How to Turn Windows 7 BitLocker To Go On or Off for Removable Drives
Information
BitLocker To Go is used to encrypt and password protect any removable external hard drives and USB flash drives. The drives must be formatted using either the exFAT, FAT16, FAT32, or NTFS file system and must be at least 128 MB. This will show you how to turn on or off BitLocker To Go to encrypt or decrypt a entire external or USB Flash drive in Windows 7.
Note
External hard drives or flash drives encrypted by BitLocker Drive Encryption - BitLocker To Go can be used on any computer you connect them to by unlocking the encrypted drive with a password or a smart card.
You can use the BitLocker To Go Reader application to provide users read-only access to BitLocker-protected FAT-formatted drives on computers running Windows XP or Windows Vista. When you plug a removable drive encrypted with BitLocker in to a computer running Windows XP or Windows Vista, AutoPlay might open and give you the option to install or run BitLocker To Go Reader. If you click this option, you’ll be prompted to unlock the drive with it's password. Once the drive is unlocked, you’ll have read-only access to the files. To open the files on the drive, you'll need to copy them to your computer. You can copy the files by dragging them to the desktop or to a folder.
You can use the BitLocker To Go Reader application to provide users read-only access to BitLocker-protected FAT-formatted drives on computers running Windows XP or Windows Vista. When you plug a removable drive encrypted with BitLocker in to a computer running Windows XP or Windows Vista, AutoPlay might open and give you the option to install or run BitLocker To Go Reader. If you click this option, you’ll be prompted to unlock the drive with it's password. Once the drive is unlocked, you’ll have read-only access to the files. To open the files on the drive, you'll need to copy them to your computer. You can copy the files by dragging them to the desktop or to a folder.
Warning
BitLocker is only available in the Windows 7 Ultimate and Enterprise editions.
When you add new files to a external hard drive or flash drive that is encrypted with BitLocker, BitLocker encrypts them automatically. Files remain encrypted only while they are stored in the encrypted drive. Files that are copied to another drive or computer are decrypted.
When you add new files to a external hard drive or flash drive that is encrypted with BitLocker, BitLocker encrypts them automatically. Files remain encrypted only while they are stored in the encrypted drive. Files that are copied to another drive or computer are decrypted.
EXAMPLE: A USB Flash with BitLocker To Go turned on for it
NOTE: This is what you will see when you connect the encrypted removable USB flash drive or external hard drive to any computer. You will then need to select the option you want to use to unlock the drive to gain access.
OPTION ONE
Turn On BitLocker to Encrypt Removable Drive
1. Decide if you want 128-bit or 256-bit encryption.
NOTE: By default, Windows 7 will use AES encryption with 128-bit encryption keys and Diffuser unless changed already by you previously.
2. Connect the removable hard drive or USB flash drive.
NOTE: I will be using a USB flash drive in this tutorial as an example. If AutoPlay opens a pop-up window, then just close it.
3. Open the Start menu and click on the Computer button, then right click on the drive letter for the removable hard drive or USB flash drive and click on Turn on BitLocker. (See screenshot below)
A) Go to step 5.
OR
4. Open the Control Panel (All Items view), and click on the BitLocker Drive Encryption icon.
A) Click on Turn On BitLocker for the drive letter for the removable hard drive or USB flash drive that you want to encrypt. (See screenshot below)
5. Select (check) Use a password to unlock the drive, then type in a password you want to use to unlock the drive with twice and click on the Next button. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: You can select the smart card option if you have this and want to use that instead. I just used the password option as an example in this tutorial.
WARNING: Be sure to write down this password and keep it somewhere safe. The password you enter here will be required to be entered to unlock the drive to gain access to it.
6. Click on Save the recovery key to file option. (See screenshot below)
A) Select where you want to save this file at, and click on the Save button. (See screenshot below)
B) It is highly recommended that you save this file somewhere safe, and not on the encrypted drive. You will need the recovery key number to gain access to you encrypted drive if you should forget the password, lose the smart card, or BitLocker locks the drive.
C) It is also recommended that you click on the Print the recovery key option as well to have a printed hard copy of the file to be extra safe. (See screenshot below step 6)
D) When done, click on the Next button. (See screenshot below step 6)
7. Click on the Start Encrypting button. (See screenshot below)
8. BitLocker will now start encrypting the drive. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: This may take a while to finish.
9. When finished, click on the Close button. (See screenshot below)
10. You will now have a Manage BitLocker option in the Control Panel and Computer for the encrypted drive. (See screenshots below)
11. If you click on Manage BitLocker, these will be the options that you will have below. (See screenshot below)
12. You're done. The drive is now encrypted with BitLocker To Go turned on.
OPTION TWO
Turn Off BitLocker to Decrypt Removable Drive
1. Connect the removable hard drive or USB flash drive.
2. Type in your password, and click on the Unlock button. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: If you selected to use a Smart Card instead in OPTION ONE (step 5), then you will have that option instead here. If AutoPlay opens a pop-up window, then just close it.
3. Open the Control Panel (icons view), and click on the BitLocker Drive Encryption icon.
4. Click on Turn Off BitLocker for the drive letter for the removable hard drive or USB flash drive that you want to decrypt. (See screenshot below)
5. Click on the Decrypt Drive button. (See screenshot below)
6. BitLocker will now start decrypting the drive. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: This may take a while to finish.
7. When finished, click on the Close button. (See screenshot below)
8. The Control Panel and Computer will now have the Turn On BitLocker option again.
9. You're done. The drive is now decrypted with BitLocker To Go turned off.
That's it,
Shawn
Related Tutorials
- How to Change Windows 7 BitLocker Drive Encryption Method and Cipher Strength
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- How to Create a Windows 7 BitLocker Drive Encryption Shortcut
- How to Lock an Unlocked BitLocker Drive
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- How to Unlock a Data or Removable Drive Locked by BitLocker Drive Encryption
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