Windows 10 Unlock Drive and Try Again

Become the gear up to the "The drive where Windows is installed is locked" fault that appears on Windows 8, Windows viii.1 or Windows 10 systems.

Contents

one Virtually "The drive where Windows is installed is locked"
- 1.1 Clarification and Symptoms
- ane.2 Symptom 1: "The drive where Windows is installed is locked" error screen on startup
ii Causes of this Error
- 2.1 Crusade 1: Bitlocker boot agent disabled
- 2.ii Cause 2: The TPM has been cleared or reset
- 2.three Crusade 3: BCD file is damaged
3 Fixing "The drive where Windows is installed is locked" on Windows
- 3.1 Fix #1: Use Piece of cake Recovery Essentials
- 3.2 Fix #2: Run Automatic Repair
- iii.3 Fix #3: Bank check disk for errors with chkdsk utility
- 3.iv Fix #4: Use bootrec to rebuild the BCD file
- 3.5 Fix #v: Gear up the correct partition
- 3.half dozen Fix #5: Refresh the PC
four More Information
- 4.1 Linked Entries
- 4.two Back up Links
- 4.three Applicable Systems

Near "The drive where Windows is installed is locked"

The following data on this error has been compiled past NeoSmart Technologies, based on the information gathered and reported by our global network of engineers, developers, and technicians or partner organizations.

Description and Symptoms

The fault letters, alerts, warnings, and symptoms beneath are tied to this error.

Symptom 1: "The drive where Windows is installed is locked" mistake screen on startup

The screen beneath is displayed when you endeavor to start your PC. Different most errors, this error screen isn't identified by an error code like the "Your PC needs to exist repaired" error:

The drive where windows is installed is locked error screen

Refresh your PC  The drive where Windows is installed is locked. Unlock the drive and try again.  Cancel

Causes of this Mistake

This error has been known to occur as a issue of one of the following causes:

Cause i: Bitlocker boot agent disabled

The root cause of this event is due to the usage of Windows Bitlocker encryption. Bitlocker is a whole-disk encryption used to secure user data, merely requires that the Bitlocker boot agent be installed. At boot time, this boot agent is used to unlock the Windows drive before attempting to load Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 10. If this agent is disabled or overwritten, either on purpose, by accident, or due to 3rd party interference such equally 3rd party bootloaders or malware infecting the boot process, this error message can appear.

Cause 2: The TPM has been cleared or reset

BitLocker can optionally use a hardware encryption chip establish on most modern PCs and laptops known as the TPM (Trusted Platform Module) to manage the secret keys used for the encryption of data. If this TPM is cleared or lost, either due to the user clearing the TPM manually in the BIOS/firmware setup or due to a TPM firmware upgrade as part of the system firmware/BIOS upgrade procedure, the keys the TPM contains may be cleared and the arrangement will fail to boot.

Cause iii: BCD file is damaged

The BCD(Boot Configuration Information) file that contains kicking configuration parameters for Windows system, is a very important role of booting process. If that file becomes damaged, and so the kick process is halted.

Fixing "The bulldoze where Windows is installed is locked" on Windows

Windows Setup CD/DVD Required!
Some of the solutions below require the utilise of the Microsoft Windows setup CD or DVD. If your PC did not come up with a Windows installation disc or if you no longer have your Windows setup media, yous can use Easy Recovery Essentials for Windows instead. EasyRE will automatically observe and gear up many problems, and can also be used to solve this trouble with the directions below.

Fix #one: Use Like shooting fish in a barrel Recovery Essentials

Easy Recovery Essentials tin prepare many errors such as this automatically using its built-in Automatic Repair selection. EasyRE is currently available for Windows XP, Vista, vii and 8 and can be downloaded and created on any PC.

Download Easy Recovery Essentials. Make sure to note your Windows version (XP, Vista, 7 or 8) before you lot download EasyRE. This guide tin assistance you identify what version of Windows you have installed.
Burn the image. Follow these instructions on how to burn the bootable ISO image very carefully, equally making a bootable CD tin be tricky! Alternatively, these instructions explicate how to create a bootable EasyRE recovery USB stick/drive.
Kick up your PC from the Easy Recovery Essentials CD or USB you created.
Once EasyRE is running, choose the "Automated Repair" selection and click Continue.

Choose "Automated Repair" in Piece of cake Recovery Essentials
Afterward EasyRE scans your computer'southward drives, place and select the drive letter of the alphabet for your Windows installation from the list, and and then click on the Automated Repair button to begin.

Choose the bulldoze associated with the Windows installation you're trying to repair.
Easy Recovery Essentials will outset analyzing the selected drive for bug. EasyRE volition exam for and endeavor to automatically correct errors with the disk, segmentation, bootsector, filesystem, bootloader, and registry. No intervention is required, as EasyRE'due south repair is fully automated:

Like shooting fish in a barrel Recovery Essentials searches for errors and makes corrections to the selected Windows installation.
In one case the process is complete, EasyRE will report its findings. Click on the Restart button to reboot your PC and test the changes.
The "The bulldoze where Windows is installed is locked" fault should now be stock-still as your PC begins to load:

Windows, booting up successfully.

Y'all can download Piece of cake Recovery Essentials from here.

Gear up #two: Run Automatic Repair

The Automatic Repair utility, which is bachelor in Windows 8/eight.1/10 by default, might fix the "The bulldoze where Windows is installed is locked" error.

