Computer crashed. I have a SSD reader but it is asking for Bitlocker code, which I dont have

[richsaun]

Computer crashed.  I extracted SSD and plugged into a SSD reader.  But it is asking for BitLocker code, which I don't remember setting up and so I don't have the code.  The computer was directly purchased from Amazon.  Any ideas or is it lost forever?

[Hawks_Eye]

Hi @richsaun 

Welcome to the HP Support Community! We're here to help you get back up and running.

Thanks for explaining the situation. When BitLocker encryption is enabled—sometimes automatically during Windows setup—it protects the drive with a recovery key. If that key isn’t available, access to the data is unfortunately restricted.

Here are a few steps you can try to locate the recovery key:

1. Check Your Microsoft Account

If BitLocker was enabled during setup, the recovery key may be saved to your Microsoft account:

• Visit https://account.microsoft.com/devices/recoverykey
• Sign in with the same account used on the laptop.
• Look for a matching recovery key associated with your device.

2. Search Other Locations

If you don’t find it online, check:

• Any printed documents or USB drives where the key may have been saved.
• Emails or cloud storage folders (OneDrive, Google Drive) for a .txt file containing the key.
• If the laptop was set up by someone else, they may have saved the key elsewhere.

3. Review HP Support Resources

You can explore additional guidance on the HP BitLocker support page.

If the recovery key cannot be found, the data on the SSD will remain inaccessible. You can still reuse the drive by formatting it, but that will erase all existing content.

Let me know if you’d like help preparing the drive for reuse or exploring data recovery options. I’ll walk you through it.

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Take care, and have an amazing day!

Regards, 

Hawks_Eye