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MaverickNexus's avatar
MaverickNexus
Iron Contributor
Nov 25, 2024
Solved

I installed a new C drive and reinstalled Windows, can't enable bitlocker

I recently bought a new 4 TB SSD for my system drive because I needed more speed and space. I installed Windows on it but now realize I made a mistake by not removing the old Windows drive first. ...
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  • LukaBaylor's avatar
    LukaBaylor
    Jan 02, 2025

    To fix the BitLocker issue:

    1. Create EFI Partition: Ensure Disk 4 has a 100+ MB FAT32 EFI partition.
    2. Repair Boot Files: Run:bashbcdboot C:\Windows /s X: /f UEFIReplace X: with the EFI partition letter.

    bcdboot C:\Windows /s X: /f UEFI

    3. Set Boot Priority: In BIOS, set Disk 4 as the primary boot drive.
    4. Test Boot: Disconnect Disk 5 temporarily to confirm booting solely from Disk 4.
    5. Enable BitLocker: Retry after verifying the above steps.

Bradului's avatar
Bradului
Iron Contributor
Jan 03, 2025

BitLocker might have difficulties due to the presence of the old hard drive with the previous Windows installation. It’s often a good idea to disconnect your old drive if you plan to continue using the new one solely. Power off your computer, unplug the old drive, and then boot back into Windows. This helps to avoid any mixing of boot records or system confusion.

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