Bitlocker Hardware Encryption Causing 3F0 Boot Error

[Jim-We]

Hello Community

I've just fitted a Samsung 990 evo plus NVMe SSD in my 255 G8 laptop with a clean install of 25H2 pro.

If Bitlocker is enabled with hardware encryption I get a 3F0 (no operating system) error on boot. This also happens if I leave the EFI and O/S partitions unencrypted and just hardware encrypt a data partition on the same drive.

Using the default software encryption method does not cause any boot issues.

The laptop has the latest BIOS and I'm enabling hardware encryption using the setting in Group Policy (otherwise windows defaults to 128bit software). I prepare the drive using Samsung Magician in 'Windows-to-go' and secure erase it using a USB created in Magician. I am giving windows a 90GB partition.

After initiating Bitlocker hardware encryption 'manage-bde - status' reports the drive is using Hardware Encryption - 1.3.111.2.1619.0.1.2, but when it reboots it throws up the 3F0 error.

I have disabled Fast Start-up in windows as someone here advised, but no joy. Apart from Secure Boot, I have not adjusted any of the TPM key/security settings in the BIOS, but would appreciate any pointers on these.

Hardware encryption is necessary for making periodic disc images of the system because it can be removed instantly whereas the software version takes a *very* long time to unencrypt the drives.

any help or advice gratefully received
thank you
Jim

[BongChaGomez]

Hello @Jim-We ,

Welcome to HP Support Community.

You’ve run into interaction problem between HP business BIOS firmware, OPAL / “hardware BitLocker”, and certain Samsung NVMe drives.it’s a platform limitation. We are sorry for the trouble that you are having.

Your Samsung 990 EVO Plus supports TCG Opal 2.0 hardware encryption. When you force BitLocker into hardware mode:

• BitLocker delegates encryption to the SSD firmware

• Windows stores unlock metadata in EFI

• The BIOS/UEFI must be able to unlock the OPAL range early in boot

On the HP 255 G8, the BIOS fails to correctly unlock OPAL-encrypted namespaces at boot, resulting in:

3F0 – Boot device not found

This happens:

• Even if only a data partition is hardware-encrypted

• Even if EFI + OS partitions are left “unencrypted”

• Even though manage-bde reports Hardware Encryption active

👉 The firmware simply can’t enumerate the NVMe device once OPAL locking is active.

This is a BIOS-level OPAL compatibility bug, not a Windows or BitLocker issue.

Realistic options (what actually works)

✅ Option 1 — Stay with software BitLocker (recommended)

Use:

XTS-AES 256 (software)

Then for imaging:

• Suspend BitLocker before imaging:

  manage-bde -protectors -disable C:

• Image the disk

• Re-enable:

  manage-bde -protectors -enable C:

This avoids decrypting entirely and is safe and fast.

Hope this helps!