Bitlocker now disabled

[Baldboy]

I have been using bitlocker on a Sony Vaio - with TPM. Yesterday someone used
my PC to check an XP installation CD. They booted from the CD and when they
reached the setup screen, they exited. After that I had to enter my key as I
booted the PC - indicating that bitlocker had detected a change. The way to
stop having to do that is to turn bitlocker off and then on again.
I turned bitlocker off, but when I went to turn it one again, it tells me
that my system is not configured to use Bitlocker. It tells me to remove any
bootable CD or DVD and reboot and if that doesn't help to upgrade my BIOS.
There are no CDs or DVDs and my BIOS is the latest version - and was working
yesterday with Bitlocker.
I am assuming that the XP instalation CD has in some way altered my disk
drive so that it no longer appears to be configured to use Bitlocker.
I have run the Drive Preparation Tool, which reports my Drive as prepared.
Any ideas?

 

[Bender]

If you have been using BitLocker, did you have a drive encrypted? If you did
and you can see the drive then BitLocker is still active. You would have to
unencrypt a drive first to access a drive without BitLocker.

 

[Baldboy]

Thank you. Bitlocker is indeed still active. It is, however, disabled. When
you turn Bitlocker off for an encypted drive, you gte the choice to decrypt
the drive or simply turn bitlocker off. Turning Bitlocker off leaves the
drive encrypted but with a password available in plain text - without a
passphrase. That way, you can just turn it on again quickly.

If you have a change in your boot configuration, you will be asked on boot
to enter the key. This will happen every time you reboot. You "tell"
Bitlocker that the change is authorised by turning it off for the drive and
then turning it on again.

In my case, I turned it off, but cannot turn it on again. Now I cannot
decrypt the drive, as the option to do that only occurs when you turn it off.
So I have an encrypted drive with a plain text password - no protection.

I can't turn Bitlocker on, because it says that my system is not configured
to use it. Clearly my system is configured to use it as I have the encrypted
drive.

Is there anybody out there who's an expert in this matter?

It is clarly a software bug as it shouldn't be possible for Bitlocker to be
operating and at the same time saying that it can't operate.

 

[Bender]

I used the Group Policy editor to enable BitLocker on my old Pentium 4
system, without a TPM.
Perhaps that is an area to investigate.
To start it run "gpedit.msc"
Then expand the "Administrative Templates", Windows Components, and select
BitLocker Drive Encryption.
You can then explore the various options in the right panel.

 

[Kos]

On Sat, 14 Jun 2008 02:18:37 -0700, "Bender"

Look in Disk Management and check if your boot partition ( Usually S
drive ) still designated as "active".

Just guessing..