Using eDrive (Bitlocker hardware encryption) on supplied Intel SSD Pro 6000p fails

[User1337]

Hello everyone!

I'm currently setting up an Elitebook 840 G4 for a family member. The device should be used for university work on campus and while commuting, that's why it should be secured with Bitlocker in the event of getting lost or stolen.

After digging around Intel Support Websites I found out that the supplied "Intel SSD Pro 6000p 512GB" should support OPAL and eDrive (special mode for Bitlocker; key management happens through Windows Bitlocker, but the SSD encrypts on it's own / SED).

I followed the instructions for setting up eDrive supplied by Intel. In short: it should be done with "Intel SSD Pro Administrator Tool" that also lists the 6000p as a supported eDrive device in the release notes.

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/26625/Intel-SSD-Pro-Administrator-Tool?product=84073

But... now comes the but:

Activating eDrive with Intel Admin Tool failed on me, stating "eDrive Supported: False"

It was then no suprise to me that Bitlocker only encrypted softwarebased. Can easily be verified by using "manage-bde" on commandline.

Another post found at Intel Support Communites points out that many OEM tend to use modified versions and the original Intel tools are not supported (my SSD has firmware version "HP01" maybe that's a little hint for it).

https://communities.intel.com/message/316704

So it seems only HP is able to supply the right management tools including firmware updates.

Thank you for your time and help in advance!

Greetings from Germany

[User1337 · Accepted solution]

After investigating further it seems that the supplied SSD is not a retail 6000p although Intel management tools stating it.

All OPAL SEDs I have seen so far have one thing in common: PSID number printed on the SSD label

The PSID is needed in the event of password loss, so the device can be reseted to a factory state and can be reused afterwards (full data loss included for obvious reasons).

But this specific model shipped by HP lacks the PSID completely; furthermore there is no sign of 6000p model.

So it can be assumed that this SSD model is a HP OEM without OPAL and eDrive.

This is sad.