Need encryption help

[SRCH2225]

I want to switch on encryption - but can't see the toggle switch to do so in Privacy and Security. System information tells me that I have unallowed buses or equipment with DMA support installed. What should I do to get encryption switched on? 

[zoey7886]

@SRCH2225, Welcome to the HP Support Community!  

Thanks for reaching out about your query regarding encryption help! 

We're thrilled to have the opportunity to assist you and provide a solution. Please answer a few questions to understand the issue better:

• Is your device running Windows 11 Home or Windows 11 Pro? (BitLocker is only available on Pro editions.)
• Have you checked if your device supports Device Encryption in System Information?
• Are you using a local account or a Microsoft account? (Device encryption requires a Microsoft account.)

Meanwhile, please go through this link for steps regarding switching on encryption!

Let me know if this helps!

Take care, and have an amazing day!  

Did we resolve the issue? If yes, Please consider marking this post as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" to give us a helpful vote - your feedback keeps us going!  

Regards, 

[SRCH2225]

Thanks for connecting! Here are my answers to your question:

• Is your device running Windows 11 Home or Windows 11 Pro? (BitLocker is only available on Pro editions.)
  • It is Windows 11 Home, but MS now also offers encryption on Windows 11 Home. My other laptop (Lenovo) indeed has it, and also Dell provides detailed descriptions (incl. registry changes) on how to set encryption up on existing 11 Home computers. It is however not the full BitLocker experience, but some lighter (?) version?
• Have you checked if your device supports Device Encryption in System Information?
  • If you refer to configuration information, the option is not provided there (while the Lenovo shows that). I expect that this is related to my laptop being upgraded from Windows 10. But I don't see anywhere information that it wouldnt wotrk on such upgrades. 
• Are you using a local account or a Microsoft account? (Device encryption requires a Microsoft account.)
  • I think I am using an online a MS account .... how can be sure? I have direct access to OneDrive for instance - so that suggests an online MS account, right?

Thanks for helping!

•  

[zoey7886]

@SRCH2225, Thanks for getting back with those details! 

We appreciate your patience, and I’ll do my best to help you sort this out.

From what you’ve shared, it looks like your HP laptop doesn’t have the device encryption option visible, and the system information is flagging unsupported hardware due to DMA (Direct Memory Access) devices. Let’s break it down and see what we can do:

Check If Device Encryption Is Supported

• Press Win + R, type msinfo32, and hit Enter.
• Scroll down and check for Device Encryption Support under "System Summary."
• If it says something like "Reasons for failed automatic device encryption," the system may be missing a required security feature.

Secure Boot & TPM (Trusted Platform Module) Status

• Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Device Encryption (if available).
• If the option is missing, check if TPM is enabled:
  • Press Win + R, type tpm.msc, and hit Enter.
  • Look for Status: The TPM is ready for use (If it’s disabled, you may need to enable it from BIOS).
• Also, ensure Secure Boot is turned on in BIOS.

Check Your Account Type

• Since encryption requires a Microsoft account, you can confirm by going to Settings > Accounts > Your Info.
• If it says "Microsoft Account", you're good! If not, you may need to switch from a local account to a Microsoft account.

I hope this helps!

Take care, and have an amazing day!  

Did we resolve the issue? If yes, Please consider marking this post as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" to give us a helpful vote - your feedback keeps us going!  

Regards, 

[SRCH2225]

Thank you SO MUCH  for your help! I did as you suggested below:

• Scroll down and check for Device Encryption Support under "System Summary."
  • It says: Ondersteuning voor apparaatversleuteling / Redenen voor mislukte automatische apparaatversleuteling: Niet-toegestane bus/apparaten met DMA-ondersteuning gedetecteerd
    
  • Translated: Support for encryption / Reason for failed automatic encyption: non-approved bus/system with DMA-support detected
• Look for Status: The TPM is ready for use (If it’s disabled, you may need to enable it from BIOS).
  • It is.
• Also, ensure Secure Boot is turned on in BIOS.
  
  • How should I do that?

• Check Your Account Type

  • Checked. I have a Microsoft account.

So might the SECURE BOOT be an issue?

Thank you again!

[zoey7886]

@SRCH2225, 

Thank you so much for following up and providing those details — really appreciate it! 😊

It sounds like you've already made great progress — awesome work! From what you've described, the issue might indeed be related to Secure Boot not being enabled. Let me walk you through the steps to check and enable it in BIOS:

🔹 How to Enable Secure Boot:

1. Restart your laptop and keep tapping the F10 key as it powers on to enter the BIOS setup.
2. Navigate to the "Security" or "Boot" tab (this can vary depending on your laptop model).
3. Look for "Secure Boot" — if it’s set to Disabled, change it to Enabled.
4. Save the changes and exit BIOS (usually by pressing F10 and confirming).

Once Secure Boot is enabled, check if the encryption option shows up under Settings > Privacy & Security.

Also, just to confirm — since TPM is already enabled and you're using a Microsoft account, enabling Secure Boot might be the final step to get encryption working!

Please give this a try and let me know how it goes. If you need more help, I’m just a message away! 😊

Take care and have an amazing day!

Did we resolve the issue? If yes, Please consider marking this post as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" to give us a helpful vote - your feedback keeps us going!  

Regards, 

[SRCH2225]

Thank you so much for explaining where and how this is to be found. Unfortunately, it IS enabled – so that’s not the problem. ☹ Trying to search further, can it be that I don’t have windows update 24H2? For one or the other reason, 24H2 is not installed while my windows updater says it is all uptodate (but I am at 23H2). And then I see:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/design/device-experiences/oem-bitlocker

This page is too technical a for me – but might it be related to my problem?

Thanks again and kind regards!

[zoey7886 · Accepted solution]

@SRCH2225, From everything you’ve mentioned, you’ve already covered a lot of the key steps (great job on that!). Since Secure Boot is enabled and TPM is ready for use, the remaining issue seems to be the unallowed DMA (Direct Memory Access) devices blocking encryption.

What might be happening?

It looks like Windows 11 version 24H2 removes the requirement for blocking untrusted DMA devices, but since your system is still on 23H2, that restriction is still in place. So yes, it’s possible that upgrading to 24H2 could resolve the issue!

What you can do next:

Check for Windows 24H2 update manually

Go to Settings > Windows Update

Click Check for updates

If 24H2 is available, install it and restart your PC

Then try enabling encryption again

Did we resolve the issue? If yes, Please consider marking this post as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" to give us a helpful vote - your feedback keeps us going!  

Regards

[SRCH2225]

Hi! Thanks for confirming that it might be the 24H2. I followed your process but that still didn't show the option of getting the 24H2 update. So I went to microsoft.com to see what it told me ... and I re-installed windows 11 from there. This nicely upgraded me to 24H2 and now the encryprion option does appear in the settings menu! Didn't try it yet (need a quiet weekend for that) - but it that doesnt work, it will be a different issue. Thanks for thinking with me and the main lesson learnt for me is that "windows update" cannot be relied on to give you the latest. Weird - but true. Tahnks again! 

[zoey7886]

@SRCH2225, Thanks for letting us help you out! If you're all set, please mark this post as 'Accepted Solution' so I can do a virtual happy dance! 

If you need anything else, I'm all ears (or rather, all text). Just let me know! 

You're awesome, and I'm honored to have been your go-to guide today! 

Stay fantastic, and have an amazing day ahead! 

Regards,