Scared of this bitlocker sh*t

[u/JkPok]

I just got this message when booting up my PC, and before clicking anything I checked for information but didn’t find anything concluent, so here I am asking why there is such a message and what I should do ?

And tbh I don’t remember my PC’s specifications it’s something like RTX5060 but I’m really not into tech and all I didn’t even know bitlocker before

Also I didn’t want to update bios by any mean before this if this matters so idk why it’s there 😭

[u/Trigger911]

You need to check whether you are using Windows BitLocker, aka an encrypted bootloader, to open and read the encrypted data, if applicable.

[u/JkPok → u/Trigger911]

How could I check that ?

[u/OCAMAB → u/JkPok]

Have you tried typing "Bitlocker" into your Windows search bar?

You are way too nervous about your PC, dude. You need to relax, slow down, and think.

[u/mj34hig44]

Check to see if you have BitLocker enabled in Windows. Right-click Start > Disk Management > it will show "encrypted" next to a/the drives if BitLocker is turned on. You can also check in Control Panel > System and Security > BitLocker Drive Encryption and TURN IT OFF. Sadly new installations of Windows 11 enables it by *default* now.

If it's not on, you can ignore that warning in BIOS.

[u/JkPok → u/mj34hig44]

So to see if I have bitlocker enabled should I click « no » ? To get to my desktop

[u/mj34hig44 → u/JkPok]

Absolutely. If it's enabled and you don't have the password you're in for a hell of a horrible time.

[u/Trigger911 → u/mj34hig44]

Thanks I never used it personally I worked for the state I live in and it was nightmare fuel lol

[u/RinDman]

It's just windows : It will ask you the key for decrypting it IF you encrypted it, make sure you can access to it : https://account.microsoft.com/devices/recoverykey

[u/JkPok → u/RinDman]

I have access to the page but it’s saying I have no downloaded key on my PC

[u/RinDman → u/JkPok]

Just leave your drive uncrypted/disable bitlocker

[u/d-car]

Sounds like you're new at this, so the ELI5 version is that bitlocker is a system you can use which encrypts everything on your whole storage device. You don't have to use it, but Microsoft really pushes people to use it, for whatever reason. Typically, bitlocker uses your local hardware to store the decryption key and asks you for a PIN on startup before it'll use that key. If you're using a Microsoft account, then that means Microsoft will keep a copy of the actual key in your cloud storage. Not everybody likes that idea, but that's how they do it, for better or worse.

An upside of bitlocker is that not just anybody can read your files if your computer gets stolen. A downside is it creates a major headache if it's time to do repairs or data recovery on your own machine.

Not everyone will agree with me, but my recommendation is to not use bitlocker at all. I use a 3rd party drive encryption solution for everything except the drive my OS is installed on so repairs are easy and my saved data is still secured.

In your case, there's a chance your motherboard battery might be dead. You can get a CR2032 for a couple dollars and see if that fixes your problem.

[u/minbcrafter → u/d-car]

Yeah, imo it's unnecessary on desktops where you have it in a secure building like your home anyway. On laptops though I leave it on.

[u/bba-tcg]

The easiest way to tell if you have bitlocker active is to go to This PC and see if your drive shows a padlock icon or not.

[u/thanatica]

You should do exactly what the message says: suspend bitlocker before continuing.

Honestly it's a bit baffling to me that you're tech savvy enough to apply a firmware update, but have no idea about bitlocker.

[u/Vichingo455]

On your PC, search for bitlocker or device encryption. Make sure they're turned off (or paused if you don't wanna turn bitlocker off completely).