How To Unlock A Hard Drive Windows 7

Go the fix to the "The bulldoze where Windows is installed is locked" error that appears on Windows 8, Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 systems.

Contents

ane Nigh "The drive where Windows is installed is locked"
- ane.1 Description and Symptoms
- 1.2 Symptom 1: "The bulldoze where Windows is installed is locked" error screen on startup
2 Causes of this Error
- ii.ane Cause one: Bitlocker boot agent disabled
- 2.2 Crusade 2: The TPM has been cleared or reset
- 2.3 Cause 3: BCD file is damaged
3 Fixing "The drive where Windows is installed is locked" on Windows
- iii.1 Fix #1: Utilise Easy Recovery Essentials
- 3.ii Ready #ii: Run Automated Repair
- three.3 Fix #3: Cheque disk for errors with chkdsk utility
- 3.4 Set #4: Utilise bootrec to rebuild the BCD file
- 3.5 Fix #5: Gear up the right partition
- 3.6 Prepare #5: Refresh the PC
4 More Information
- 4.one Linked Entries
- 4.2 Support Links
- 4.3 Applicable Systems

Virtually "The drive where Windows is installed is locked"

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

Clarification and Symptoms

The error messages, alerts, warnings, and symptoms below are tied to this mistake.

Symptom 1: "The bulldoze where Windows is installed is locked" error screen on startup

The screen below is displayed when you attempt to start your PC. Unlike about errors, this error screen isn't identified by an mistake code like the "Your PC needs to be repaired" mistake:

The drive where windows is installed is locked error screen

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

Causes of this Error

This fault has been known to occur equally a event of ane of the following causes:

Cause one: Bitlocker boot amanuensis disabled

The root cause of this issue is due to the usage of Windows Bitlocker encryption. Bitlocker is a whole-deejay encryption used to secure user data, only 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 viii, or Windows 10. If this agent is disabled or overwritten, either on purpose, by accident, or due to 3rd political party interference such equally tertiary political 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 found on most modern PCs and laptops known every bit the TPM (Trusted Platform Module) to manage the secret keys used for the encryption of information. If this TPM is cleared or lost, either due to the user immigration 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 exist cleared and the system volition fail to boot.

Cause 3: BCD file is damaged

The BCD(Kick Configuration Data) file that contains kicking configuration parameters for Windows system, is a very important part 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 use 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, y'all can use Piece of cake Recovery Essentials for Windows instead. EasyRE will automatically find and set many problems, and tin can also be used to solve this problem with the directions below.

Fix #1: Use Like shooting fish in a barrel Recovery Essentials

Piece of cake Recovery Essentials can set many errors such equally this automatically using its built-in Automated Repair option. EasyRE is currently available for Windows XP, Vista, seven and eight and can exist downloaded and created on any PC.

Download Piece of cake Recovery Essentials. Make certain to annotation your Windows version (XP, Vista, 7 or viii) before yous download EasyRE. This guide can help you lot identify what version of Windows yous take installed.
Burn the epitome. Follow these instructions on how to burn the bootable ISO paradigm very advisedly, as making a bootable CD tin can be tricky! Alternatively, these instructions explicate how to create a bootable EasyRE recovery USB stick/drive.
Boot upward your PC from the Easy Recovery Essentials CD or USB you created.
One time EasyRE is running, choose the "Automated Repair" option and click Continue.

Choose "Automated Repair" in Easy Recovery Essentials
After EasyRE scans your calculator'due south drives, identify and select the bulldoze letter of the alphabet for your Windows installation from the list, and and so click on the Automated Repair button to begin.

Choose the drive associated with the Windows installation yous're trying to repair.
Easy Recovery Essentials will start analyzing the selected drive for problems. EasyRE will examination for and attempt to automatically correct errors with the disk, partition, bootsector, filesystem, bootloader, and registry. No intervention is required, equally EasyRE'due south repair is fully automated:

Easy Recovery Essentials searches for errors and makes corrections to the selected Windows installation.
Once the process is complete, EasyRE will report its findings. Click on the Restart push button to reboot your PC and test the changes.
The "The drive where Windows is installed is locked" error should now be fixed as your PC begins to load:

Windows, booting up successfully.

You can download Like shooting fish in a barrel Recovery Essentials from hither.

Fix #two: Run Automated Repair

The Automatic Repair utility, which is available in Windows 8/8.1/10 past default, might ready the "The drive where Windows is installed is locked" error.

