating System
    Win 10 Pro 22H2 (build 19045.2130)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Built
    CPU
    Intel i7-7700K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-Z270X-GAMING 8
    Memory
    32G (4x8) DDR4 Corsair Dominator Platinum (3333Mhz)
    Graphics card(s)
    AMD Radeon R9 Fury
    Sound Card
    Onboard (Creative Sound Blaster certified ZxRi)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U2415 (24 inch)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    3 Samsung SSD drives: 1x 512gig 950 NVMe drive (OS drive), 1 x 512gig 850 Pro, 1x 256gig 840 Pro.
    PSU
    EVGA Super Nova 1000 P2 (1000 watt)
    Case
    Phantek Enthoo Luxe
    Cooling
    Corsair H100i
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master
    Keyboard
    Logitech MK 710
    Internet Speed
    100MB
    Browser
    Edge Chromium
    Antivirus
    Windows Security
    Other Info
    This is my backup system.
I have 4 W11 VM's, 2 Pros in the beta channel and 1 Pro and 1 Home in the Dev. One was created from scratch and later added to the Insider Program. The other three were all upgraded (?) from W10. None have Bit Locker enabled.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Insider Preview (VM on Hyper-V), Windows 10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home brew
    CPU
    i7-13700 Passmark rating = 38841
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime B760M
    Memory
    32 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    System
    Sound Card
    System
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus 27" on KVM switch
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Kingston 120 GB SSD system dr., 1TB Gigabyte M.2 MVNe data and 1 TB M.2 PCie @ 20 Gb/s virtual drive storage, 2 TB WD HDD
    PSU
    Thermatake 500w
    Case
    MATX Desktop
    Cooling
    fans
    Keyboard
    Logitech on KVM
    Mouse
    Logitech on KVM
    Internet Speed
    230 +/- down, 40 +/- up
    Browser
    Usually DuckDuckGo, Edge On insider Preview
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    3'rd system is a Minis Forum NAB6. Intel Core i7-12650H CPU, 10 Cores, 16 Threads. 32 GB DDR4 Memory. 500 GB NVMe PCle, 500GB SSD Passmark rating = 23683
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 & W11 Dual Boot
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Elite Mini HX90
    CPU
    AMD RYZEN 9, 5900 - 8 cores, 16 threads. Passmark rating = 345888
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    System
    Sound Card
    System
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus 27 inch + Samsung 27" on KVM
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    SPCC 120 GB SSD, 1TB and 2TB WD Sata III
    Case
    Mini
    Cooling
    fans
    Mouse
    Logitech on KVM
    Keyboard
    Logitech on KVM
    Internet Speed
    230, 40 up
    Browser
    Usually DuckDuckGo, occasionally Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows
    Other Info
    Plex Server is Minis Forum UM450. AMD Ryzen5 4500U, 6 Cores, 6 Threads. Passmark Rating = 11039. Running W11 Pro. Also have 2 seldom used laptops: HP Pavilion 11M-AD113DX Laptop (W11 Capable), W10 Home, Dell Inspiron 13-5368 Laptop, W10 Home + Apple mini, circa 2012
FWIW, I've had Windows 10 give me the prompt to save my encryption key every single time I've cleanly installed it for the last couple of years. Even when BitLocker was not turned on. Even when I was only mold machine, Core i7 965 EE BIOS based X58 chipset, no TPM, MBR boot. It also did so on Windows 10 on my new (current) rig the last couple of times. I still have backups of each of the keys that were generated.

Also FWIW, Windows 11 has not prompted me once to do so. I've now cleanly installed it ... 3 times, including yesterday.

All throughout this time period, I've only enabled BitLocker once - on another machine (laptop, also connected to same Microsoft account, but a completely independent machine. So I'm confused why I was being asked to save an encryption key when I was not enabling BitLocker to begin with.