To access Automatic Repair on your calculator, follow these steps:

Insert the Windows DVD/USB and reboot the system.
If you don't accept your original Windows 8 installation media, go to Fix #1: Utilize Easy Recovery Essentials
Kick from the media
Click Repair your figurer
Navigate to Troubleshoot > Automated Repair
Continue with the wizard to consummate the process

Windows 8 Repair your computer screen

If running Automatic Repair didn't set the mistake, become to Fix #3: chkdsk to run the chkdsk utility.

Fix #3: Check deejay for errors with chkdsk utility

The chkdsk utility will cheque the integrity of your hard disk. You can try to set the "The drive where Windows is installed is locked" mistake with the chkdsk /r command.

To exercise then, follow these steps to access chkdsk:

Restart the computer with the original installation media (that's either the DVD or the USB wink drive)
If you don't have the original install media, go to Gear up #1: Employ Like shooting fish in a barrel Recovery Essentials
Click Repair your computer
At the Choose an option screen, click Troubleshoot
Click Advanced options
Click Command Prompt
Type this control:
```
chkdsk C: /f /x /r
```
Where C: is the letter of the drive where Windows 8/8.1/10 is installed on. If your Windows 8 is installed on the D: drive, enter D:
Press Enter

Chkdsk results screen

Fix #4: Use bootrec to rebuild the BCD file

In some cases, the "The drive where Windows is installed is locked" mistake tin can announced due to damage or corruption of the BCD file on your Windows system.

To fix the BCD, follow these steps:

Insert the installation media and kick from it
If you don't have the original disc, go to Fix #1: Use Like shooting fish in a barrel Recovery Essentials
At the Install screen, click Repair your computer or printing R
Navigate to Troubleshoot > Avant-garde Options > Command Prompt
Type this command:
```
bootrec /FixMbr
```
Press Enter
Type this command:
```
bootrec /FixBoot
```
Press Enter
Type this command:
```
bootrec /ScanOs
```
Press Enter
This this control:
```
bootrec /RebuildBcd
```
Press Enter
Remove the installation media from the disc tray or USB port
Blazon go out
Press Enter
Restart your computer

Bootrec utility results screen

Set #5: Fix the correct sectionalization

If Fix #four: bootrec didn't fixed the "The bulldoze where Windows is installed is locked" fault by replacing the boot loader of your Windows 8, you may need to set up the correct partition first and then run bootrec once again.

To do so, follow these steps:

Boot from the install media as explained in Fix #4: bootrec until you lot reach Command Prompt
If y'all don't have the original disc, go to Set up #one: Use Easy Recovery Essentials
When Command Prompt appears, type this control:
```
diskpart
```
Press Enter
Then type:
```
sel disk 0
```
Printing Enter
And so type:
```
list vol
```
Press Enter
Check the volume listed by Command Prompt with FAT32 at the Fs column. Once you identified the volume, type this command:
```
sel vol two
```
Replace 2 with the volume's number.
Press Enter
Yous need to assign a new letter to this partition. The alphabetic character must be unique, e.g. information technology can't be c::
```
assign letter x:
```
Replace ten: from the control above with a unique alphabetic character for this segmentation.
Press Enter
Look for the confirmation message from the diskpart utility to appear:
```
DiskPart successfully assigned the drive letter or mountain point.
```
Then type:
```
exit
```
Press Enter
And so type:
```
cd /d x:\EFI\Microsoft\Boot
```
Brand sure to replace x: with the letter yous've assigned before.
Press Enter
And then type:
```
bootrec /fixboot
```
Press Enter
Then type:
```
ren BCD BCD.Fill-in
```
This volition create a backup of your current BCD file.
Press Enter
Then type:
```
bcdboot c:\Windows /50 en-us /s x: /f ALL
```
Make sure to replace x: with the letter of the alphabet y'all've assigned before.
Press Enter
Remove the install media from the disc tray or USB port
Type:
```
exit
```
Press Enter
Restart the computer

Set #5: Refresh the PC

You lot tin can perform a Refresh of your Windows 8/eight.i/10 system.

Refresh acts as a reinstall of your Windows eight without affecting your personal files. This might gear up the "The drive where Windows is installed is locked" mistake.

To run Refresh, follow these steps:

Restart your computer
Boot from the Windows 8/8.1/10 installation media (the original DVD or USB drive).
If you don't have your original Windows 8 installation media, get to Fix #1: Employ Easy Recovery Essentials
Click Repair your computer
Click Troubleshoot and then click Refresh your PC
Follow the wizard instructions to complete the procedure

Windows 8 Repair your computer screen

More Information

Linked Entries

bootrec
diskpart
chkdsk

Support Links

Easy Recovery Essentials for Windows – our repair and recovery disk.
It's an easy-to-use and automatic diagnostics disk. It'southward available for Windows viii, Windows 7 and Windows Vista. Information technology's also bachelor for Windows XP and Windows Server.

Read more at Windows Recovery Disks.
The NeoSmart Back up Forums, member-to-member technical support and troubleshooting.
Get a discounted price on replacement setup and installation discs: Windows 8, Windows ten.

Applicable Systems

This Windows-related knowledgebase article applies to the following operating systems:

Windows eight (all editions)
Windows eight.1 (all editions)
Windows ten (all editions)

Suggest an edit

Windows 10 Unlock Drive and Try Again

Source: https://neosmart.net/wiki/the-drive-where-windows-is-installed-is-locked/

McWilliam Ramplas