All Windows users may be using Bitlocker to secure the information
on your computer. What Bitlocker does is encrypt all the data on your
drives, thereby helping to ensure that should your computer be lost or
stolen, no one would be able to access the information on the drive(s).
Bitlocker is more critical for laptops, since those are more likely to
be lost or stolen.
If you have Bitlocker
enabled Windows may occasionally prompt you for your Bitlocker key. In a
worst case scenario, your computer might demand the Bitlocker key in
order to boot and will not proceed without the key. I've seen this
happen on more than one occasion. If you don't have your Bitlocker key,
you are permanently locked out of your computer and all of its data.
Please be sure you have your Bitlocker key(s) and know where they are.
DO NOT STORE THEM ON YOUR COMPUTER!
In
order to determine if Bitlocker is on, go to your drive(s) in File
Manager and highlight the drive(s). In a panel to the right, there
should be a line about Bitlocker's status (On or Off). If you have more
than one drive, check them all.
If
you're not sure where you stored your Bitlocker key, be sure to save
them. Click on Start and type in Bitlocker. This should take you to a
Bitlocker menu, where you can also see the status of Bitlocker for your
drive(s). Here also will be an option to download your Bitlocker key(s).
Be sure to save them in a secure place and not just on a single USB
device. Always have multiple backups of any critical data.