Also, in Win10, it was 3-4 days after install, every single time, when I would get prompted to do so.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 23H2 Current build
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HomeBrew
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
    Motherboard
    MSI MEG X570 GODLIKE
    Memory
    4 * 32 GB - Corsair Vengeance 3600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti XC3 ULTRA GAMING (12G-P5-3955-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC1220 Codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2x Eve Spectrum ES07D03 4K Gaming Monitor (Matte) | Eve Spectrum ES07DC9 4K Gaming Monitor (Glossy)
    Screen Resolution
    3x 3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    3x Samsung 980 Pro NVMe PCIe 4 M.2 2 TB SSD (MZ-V8P2T0B/AM) } 3x Sabrent Rocket NVMe 4.0 1 TB SSD (USB)
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling’s Silencer Series 1050 Watt, 80 Plus Platinum
    Case
    Fractal Design Define 7 XL Dark ATX Full Tower Case
    Cooling
    NZXT KRAKEN Z73 73.11 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (3x 120 mm push top) + Air 3x 140mm case fans (pull front) + 1x 120 mm (push back) and 1 x 120 mm (pull bottom)
    Keyboard
    SteelSeries Apex Pro Wired Gaming Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3S | MX Master 3 for Business
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex Ftth
    Browser
    Nightly (default) + Firefox (stable), Chrome, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender + MB 5 Beta
  • Operating System
    ChromeOS Flex Dev Channel (current)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude E5470
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-6300U CPU @ 2.40GHz, 2501 Mhz, 2 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s)
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel(R) HD Graphics 520
    Sound Card
    Intel(R) HD Graphics 520 + RealTek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell laptop display 15"
    Screen Resolution
    1920 * 1080
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 128GB M.2 22300 drive
    INTEL Cherryville 520 Series SSDSC2CW180A 180 GB SATA III SSD
    PSU
    Dell
    Case
    Dell
    Cooling
    Dell
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3S (shared w. Sys 1) | Dell TouchPad
    Keyboard
    Dell
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex Ftth
FWIW, I've had Windows 10 give me the prompt to save my encryption key every single time I've cleanly installed it for the last couple of years.

What encryption key are you asked to save?

I run both 64-bit editions of Pro and Education, done many installs, clean or otherwise, use BitLocker from time to time, including now, and I've never ever had Windows 10 out of the blue prompt me to save a BitLocker (or any other drive encryption key) unless I actually decided to use BitLocker. And I've been running Windows 10 since the pre-release days.

Perhaps you mean Device Encryption (usually associated with tablets and laptops)? From Brink's tutorial...
Device encryption is available on supported devices (ex: tablet or 2-in-1 laptop) running any Windows 10 edition. If you want to use standard BitLocker encryption instead, it is only available on supported devices running Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, or Education. Some devices have both types of encryption. BitLocker is not available on Windows 10 Home edition.
Source: How to Turn On or Off Device Encryption in Windows 10
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (Build 22631.3296)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom built
    CPU
    Intel i9-9900K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Aorus Z390 Xtreme
    Memory
    32G (4x8) DDR4 Corsair RGB Dominator Platinum (3600Mhz)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon VII
    Sound Card
    Onboard (ESS Sabre HiFi using Realtek drivers)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    NEC PA242w (24 inch)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    5 Samsung SSD drives: 2X 970 NVME (512 & 1TB), 3X EVO SATA (2X 2TB, 1X 1TB)
    PSU
    EVGA Super Nova I000 G2 (1000 watt)
    Case
    Cooler Master H500M
    Cooling
    Corsair H115i RGB Platinum
    Keyboard
    Logitech Craft
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    500mb Download. 11mb Upload
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge Chromium
    Antivirus
    Windows Security
    Other Info
    System used for gaming, photography, music, school.
  • Operating System
    Win 10 Pro 22H2 (build 19045.2130)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Built
    CPU
    Intel i7-7700K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-Z270X-GAMING 8
    Memory
    32G (4x8) DDR4 Corsair Dominator Platinum (3333Mhz)
    Graphics card(s)
    AMD Radeon R9 Fury
    Sound Card
    Onboard (Creative Sound Blaster certified ZxRi)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U2415 (24 inch)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    3 Samsung SSD drives: 1x 512gig 950 NVMe drive (OS drive), 1 x 512gig 850 Pro, 1x 256gig 840 Pro.
    PSU
    EVGA Super Nova 1000 P2 (1000 watt)
    Case
    Phantek Enthoo Luxe
    Cooling
    Corsair H100i
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master
    Keyboard
    Logitech MK 710
    Internet Speed
    100MB
    Browser
    Edge Chromium
    Antivirus
    Windows Security
    Other Info
    This is my backup system.
No, this is most definitely NOT a portable device, it was my home built desktop.

