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- How do I reinstall windows from the bitlocker screen?

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06-22-2020 09:10 PM
I’ve somehow ended up with bitlocker enabled. After a Windows update I cannot get into my laptop and since I never set up bitlocker I not have the key. Checked my Microsoft accounts.
I just want to reset my laptop and not worried about my files. Any guidance would be helpful.
And I do not have windows on a flash drive.
06-23-2020 07:48 AM
With BitLocker, you end up with the whole drive locked and without the key, there is no way to remove it -- since if there was, then it would serve no useful purpose. I don't use such schemes since they add a lot of extra grief and are essentially a waste of time and effort -- so I can't tell you if reformatting the drive is possible.
But ... if you remove the drive and connect it to another PC, then you can use partitioning tools to WIPE the drive -- and that will remove any trace of BitLocker. One such tool is MiniTool Partition Wizard, which you can download for free.
Then, reinsert the drive in your PC and restore it to working condition by following the instructions below:
If your PC is a 2016 model or newer, you should see if you can make a bootable USB recovery drive using the HP cloud recovery tool on a working PC.
The recovery drive can then be used to install Win10 and the HP drivers and utilities that originally came with your PC.
Here is the link: https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c06162205
I am a volunteer and I do not work for, nor represent, HP