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BitLocker and USB key. FAT vs NTFS format on USB (and boot times)
Hi Everyone,
First post, so bear with me.
I recently installed Windows 7 Enterprise 64 bit on a Dell Inspiron 530S desktop. I ran BitLocker after a fresh install on a new drive. This computer doesn't have a TPM chip, so I saved the recovery key and startup file on a 4-GB USB stick (NTFS formatted).
When I booted the computer, it took anywhere between 8-17 minutes to get to the Windows login screen. This was pretty consistent, and very frustrating.
I was about to give up when I copied the key and startup file to a 1-GB USB stick that was formatted in FAT. No delay whatsoever.
Is this typical behavior? Would one expect an NTFS-formatted USB to take so long? They were only the two files on it.
Thanks for any explanation.
Last edited by AngryMidget; 10 Jun 2012 at 00:20.