I have copies of 5 of them, 4 from this machine, 1 from the previous machine and one from my laptop - all of them are .PFX files, 2566 bytes in length (except the laptop one), and the default name ends up being encryption-key.pfx

I *may* have enabled BitLocker once on the new rig when I built it, but I quickly turned it off for speed. The laptop may have had it one once (that is the other machine I referred to earlier). My old rig I turned it on once as well, but never after that, as it was simply not able to keep up with the speed if enabled. I've never used any other encryption method on my machines, ever, and BitLocker was not enabled when I installed Windows 10 in May, nor has it been enabled in Windows 11, neither during upgrade nor my subsequent upgrades and clean installs.

But every time I cleanly cleanly installed Windows 10, I was given a prompt to save my encryption key, both old rig and current rig. I have all 6 with me.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 23H2 Current build
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HomeBrew
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
    Motherboard
    MSI MEG X570 GODLIKE
    Memory
    4 * 32 GB - Corsair Vengeance 3600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti XC3 ULTRA GAMING (12G-P5-3955-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC1220 Codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2x Eve Spectrum ES07D03 4K Gaming Monitor (Matte) | Eve Spectrum ES07DC9 4K Gaming Monitor (Glossy)
    Screen Resolution
    3x 3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    3x Samsung 980 Pro NVMe PCIe 4 M.2 2 TB SSD (MZ-V8P2T0B/AM) } 3x Sabrent Rocket NVMe 4.0 1 TB SSD (USB)
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling’s Silencer Series 1050 Watt, 80 Plus Platinum
    Case
    Fractal Design Define 7 XL Dark ATX Full Tower Case
    Cooling
    NZXT KRAKEN Z73 73.11 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (3x 120 mm push top) + Air 3x 140mm case fans (pull front) + 1x 120 mm (push back) and 1 x 120 mm (pull bottom)
    Keyboard
    SteelSeries Apex Pro Wired Gaming Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3S | MX Master 3 for Business
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex Ftth
    Browser
    Nightly (default) + Firefox (stable), Chrome, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender + MB 5 Beta
  • Operating System
    ChromeOS Flex Dev Channel (current)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude E5470
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-6300U CPU @ 2.40GHz, 2501 Mhz, 2 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s)
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel(R) HD Graphics 520
    Sound Card
    Intel(R) HD Graphics 520 + RealTek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell laptop display 15"
    Screen Resolution
    1920 * 1080
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 128GB M.2 22300 drive
    INTEL Cherryville 520 Series SSDSC2CW180A 180 GB SATA III SSD
    PSU
    Dell
    Case
    Dell
    Cooling
    Dell
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3S (shared w. Sys 1) | Dell TouchPad
    Keyboard
    Dell
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex Ftth
But every time I cleanly cleanly installed Windows 10, I was given a prompt to save my encryption key, both old rig and current rig. I have all 6 with me.

Well that's weird as I've never seen that before. And I know I'm not the only one otherwise we'd of seen all sorts of threads on that. That said, I did see a post where someone thought the same but it turned out to be Device Encryption - Bitlocker turned itself on??? Never seen this b4 - Windows 10 Help Forums
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (Build 22631.3296)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom built
    CPU
    Intel i9-9900K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Aorus Z390 Xtreme
    Memory
    32G (4x8) DDR4 Corsair RGB Dominator Platinum (3600Mhz)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon VII
    Sound Card
    Onboard (ESS Sabre HiFi using Realtek drivers)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    NEC PA242w (24 inch)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    5 Samsung SSD drives: 2X 970 NVME (512 & 1TB), 3X EVO SATA (2X 2TB, 1X 1TB)
    PSU
    EVGA Super Nova I000 G2 (1000 watt)
    Case
    Cooler Master H500M
    Cooling
    Corsair H115i RGB Platinum
    Keyboard
    Logitech Craft
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    500mb Download. 11mb Upload
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge Chromium
    Antivirus
    Windows Security
    Other Info
    System used for gaming, photography, music, school.
  • Operating System
    Win 10 Pro 22H2 (build 19045.2130)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Built
    CPU
    Intel i7-7700K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-Z270X-GAMING 8
    Memory
    32G (4x8) DDR4 Corsair Dominator Platinum (3333Mhz)
    Graphics card(s)
    AMD Radeon R9 Fury
    Sound Card
    Onboard (Creative Sound Blaster certified ZxRi)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U2415 (24 inch)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    3 Samsung SSD drives: 1x 512gig 950 NVMe drive (OS drive), 1 x 512gig 850 Pro, 1x 256gig 840 Pro.
    PSU
    EVGA Super Nova 1000 P2 (1000 watt)
    Case
    Phantek Enthoo Luxe
    Cooling
    Corsair H100i
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master
    Keyboard
    Logitech MK 710
    Internet Speed
    100MB
    Browser
    Edge Chromium
    Antivirus
    Windows Security
    Other Info
    This is my backup system.
I have copies of 5 of them, 4 from this machine, 1 from the previous machine and one from my laptop - all of them are .PFX files, 2566 bytes in length (except the laptop one), and the default name ends up being encryption-key.pfx
Bitlocker keys are .bek files afaik. The .pfx I've never seen but Google says it's a certificate for unlocking network volumes. For example they're discussed here : BitLocker - How to enable Network Unlock (Windows 10) - Microsoft 365 Security


