DFW Computer Integration

The latest update to Windows 11 enables Bitlocker

That’s a good thing, right?

Well… Yes and No.

Yes if you work for DOD. But then you already have encryption.

And definitely NO if you didn’t copy, save and PRINT OUT the 48 character encryption key.

Because if / when you need to reinstall Windows, you won’t be able to do it without the key.

You will also lose all your data.

Micro$oft’s heavy-handed update 24H2 now enables Bitlocker when the update is applied. And if you don’t record the 48 character encryption hey immediately, SAVE it on a USB drive AND print it out, you could lose everything. It is happening to people every single day.

Forever.

And here’s the thing. You very likely do NOT need encryption. Almost no one does. Unless you have a lot of very sensitive data belonging to OTHER people and they are counting on you to keep that data safe. Or if if you are a private investigator. Or an attorney. Or you work for the DOD. Then you most certainly will benefit from encryption. But you should ALSO have an iron-clad offsite backup as well.

If you have a computer crash with Bitlocker enabled, it is very likely you will not recover your data without the encryption key.

Also… Bitlocker doesn’t just stop at encrypting your boot drive. It also encrypts any drive attached to your computer. This includes USB sticks for backing up Quicken / Quickbooks or copying data from one computer to another. It also encrypts any external backup drives that may be attached.

To check your computer to find out if Bitlocker is enabled, Click on the Windows icon and type ‘bitlocker’ in the search field. Select Manage Bitlocker. Select Back up your recovery key. Microsoft gives you the option of backing it up to the cloud, a USB flash drive, Microsoft account, a file or printing out the key. We recommend both a file and a printout. Store both in a fireproof safe. Keep one on your phone. Make sure you can get to the key in more than one way. Redundancy is a good idea.

If you find this annoying “feature” enabled, immediately log in to your Micro$oft account, locate your key and print it out. Go to aka.ms/myrecoverykey

I suspect Micro$oft will roll back this function after a class action suit clobbers them for the losses to their users over this debacle. This is a VERY bad idea. Whoever thought this up should be fired.