System image for Spectre x360 and restoring from

[drgipson57]

I want to keep a system image for recovery.  Apparently, even though I ordered a laptop with Windows 10 Home, BitLocker is enabled and the main drive is encrypted.  So, I have several questions about this situation: Why is BitLocker enabled on a Home device? Will this affect my ability to upgrade to Pro? Can I manage BitLocker as a Home user without upgrading to Pro?  Will I be able to recover from a system image created with BitLocker enabled - I reviewed some web posts that suggest that image file will be no good for restoring the system because it is NOT encrypted when created and the recovery process expects BitLocker to be enabled on the laptop from the get go and cannot recover an non-encrypted image?  If BitLocker cannot be disabled on a Home/HP system for producing a viable image to recover, what do I need to do to rectify this situation - buy Pro? Can image utilities like Acronis True Image work with BitLocker encrypted drives to produce a viable image?

Any help would be appreciated.

[Echo_Lake · Accepted solution]

@drgipson57
Thank you for posting on the HP Support Community.

BitLocker Encryption is enabled, by default, on computers that support Modern Standby. This is true regardless of the Windows 10 version (Home, Pro, etc.) is installed. BitLocker uses a low-level device driver to encrypt and decrypt all file operations, making interaction with the encrypted volume transparent to applications running on the platform. 

Encryption helps protect the data on your device so it can only be accessed by people who have authorization. It is vital that you back up your BitLocker recovery key, and that you know how to retrieve it.

Refer to the following HP Knowledge Base articles on how to tell if your drives or devices are encrypted and on saving and retrieving your BitLocker key:

• HP PCs - Using BitLocker Drive Encryption (Windows 10)

• HP PCs - Find the Recovery Key for BitLocker (Windows 10)

Hope this helps! Keep me posted for further assistance.
Please click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.