Does that apply to you by any chance?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10
Well that's weird as I've never seen that before. And I know I'm not the only one otherwise we'd of seen all sorts of threads on that. That said, I did see a post where someone thought the same but it turned out to be Device Encryption - Bitlocker turned itself on??? Never seen this b4 - Windows 10 Help Forums


Yeah, that's what is odd about it, couldn't really find any sort of information on it - I'm definitely in the minority on this one.


Bitlocker keys are .bek files afaik. The .pfx I've never seen but Google says it's a certificate for unlocking network volumes. For example they're discussed here : BitLocker - How to enable Network Unlock (Windows 10) - Microsoft 365 Security


Does that apply to you by any chance?

Exactly, which is why I know it was not BitLocker. My machines have never been connected to a domain, and I don't have extended network connections either, other than OneDrive and Google Drive, the latter which is using hte FileSteam app and assigned a drive letter, but that is only a recent change for Google Drive.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 23H2 Current build
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HomeBrew
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
    Motherboard
    MSI MEG X570 GODLIKE
    Memory
    4 * 32 GB - Corsair Vengeance 3600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti XC3 ULTRA GAMING (12G-P5-3955-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC1220 Codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2x Eve Spectrum ES07D03 4K Gaming Monitor (Matte) | Eve Spectrum ES07DC9 4K Gaming Monitor (Glossy)
    Screen Resolution
    3x 3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    3x Samsung 980 Pro NVMe PCIe 4 M.2 2 TB SSD (MZ-V8P2T0B/AM) } 3x Sabrent Rocket NVMe 4.0 1 TB SSD (USB)
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling’s Silencer Series 1050 Watt, 80 Plus Platinum
    Case
    Fractal Design Define 7 XL Dark ATX Full Tower Case
    Cooling
    NZXT KRAKEN Z73 73.11 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (3x 120 mm push top) + Air 3x 140mm case fans (pull front) + 1x 120 mm (push back) and 1 x 120 mm (pull bottom)
    Keyboard
    SteelSeries Apex Pro Wired Gaming Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3S | MX Master 3 for Business
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex Ftth
    Browser
    Nightly (default) + Firefox (stable), Chrome, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender + MB 5 Beta
  • Operating System
    ChromeOS Flex Dev Channel (current)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude E5470
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-6300U CPU @ 2.40GHz, 2501 Mhz, 2 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s)
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel(R) HD Graphics 520
    Sound Card
    Intel(R) HD Graphics 520 + RealTek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell laptop display 15"
    Screen Resolution
    1920 * 1080
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 128GB M.2 22300 drive
    INTEL Cherryville 520 Series SSDSC2CW180A 180 GB SATA III SSD
    PSU
    Dell
    Case
    Dell
    Cooling
    Dell
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3S (shared w. Sys 1) | Dell TouchPad
    Keyboard
    Dell
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex Ftth
I just checked and Bitlocker is not turned on for my Win 11 Home installation. I don't even see any settings for it.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Pro (Insider Beta channel)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer AN515-54
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-9300H CPU @ 2.40GHz 2.40 GHz
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650, Intel UHD 630
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer CB272D
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    256GB and 1T SSD
    Keyboard
    Logitech K375S
    Mouse
    Logitech M510
    Internet Speed
    250MB
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes
  • Operating System
    Win 11 Pro (Insider Canary Channel, unsupported)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell E6430
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3540M CPU @ 3.00GHz 3.00 GHz (non-compliant)
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics 4000, NVIDIA NVS 5200M
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
BitLocker is not available on Home.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 23H2 Current build
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HomeBrew
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
    Motherboard
    MSI MEG X570 GODLIKE
    Memory
    4 * 32 GB - Corsair Vengeance 3600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti XC3 ULTRA GAMING (12G-P5-3955-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC1220 Codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2x Eve Spectrum ES07D03 4K Gaming Monitor (Matte) | Eve Spectrum ES07DC9 4K Gaming Monitor (Glossy)
    Screen Resolution
    3x 3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    3x Samsung 980 Pro NVMe PCIe 4 M.2 2 TB SSD (MZ-V8P2T0B/AM) } 3x Sabrent Rocket NVMe 4.0 1 TB SSD (USB)
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling’s Silencer Series 1050 Watt, 80 Plus Platinum
    Case
    Fractal Design Define 7 XL Dark ATX Full Tower Case
    Cooling
    NZXT KRAKEN Z73 73.11 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (3x 120 mm push top) + Air 3x 140mm case fans (pull front) + 1x 120 mm (push back) and 1 x 120 mm (pull bottom)
    Keyboard
    SteelSeries Apex Pro Wired Gaming Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3S | MX Master 3 for Business
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex Ftth
    Browser
    Nightly (default) + Firefox (stable), Chrome, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender + MB 5 Beta
  • Operating System
    ChromeOS Flex Dev Channel (current)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude E5470
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-6300U CPU @ 2.40GHz, 2501 Mhz, 2 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s)
    Motherboard
    Dell
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel(R) HD Graphics 520
    Sound Card
    Intel(R) HD Graphics 520 + RealTek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell laptop display 15"
    Screen Resolution
    1920 * 1080
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 128GB M.2 22300 drive
    INTEL Cherryville 520 Series SSDSC2CW180A 180 GB SATA III SSD
    PSU
    Dell
    Case
    Dell
    Cooling
    Dell
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3S (shared w. Sys 1) | Dell TouchPad
    Keyboard
    Dell
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex Ftth