To admission Automatic Repair on your computer, follow these steps:

Insert the Windows DVD/USB and reboot the system.
If y'all don't have your original Windows 8 installation media, go to Fix #i: Use Piece of cake Recovery Essentials
Boot from the media
Click Repair your computer
Navigate to Troubleshoot > Automatic Repair
Continue with the wizard to complete the process

Windows 8 Repair your computer screen

If running Automated Repair didn't gear up the fault, go to Prepare #3: chkdsk to run the chkdsk utility.

Gear up #3: Check disk for errors with chkdsk utility

The chkdsk utility volition check the integrity of your hard disk. You tin can try to fix the "The drive where Windows is installed is locked" error with the chkdsk /r command.

To do so, follow these steps to access chkdsk:

Restart the computer with the original installation media (that's either the DVD or the USB flash drive)
If y'all don't accept the original install media, become to Fix #one: Use Easy Recovery Essentials
Click Repair your figurer
At the Choose an option screen, click Troubleshoot
Click Advanced options
Click Control Prompt
Blazon this command:
```
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 #four: Use bootrec to rebuild the BCD file

In some cases, the "The drive where Windows is installed is locked" error 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 information technology
If you don't have the original disc, become to Prepare #1: Use Easy Recovery Essentials
At the Install screen, click Repair your computer or press R
Navigate to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Control Prompt
Blazon this control:
```
bootrec /FixMbr
```
Press Enter
Blazon this control:
```
bootrec /FixBoot
```
Press Enter
Type this command:
```
bootrec /ScanOs
```
Press Enter
This this control:
```
bootrec /RebuildBcd
```
Printing Enter
Remove the installation media from the disc tray or USB port
Type exit
Printing Enter
Restart your reckoner

Bootrec utility results screen

Fix #5: Set the correct partition

If Fix #4: bootrec didn't fixed the "The drive where Windows is installed is locked" fault by replacing the boot loader of your Windows 8, you may need to set the correct partition first and so run bootrec again.

To practice so, follow these steps:

Boot from the install media as explained in Ready #iv: bootrec until yous reach Control Prompt
If you lot don't accept the original disc, go to Fix #one: Use Easy Recovery Essentials
When Command Prompt appears, type this command:
```
diskpart
```
Press Enter
Then type:
```
sel disk 0
```
Press Enter
Then type:
```
list vol
```
Printing Enter
Check the volume listed past Command Prompt with FAT32 at the Fs column. Once you identified the volume, type this command:
```
sel vol ii
```
Replace 2 with the volume's number.
Press Enter
You lot demand to assign a new letter to this segmentation. The letter must be unique, e.g. information technology can't be c::
```
assign alphabetic character x:
```
Supervene upon x: from the command above with a unique letter of the alphabet for this partition.
Press Enter
Wait for the confirmation message from the diskpart utility to appear:
```
DiskPart successfully assigned the drive letter or mount point.
```
So type:
```
exit
```
Press Enter
Then type:
```
cd /d x:\EFI\Microsoft\Boot
```
Make sure to replace ten: with the letter y'all've assigned earlier.
Press Enter
And so blazon:
```
bootrec /fixboot
```
Press Enter
Then type:
```
ren BCD BCD.Fill-in
```
This will create a backup of your current BCD file.
Press Enter
So type:
```
bcdboot c:\Windows /fifty en-us /southward x: /f ALL
```
Make certain to supervene upon x: with the letter you lot've assigned earlier.
Press Enter
Remove the install media from the disc tray or USB port
Type:
```
exit
```
Press Enter
Restart the computer

Gear up #5: Refresh the PC

You can perform a Refresh of your Windows 8/8.1/10 system.

Refresh acts every bit a reinstall of your Windows eight without affecting your personal files. This might fix the "The bulldoze where Windows is installed is locked" error.

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 lot don't have your original Windows 8 installation media, get to Fix #ane: Use Easy Recovery Essentials
Click Repair your computer
Click Troubleshoot and so click Refresh your PC
Follow the wizard instructions to complete the process

Windows 8 Repair your computer screen

Windows 8 Repair your reckoner screen

More Information

Linked Entries

bootrec
diskpart
chkdsk

Back up Links

Easy Recovery Essentials for Windows – our repair and recovery deejay.
It's an easy-to-utilize and automated diagnostics disk. It's available for Windows 8, Windows vii and Windows Vista. It's also available for Windows XP and Windows Server.

Read more at Windows Recovery Disks.
The NeoSmart Support Forums, member-to-fellow member technical support and troubleshooting.
Become a discounted price on replacement setup and installation discs: Windows viii, Windows ten.

Applicable Systems

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

Windows viii (all editions)
Windows viii.1 (all editions)
Windows x (all editions)

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