the Drive Where Windows Is Installed Is Locked. Unlock the Drive and Try Again.

Get the prepare to the "The bulldoze where Windows is installed is locked" fault that appears on Windows 8, Windows 8.i or Windows 10 systems.

Contents

1 About "The drive where Windows is installed is locked"
- 1.1 Clarification and Symptoms
- 1.2 Symptom one: "The drive where Windows is installed is locked" error screen on startup
2 Causes of this Fault
- 2.1 Cause 1: Bitlocker boot agent disabled
- 2.2 Cause 2: The TPM has been cleared or reset
- 2.three Crusade 3: BCD file is damaged
three Fixing "The drive where Windows is installed is locked" on Windows
- three.ane Fix #1: Use Piece of cake Recovery Essentials
- three.2 Gear up #2: Run Automated Repair
- 3.3 Gear up #three: Bank check deejay for errors with chkdsk utility
- 3.iv Fix #4: Use bootrec to rebuild the BCD file
- 3.5 Set up #5: Set up the correct segmentation
- iii.6 Gear up #v: Refresh the PC
four More Information
- 4.one Linked Entries
- 4.2 Support Links
- 4.3 Applicative Systems

About "The drive where Windows is installed is locked"

The following information on this fault 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.

Description and Symptoms

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

Symptom i: "The drive where Windows is installed is locked" error screen on startup

The screen below is displayed when yous attempt to start your PC. Different almost errors, this mistake screen isn't identified past an error code like the "Your PC needs to be repaired" error:

The drive where windows is installed is locked error screen

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

Causes of this Error

This fault has been known to occur equally a issue of one of the following causes:

Cause 1: Bitlocker kicking amanuensis disabled

The root cause of this upshot is due to the usage of Windows Bitlocker encryption. Bitlocker is a whole-deejay encryption used to secure user data, but 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 vii, Windows 8, or Windows 10. If this agent is disabled or overwritten, either on purpose, by blow, or due to 3rd party interference such as tertiary party bootloaders or malware infecting the boot process, this error message tin can announced.

Crusade two: The TPM has been cleared or reset

BitLocker tin can optionally utilise a hardware encryption chip found on most modernistic PCs and laptops known equally the TPM (Trusted Platform Module) to manage the secret keys used for the encryption of data. If this TPM is cleared or lost, either due to the user clearing the TPM manually in the BIOS/firmware setup or due to a TPM firmware upgrade as part of the system firmware/BIOS upgrade process, the keys the TPM contains may exist cleared and the system will fail to boot.

Crusade 3: BCD file is damaged

The BCD(Kicking Configuration Information) file that contains boot configuration parameters for Windows system, is a very important function of booting process. If that file becomes damaged, then the kick process is halted.

Fixing "The drive where Windows is installed is locked" on Windows

Windows Setup CD/DVD Required!
Some of the solutions below crave the utilize of the Microsoft Windows setup CD or DVD. If your PC did non come with a Windows installation disc or if y'all no longer take your Windows setup media, you lot can apply Easy Recovery Essentials for Windows instead. EasyRE will automatically observe and ready many problems, and can too be used to solve this problem with the directions beneath.

Fix #1: Use Easy Recovery Essentials

Easy Recovery Essentials tin fix many errors such equally this automatically using its built-in Automatic Repair option. EasyRE is currently available for Windows XP, Vista, 7 and viii and can be downloaded and created on any PC.

Download Easy Recovery Essentials. Brand certain to annotation your Windows version (XP, Vista, 7 or eight) before you download EasyRE. This guide can help yous place what version of Windows you accept installed.
Fire the image. Follow these instructions on how to burn the bootable ISO image very advisedly, as making a bootable CD can exist tricky! Alternatively, these instructions explain how to create a bootable EasyRE recovery USB stick/drive.
Boot upward your PC from the Easy Recovery Essentials CD or USB y'all created.
Once EasyRE is running, choose the "Automated Repair" option and click Continue.

Choose "Automated Repair" in Piece of cake Recovery Essentials
After EasyRE scans your computer'southward drives, place and select the bulldoze letter of the alphabet for your Windows installation from the list, and and so click on the Automated Repair push to begin.

Choose the drive associated with the Windows installation you're trying to repair.
Piece of cake Recovery Essentials volition get-go analyzing the selected drive for issues. EasyRE will test for and endeavour to automatically right errors with the disk, partitioning, bootsector, filesystem, bootloader, and registry. No intervention is required, as EasyRE's repair is fully automatic:

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

Windows, booting up successfully.

Y'all can download Easy Recovery Essentials from here.

Gear up #ii: Run Automatic Repair

The Automatic Repair utility, which is available in Windows eight/eight.1/10 by default, might gear up the "The drive where Windows is installed is locked" error.