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Pro (Insider Beta channel)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer AN515-54
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-9300H CPU @ 2.40GHz 2.40 GHz
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650, Intel UHD 630
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer CB272D
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    256GB and 1T SSD
    Keyboard
    Logitech K375S
    Mouse
    Logitech M510
    Internet Speed
    250MB
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes
  • Operating System
    Win 11 Pro (Insider Canary Channel, unsupported)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell E6430
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3540M CPU @ 3.00GHz 3.00 GHz (non-compliant)
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics 4000, NVIDIA NVS 5200M
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
I have learnt my lesson about MS, as soon as I install Windows, disabling this junk is part of my routine:
Code:
fsutil behavior set disableencryption 1
cipher /d /s:C:\
reg add "HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\EnhancedStorageDevices" /v "TCGSecurityActivationDisabled" /t REG_DWORD /d "1" /f
sc config BDESVC start= disabled
sc config "EFS" start= disabled


What is the point of the whole disk encryption? I encrypt important files, more than once actually.

LoL, that is like jumping out of a plane and then finding out, that they forgot to give you a parachute.
Encryption is a double edge sword, just like 2FA, once you are locked out, your life can be ruined, literally.
I have seen people loosing jobs, diploma, even family photos, because of those. And there are worse cases.
Hi,
Thank you saved :cool:

