Forgot BitLocker Password

pepanee · 22 May 2017

Hi everyone,
I have BitLocker enabled for my custom built computer's main drive and forgot the password since I haven't used the computer for a month or so. I looked at a lot of possible ways to fix the problem, yet they don't apply. I don't have a backup recovery key on a USB nor a printout. I used to have it in my Microsoft account, but I don't know where it is now. What can I do to start up my PC without having to format the drive? I have important files on here that I forgot to back up, and would love to get access to them again. Also, I have a text file that I can access from another drive that has all my general passwords. I know the first, second, and last characters of the password, yet I cannot remember everything in between.

All help is appreciated. Thanks

Caledon Ken · 22 May 2017

Hi pepanee.

Bitlocker encrypts your files so you need the password to reverse.

Are you using a local account or a Microsoft account to sign in? Are you able to log in?

This article actually has a link to Bitlocker Recovery keys assuming you're in your microsoft account.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/...sked-questions

Ken

pepanee · 22 May 2017

Hi Ken, I'm using a local account to sign into the computer. Once I turn on the PC, before Windows loads, I am asked for the BitLocker password. I manually enabled the BitLocker feature from within Windows a long time ago. My computer is custom built (it's not an HP, Dell, etc...)
And thanks for the article link, I've visited it various times yesterday when I was looking for a way to unlock the computer. The suggestions there either don't apply, or didn't work.

lx07 · 23 May 2017

pepanee said:

I used to have it in my Microsoft account, but I don't know where it is now.

From another device go to here: Microsoft OneDrive - Recovery Key

You'll need to sign in with the MSA you used in the past.

If it isn't there you'll have to clean install. Honestly that is the point of encryption.

pepanee said:

Also, I have a text file that I can access from another drive that has all my general passwords. I know the first, second, and last characters of the password, yet I cannot remember everything in between.

You need to give more info here. Are you saying that this text file is encrypted or you can open it and only wrote down 3 characters of your bitlocker key and didn't write down the other 45?

You will not be able to guess 45 of the 48 characters of a bitlocker key in a reasonable length of time.

According to How Secure Is My Password? it would take an average PC 792 septillion years. I don't know how long that is but it sounds like an inconveniently long time.

If it is just an encrypted word document though you could get it back fairly easily. It depends what you mean.

pepanee · 23 May 2017

Hi lx
I clicked that first link to the recovery key in my email with no luck. I used to have it saved there, but don't know what happened to it.
And that text file is just a general text file where I save the first two characters and the last character of my passwords. The whole point of that file is to help me remember any password I have without it being used by other people to know my passwords. It's intended to help me remember whatever password I have. I am able to remember all the other ones though, except for this last one which is a unique one for BitLocker. So it's not a recovery key for BitLocker; it's the actual real password itself.

Caledon Ken · 23 May 2017

Last thing I could recommend is signing into your mail (Microsoft Account) and doing some searches and same for Onedrive. Search for words like key, bit, pass.

I'm hoping your keyboard has indicators for caps and num locks. Can you tell when they are "On"?

Given your approach to writing the first few characters and last few I'd like to think you will remember it. Otherwise as lx07 says, it is gone.

pepanee · 23 May 2017

Yea I just tried searching for those words just now with no hope. That's too bad I can't find it; I'm so disappointed in myself to forget the password; I never forget my passwords! But what happened here? Why can't I remember this one?

And yes, the keyboard indicates if Caps Lock is on or not.

The way I have that text file set up with those characters is intended to keep my passwords safe from anyone else seeing them, and intended to help jog my memory if I forgot it. But it's just too bad that I have memory loss of that one and only one password.

Reformat is on my mind now; there isn't too much to lose, but I find it sad that I will lose some of my work that I had put into whatever is getting lost. Only a miracle will save that work before I begin this Reformat-Process.

Caledon Ken · 23 May 2017

May I suggest a password vault. That is what I use, I only need to remember one complex master password. With the good ones you can keep notes, like security questions, if a site is still using, have them generate complex passwords, set them to expire etc.

This also lets me have a unique password for hundreds of sites. Some even do the keying for you on the log in screens.

I also use some dummy entries for which I don't have passwords, like Social Insurance Number, Driver License, passport numbers, any thing I need to keep but don't want prying eyes checking out..

Good luck.

Ken

pepanee · 23 May 2017

Alright thanks for the suggestion. I'll keep that in mind after I see what I will do to get the computer running again.

Mystere · 23 May 2017

There is no hope of recovering your files. I've been there. A lot of people have. Without a copy of your recovery key, you're hosed. I still keep an image of my encrypted drive I lost access to... "just in case" someone finds a secret back door or hack to defeat the encryption, but that's just a fantasy.. I don't expect it to ever happen.

If the FBI and other law enforcement can't break this encryption for terrorism suspects, then what hope do you have?