Bitlocker recovery key unknown

[puccim]

Good morning,

I have a problem with the hp pavilion x2 blocked by bitlocker. The customer does not even remember access to his microsoft account. I tried the recovery but the hard disk is locked then I had to run a diskpart completely erasing the disk.
At this point the following screens will appear at power-up:

Boot device not found.

Please install an OS on your hard disk.

Hard disk (3F0).

If I press the F2 button: BIOS application error (501).

The hp BIOS application selected is corrupt or missing.

I tried to create a flash pen to restore the bios but it doesn't start.

How can I do? Any idea?

We look forward to hearing from you.

Best Regards.

Maurizio

[IT_WinSec]

Hello @puccim 

Thank you for posting in the HP Support Community.

There are several things in your post.

You only need Bitlocker key if you really need to access the information from this computer.

BitLocker is a Microsoft software designed to protect the PC against offline attacks, unauthorized access typically if the PC gets stolen. BitLocker is full disk encryption software. More info:

>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BitLocker

>> http://www.windowscentral.com/how-use-bitlocker-encryption-windows-10

BitLocker was activated by someone and during the PC activation time it prompts the user to save/store the key in a safe place.

** If this is a company owned asset/tablet, they should turn to their company's IT support guys and they should be able to provide the recovery key

** If this is your own personal device, and if you/your customer are not aware of Bitlocker key, most probably they use a slightly different BitLocker version for certain PCs and tablets known as Device encryption. Probably their key is stored in Microsoft OneDrive with their Microsoft account here :

>> https://onedrive.live.com/recoverykey

More readings for you

>> https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/12/microsoft-may-have-your-encryption-key-heres-...

>> http://windowsitpro.com/microsoft-surface/locating-your-microsoft-surface-bitlocker-recovery-key

Try these and let me know if you manage to find the key. Below I will post instructions for other things.

[IT_WinSec]

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@puccim wrote:

At this point the following screens will appear at power-up:

Boot device not found.

Please install an OS on your hard disk.

Hard disk (3F0).

> This screen  (message) appears because the HDD is corruped (less likely) or because the operating system is inaccessible. Due to the encryption layer, it cannot boot from an operating system.

If I press the F2 button: BIOS application error (501).

The hp BIOS application selected is corrupt or missing.

I tried to create a flash pen to restore the bios but it doesn't start.

>> F2 is the built-in hardware diagnostics section. More info here >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JXUp43ahHA

Try to restore the BIOS following these instructions >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpiGUojtr3E

If the above does not help, try to update the BIOS using the option "when Windows does not start" - here are instructions >> https://support.hp.com/za-en/document/c00042629

With regards to Windows, my recommendation is to reinstall fresh clean Windows and delete all existing partitions now. Here are instructions how to do it >> https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Operating-System-and-Recovery/EliteBook-very-slow-after-drive...

Let me know how it goes

---

[puccim]

Hi IT_WinSec,

thanks for your answer. I tried to download the bios from the hp site and install it on the stick then I followed the tutorial on youtube "How to Restore the BIOS on HP Computers with a Key Press Combination" but nothing, it's as if the system does not recognize the flash pen.
If I don't restore the bios I think it's impossible to start the system correctly.
I kindly await your reply.

Thanks in advance.

Best regards.

Maurizio

[IT_WinSec]

Hello @puccim 

I think your best option is to reinstall Windows following the steps above or this URL >> https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Operating-System-and-Recovery/EliteBook-very-slow-after-drive...

You can/should delete all existing partitions and install on unallocated space.

If the problem was caused by some inaccessibe or corrupted, partition, complete format will erase them and fix the problem.

If it turns out to be in the BIOS, when you are in Windows, there are other methods to update the BIOS (if necessary) - like running the installer in Windows.