Pretty much why I've always installed I legacy mode make sure that crapware doesn't work.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win-7-10-11Pro's
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer 17" Nitro 7840sn/ 2x16gb 5600c40/ 4060/ stock 1tb-os/ 4tb sn850x
    CPU
    10900k & 9940x & 5930k
    Motherboard
    z490-Apex & x299-Apex & x99-Sabertooth
    Memory
    Trident-Z Royal 4000c16 2x16gb & Trident-Z 3600c16 4x8gb & 3200c14 4x8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Titan Xp & 1080ti FTW3 & evga 980ti gaming
    Sound Card
    Onboard Realtek x3
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1-AOC G2460PG 24"G-Sync 144Hz/ 2nd 1-ASUS VG248QE 24"/ 3rd LG 43" series
    Screen Resolution
    1920-1080 not sure what the t.v is besides 43" class scales from 1920-1080 perfectly
    Hard Drives
    2-WD-sn850x 4tb/ 970evo+500gb/ 980 pro 2tb.
    PSU
    1000p2 & 1200p2 & 850p2
    Case
    D450 x2 & 1 Test bench in cherry Entertainment center
    Cooling
    Custom water loops x3 with 2x mora 360mm rads only 980ti gaming air cooled
    Keyboard
    G710+x3
    Mouse
    Redragon x3
    Internet Speed
    xfinity gigabyte
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    mbam pro
I have learnt my lesson about MS, as soon as I install Windows, disabling this junk is part of my routine:
Code:
fsutil behavior set disableencryption 1
cipher /d /s:C:\
reg add "HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\EnhancedStorageDevices" /v "TCGSecurityActivationDisabled" /t REG_DWORD /d "1" /f
sc config BDESVC start= disabled
sc config "EFS" start= disabled


What is the point of the whole disk encryption? I encrypt important files, more than once actually.

LoL, that is like jumping out of a plane and then finding out, that they forgot to give you a parachute.
Encryption is a double edge sword, just like 2FA, once you are locked out, your life can be ruined, literally.
I have seen people loosing jobs, diploma, even family photos, because of those. And there are worse cases.
Hi,
That script you posted holy crap cmd showed it was decrypting a bunch of stuff :scream:
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win-7-10-11Pro's
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer 17" Nitro 7840sn/ 2x16gb 5600c40/ 4060/ stock 1tb-os/ 4tb sn850x
    CPU
    10900k & 9940x & 5930k
    Motherboard
    z490-Apex & x299-Apex & x99-Sabertooth
    Memory
    Trident-Z Royal 4000c16 2x16gb & Trident-Z 3600c16 4x8gb & 3200c14 4x8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Titan Xp & 1080ti FTW3 & evga 980ti gaming
    Sound Card
    Onboard Realtek x3
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1-AOC G2460PG 24"G-Sync 144Hz/ 2nd 1-ASUS VG248QE 24"/ 3rd LG 43" series
    Screen Resolution
    1920-1080 not sure what the t.v is besides 43" class scales from 1920-1080 perfectly
    Hard Drives
    2-WD-sn850x 4tb/ 970evo+500gb/ 980 pro 2tb.
    PSU
    1000p2 & 1200p2 & 850p2
    Case
    D450 x2 & 1 Test bench in cherry Entertainment center
    Cooling
    Custom water loops x3 with 2x mora 360mm rads only 980ti gaming air cooled
    Keyboard
    G710+x3
    Mouse
    Redragon x3
    Internet Speed
    xfinity gigabyte
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    mbam pro

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home x64 Version 23H2 Build 22631.3296
Treat anything in that article with suspicion. Its author has been known to publish deliberately-fabricated information.

Best of luck,
Denis


I treat everything that's said on the internet... with suspicion.
Just thought it might help with the issue.
That there might be "something" in there, that might put the OP on the right track.

H*ll, I don't even trust Microsoft. :)
 
Last edited:

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦22631.3374 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    Asus Pro WS X570-ACE (BIOS 4702)
    Memory
    G.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220P / ALC S1220A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U3011 30"
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 860 EVO 500GB,
    WD 4TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    WD 8TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    DRW-24B1ST CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling 750W Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Cooler Master ATCS 840 Tower
    Cooling
    CM Hyper 212 EVO (push/pull)
    Keyboard
    Ducky DK9008 Shine II Blue LED
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-100
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox (latest)
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender Internet Security
    Other Info
    Speakers: Klipsch Pro Media 2.1
  • Operating System
    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
    Memory
    TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic G90FB Black 19" Professional (CRT)
    Screen Resolution
    up to 2048 x 1536
    Hard Drives
    WD 36GB 10,000rpm Raptor SATA
    Seagate 80GB 7200rpm SATA
    Lite-On LTR-52246S CD/RW
    Lite-On LH-18A1P CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Generic Beige case, 80mm fans
    Cooling
    ZALMAN 9500A 92mm CPU Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-BT96a
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keybooard 200
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox 3.x ??
    Antivirus
    Symantec (Norton)
    Other Info
    Still assembled, still runs. Haven't turned it on for 13 years?

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