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

Insert the Windows DVD/USB and reboot the system.
If you don't have your original Windows 8 installation media, go to Prepare #1: Utilize Easy Recovery Essentials
Kicking from the media
Click Repair your figurer
Navigate to Troubleshoot > Automatic Repair
Continue with the magician to complete the process

Windows 8 Repair your computer screen

Windows 8 Repair your calculator screen

If running Automatic Repair didn't fix the error, go to Fix #3: chkdsk to run the chkdsk utility.

Prepare #3: Bank check disk for errors with chkdsk utility

The chkdsk utility will bank check the integrity of your hd. You can attempt 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 you don't have the original install media, get to Gear up #1: Use Easy Recovery Essentials
Click Repair your calculator
At the Choose an option screen, click Troubleshoot
Click Advanced options
Click Command Prompt
Blazon this control:
```
chkdsk C: /f /x /r
```
Where C: is the letter of the alphabet of the drive where Windows 8/8.1/10 is installed on. If your Windows eight is installed on the D: bulldoze, enter D:
Printing Enter

Chkdsk results screen

Fix #4: Utilise bootrec to rebuild the BCD file

In some cases, the "The drive where Windows is installed is locked" fault tin 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 boot from it
If you don't accept the original disc, go to Fix #1: Use Easy Recovery Essentials
At the Install screen, click Repair your estimator or press R
Navigate to Troubleshoot > Avant-garde Options > Control Prompt
Blazon this command:
```
bootrec /FixMbr
```
Printing Enter
Type this control:
```
bootrec /FixBoot
```
Press Enter
Type this control:
```
bootrec /ScanOs
```
Press Enter
This this command:
```
bootrec /RebuildBcd
```
Press Enter
Remove the installation media from the disc tray or USB port
Type get out
Press Enter
Restart your computer

Bootrec utility results screen

Fix #five: Fix the right division

If Ready #4: bootrec didn't stock-still the "The drive where Windows is installed is locked" error by replacing the boot loader of your Windows 8, you may demand to set up the correct partition starting time and then run bootrec again.

To do so, follow these steps:

Boot from the install media as explained in Fix #4: bootrec until you attain Control Prompt
If you don't have the original disc, go to Fix #1: Employ Easy Recovery Essentials
When Control Prompt appears, blazon this command:
```
diskpart
```
Press Enter
Then type:
```
sel deejay 0
```
Press Enter
And then type:
```
list vol
```
Printing Enter
Bank check the volume listed by Command Prompt with FAT32 at the Fs column. One time you identified the volume, type this command:
```
sel vol 2
```
Replace 2 with the volume's number.
Press Enter
You need to assign a new letter to this segmentation. The letter of the alphabet must be unique, e.1000. it tin't be c::
```
assign letter x:
```
Replace x: from the control above with a unique letter for this partition.
Press Enter
Wait for the confirmation message from the diskpart utility to appear:
```
DiskPart successfully assigned the bulldoze letter or mount point.
```
Then type:
```
get out
```
Press Enter
Then type:
```
cd /d x:\EFI\Microsoft\Boot
```
Make sure to supplant ten: with the letter you've assigned earlier.
Press Enter
Then type:
```
bootrec /fixboot
```
Printing Enter
Then type:
```
ren BCD BCD.Backup
```
This will create a fill-in of your current BCD file.
Press Enter
So type:
```
bcdboot c:\Windows /l en-us /s x: /f ALL
```
Make sure to supercede x: with the letter you lot've assigned earlier.
Press Enter
Remove the install media from the disc tray or USB port
Type:
```
get out
```
Press Enter
Restart the computer

Prepare #5: Refresh the PC

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

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

To run Refresh, follow these steps:

Restart your computer
Kick from the Windows 8/viii.1/10 installation media (the original DVD or USB drive).
If you don't have your original Windows 8 installation media, get to Gear up #i: Apply Easy Recovery Essentials
Click Repair your computer
Click Troubleshoot so click Refresh your PC
Follow the magician instructions to consummate the process

Windows 8 Repair your computer screen

More Information

Linked Entries

bootrec
diskpart
chkdsk

Back up Links

Piece of cake Recovery Essentials for Windows – our repair and recovery disk.
Information technology'southward an like shooting fish in a barrel-to-utilize and automated diagnostics disk. It's bachelor for Windows 8, Windows 7 and Windows Vista. It'due south besides bachelor for Windows XP and Windows Server.

Read more at Windows Recovery Disks.
The NeoSmart Support Forums, member-to-member technical support and troubleshooting.
Go a discounted price on replacement setup and installation discs: Windows 8, Windows 10.

Applicable Systems

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

Windows eight (all editions)
Windows viii.1 (all editions)
Windows 10 (all editions)

Propose an edit

briggshaltand.blogspot.com

Source: https://neosmart.net/wiki/the-drive-where-windows-is-installed-is-locked/