Windows 10 Bitlocker and Recovery Partitions oddity, can I get some help?

[pargony]

Windows 10 Bitlocker and Recovery Partitions oddity

Background:
I installed windows 10 on a Surface Pro 3 via upgrade and then proceeded to do a clean install via media creation tool USB drive. I installed on the primary windows partition, there were a whole slew of partitions for recovery. Install went fine, but when I got up and running, there is a exclamation sign on the C:\ icon informing me that bitlocker is not enabled by default. When attempting to enable bitlocker, it informs me that the recovery tools will become unavailable.

I then searched for an answer and knowing that surface pro 3 now ships with windows 10 I contacted Microsoft support online chat for help. I was able to download an ISO for Surface Pro 3 recovery, but being a January 2015 model, I can only get the recovery disc for windows 8.1 because the download requires you to register your device prior to download.

Question:
If I am in windows 10 (that currently works fine - bitlocker disabled) is there anyway to get a clean install with everything working as if I bought a Surface Pro 3 today? I see the Create a Recovery Drive option in settings, will that partition my Surface Pro 3 the same way as if I bought a new machine? And could I transfer those files off the USB drive at a later date so I don't have a 64 GB drive sitting there with no other use than as a backup in case my Surface has a terrible death?

Dustin

 

[eusty]

My experience of doing a reset isn't good! After trying it messed up my install and it wouldn't boot, so I downloaded the recovery USB, but that wouldn't repair it either as it complained about partition errors!

In the end I did a clean install after removing all the partitions.

Then I made a recovery USB from within Windows

 

[pargony]

Re: Windows 10 Bitlocker and Recovery Partitions oddity

So you did a clean install, then made a recovery usb and installed it. Did that make all the recovery partitions that existed before you did anything? And since it's a surface....no disc drive (unfortunately I don't have a usb dvd writer around). I'd like to know I can move the recovery USB files to a dvd via my desktop and not have a USB drive that's now useless.

I had your same idea Just wasn't sure if I was screwed if I delete all the original partitions. I'd like to not brick my surface lol

 

[eusty]

Re: Windows 10 Bitlocker and Recovery Partitions oddity

No I didn't install from the recovery USB, just made one as it will be with Windows 10, the one you download is for 8.1 (although that might change now the SP3 is shipped with W10).

I wasn't concerned about the partitions, more the product key as I hadn't written it down, I called Surface support and they confirmed it was in the UEFI and a clean install would be OK.

Just make the ISO using the tool on the MS website and you are good to go.

 

[Guzzler3]

Re: Windows 10 Bitlocker and Recovery Partitions oddity

If you are doing a clean install of W10 over an old W8.1 drive. You need to tell it to repartition the drive. Otherwise you go into what I call "partition H3LL" and things can go wonky real quick.

On the SP3 during the fresh install, you might get a prompt about needing the recovery key for the partition. Skip over it, since you are blasting everything away. On a reboot, you will get a TPM message saying "press F12" to clear the TPM and continue. Just keep your keyboard attached and then press the FN+PgDn(F12) key.

Edit: You did backup your data before doing all of this, right? Remember repartitioning wipes every file off your drive.

 

[pargony]

Re: Windows 10 Bitlocker and Recovery Partitions oddity

I'm aware of how to repartition drives, I have 2 separate raids 0 configs on my desktop. All I want to know is if I can get the recovery drives back somehow with a windows 10 clean install. I have the 8.1 recovery image...I have a windows 10 iso. But doing a clean install turned off Bit locker. I can turn it back on, but lose access to recovery partition data apparently. No idea why, just what it says when I attempted to enable.

So, if no one knows if I can clean install 10, use the "make a recovery drive" to USB, install the newly made Windows 10 recovery drive (so that it makes all the recovery partitions, THIS I have found 0 information for...seems like it will only "recover" partitions you had already, which is silly. It should make recovery partitions for you imo) and then transfer those files to a DVD later from the desktop I'll probably just use the recovery image of 8.1 and upgrade the damn thing and call it a day.

Thanks for the help everyone, but so far no seems to have tried this themselves.

 

[eusty]

Re: Windows 10 Bitlocker and Recovery Partitions oddity

Strange Bitlocker wasn't turned on after a clean install, as it was on mine?

I can't understand the error as the recovery drive isn't encrypted.

FYI I've taken a screenshot of my drives. On the install I removed all partitions then let it do it's stuff....this is what it did. Never got any TPI messages.