Bitlocker keeps crashing my PC

Hi everyone,

Hope you're doing well.

I just finished building a new PC, and i wanted to protect the disks with Bitlocker. So I went and bought Windows Pro, as my current Home didnt have bitlocker.

However, every single time (i have installed windows more than 15 times the last 2 days) once I enable bitlocker, Windows asks me to restart so that it can start to encrypt the drive. This, however, leads to endless disk repair runs, and if I finally get to the advanced possibilities, and fetch a command prompt, all of a sudden windows is located on X: instead of C: where i installed it.

I must be doing something wrong. I just cant figure it out. Im slowly but surely going insane in trying to figure this out.

EDIT: I have tried to make a new install media with English (instead of danish), on a different usb, it again installs fine, but outcome with Bitlocker is exactly the same. I have also tried with "secure boot" both enabled and disabled in bios.

as it can likely be a lot of things, i will document here what I am doing in Bios etc.:

MSI X570 bios version: 1.53
Ryzen 5600x
2x m2 samsung 980 pro disks

TPM enabled:


UEFI Mode:


install and patch windows 10 pro to newest version (20H2 all patches):


TPM Module available in windows:


Bitlocker enabling:



Then goes directly into disk analysis and repair loop: (sorry for danish)


Then after a while i can get into advanced mode and get a CMD, where i can see windows is suddenly on X:

First, Welcome to TenForums.

Odd issue, I'm having a hard time understanding what the cause of the problem is. I'm trying to research this further and will let you know if I find anything.

Have you looked in your even logs to see if any errors are getting logged there?

X: is expected to be there. When you boot into the recovery environment it creates a RAM drive which becomes X:. If you boot from Windows install media, you will find that the exact same thing happens as well, also with the letter X:

Also, I have one other observation. This won't won't solve anything for you right now, but it's just a tip:

I notice that you were selecting the option to encrypt the entire drive rather than just the used space. There is no need to encrypt the entire drive unless you have data that you previously deleted and you wish to encrypt it so that it cannot be recovered. You had noted that this was a new machine so it should be perfectly fine to encrypt only the used space. Once we figure out what the problem is that will save you a lot of time in encrypting the drive.

So, for now, I'll keep researching and let you know if I manage to find anything. If you could just let me know if anything helpful is shown in the event logs, I would appreciate it.

The image displayed UEFI with CSM??

Please switch to UEFI native (without CSM).

Turn on secure boot.

The drive will be partitioned GPT.


https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/win...quirements-faq

Hi guys,

zbook: The setting is UEFI if you look in the bracket. Its just the menu part which shows the options. I did the mistake first to go with CSM, but changed it to pure UEFI in the last 10 tries after looking in the bitlocker whitepapers where it states CSM is not supported. I will Proceed to enable secure boot, I have tried both with enabled and disabled, I did not know the difference. thank you.

hsehestedt:

Thanks a bunch - where do I locate the event logs? Also about your observation its true :) i just changed it to entire drive in this try to see if it made any differences. Up until now i went with the "used space only".

Can it be because i have 2x m2 drives in the computer when installing? During windows install i only format the primary drive, and let the other be. But I have been thinking if that could confuse windows somehow.

Please run these log collectors:

V2: BSOD - Posting Instructions
How to Upload and Post Screenshots and Files at Ten Forums

LOGS.bat - Click here to go to the BSOD batch repository to download and run this batch file.


Post a share link using one drive, drop box, or google drive.

A library of links:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/win...ocker-overview
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/win...iew-windows-10

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/win...hoot-bitlocker
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/win...encrypt-issues
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/win...-and-bitlocker
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/win...ery-guide-plan
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/win...ountermeasures
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/win...with-bitlocker
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/win...hoot-bitlocker
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/win...encrypt-issues
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/win...encrypt-issues
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/win...encrypt-issues
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/win...ecovery-issues
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/win...-config-issues
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/win...ypt-tpm-issues
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/win...ker-tpm-issues
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/win...ured-boot-logs

Max Griner said:

Can it be because i have 2x m2 drives in the computer when installing? During windows install i only format the primary drive, and let the other be. But I have been thinking if that could confuse windows somehow.

No, that's no problem. Handling of additional drives, whether initialized, partitioned, formatted, or not, are all no problem at all.

ZBook
Thanks will check for logs during my next try

Hsehestedt
Ok thank you for the confirmation

CannonRebel
I am using the Windows install media to create partitions and format the drive. I have also tried to format drives from Bios before letting windows do its thing, seems not to change the outcome. But yes its new blank m2's. Windows creates 3 partitions, System, MSR and Primary:

Please delete all partitions making an unallocated disk drive.
Then allow Windows to create default partitions.

See this tutorial:
Clean Install Windows 10

zbook said:

Please delete all partitions making an unallocated disk drive.
Then allow Windows to create default partitions.

See this tutorial:
Clean Install Windows 10

Thanks for your efforts Zbook.

If i understand correct, you want me to (in step 15) not to click the "New" and create partitions on that step, but instead click next on "unallocated space"? Then windows will create partitions during install? I have always used the "new" option, I cant remember if "next" is even available without a partition. I will give it a try.

Another thing, it says that you should install without using a windows account, in all attempts i have used my windows account during install, could that interfere with something causing bitlocker to malfunction? (I dont understand the need to not install using your windows account). The partition thing could be related, but again i cant remember if it was possible to click next without having used the "new" to create partitions in the fist place.

In my next try I will try to:

Enable secure boot in Bios.
Keep UEFI mode only
Not create any partitions with installer manually (with the new button)
Not sign in during install (install without internet connection)

In the guide you link it also says not to have more than the OS drive installed physically in the PC during install, is that relevant? If so, i will take out the second m2. (i have 2x m2's)

thanks again