Enable Bitlocker On Unsupported Hardware

Bitlocker is an additional software component that gets distributed with Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate and Enterprise only. It can be used to encrypt full partitions on computer systems but can only be run on supported hardware. Bitlocker by default does require a Trusted Platform Module chip (TPM Chip) that is located on the computer’s motherboard. This chip contains a cryptographic key that Bitlocker uses in the encryption process.

There is however a way to enable Bitlocker encryption even if the computer does not have a TPM chip. The following method will enable Bitlocker and should work in the upcoming Microsoft operating system Windows 7 as well.

• Run [gpedit.msc] by either clicking on the Windows Vista Start Menu button or by using the shortcut [Windows R]. This will open the Group Policy Editor.
• Locate the following menu: Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\BitLocker Drive Encryption
• Enable the Advanced Startup Options by double-clicking on Control Panel Setup to display the advanced options.
• Click on Enabled and check the Allow Bitlocker Without A Compatible TPM Checkbox.

A click on OK will enable Bitlocker on computer systems without Trusted Platform Module chips. It is from then on possible to save the Bitlocker encryption key on an external storage device like an USB stick or Flash memory card. This key is essential for accessing the encrypted partitions. There is no way of accessing the encrypted partition or hard drive if the storage device gets damaged or lost.

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Author: Martin Brinkmann, Sunday March 22, 2009 -
Tags:bitlocker, enable bitlocker, gpedit.msc, tpm, trusted platform module, vista bitlocker, windows 7 bitlocker, windows vista enterprise, windows vista ultimate, windows-vista

Responses so far:

1. Jojo says:

   March 22, 2009 at 10:41 pm

   And if something goes wrong, I’d expect that you would get ZERO help from Microsoft.

   I think I would prefer Truecrypt for this functionality.

   Reply
2. shantanoo says:

   April 1, 2009 at 3:05 pm

   need gpedit tips

   Reply