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> By default, you don't want a hardware failure to make your data irretrievable. Er, what? Of course you do! At least if you've chosen to encrypt it. That's th
by quietbritishjim 3y ago
> By default, you don't want a hardware failure to make your data irretrievable.
Er, what? Of course you do! At least if you've chosen to encrypt it. That's the whole point of doing so! Using Bitlocker is the explicit opt-in.
- masfuerte 3y agoWhen I installed Windows 10 Bitlocker was turned on from the get go. I didn't choose it. Then it grumbled that it was "waiting for activation", which led me to the superuser post I linked to.
- quietbritishjim 3y agoAh ok that's different. Yes you want the computer to be (effectively) unencrypted until you say so, but that should be really clear too.
- mewse-hn 3y agoYep Microsoft has started trying to do bitlocker-by-default, it sits at "waiting for activation" until the user signs into windows with a microsoft account and then it ties the bitlocker to the person's microsoft account. Then an errant bios update can brick the computer. (Please don't) ask me how I know.
- Dalewyn 3y agoWindows 11 (and maybe Windows 10?) default to Bitlocker activated if it realizes it's installed on a laptop or other mobile device. This means it's an opt-out situation and the user probably isn't aware that a boot failure or hardware failure can brick all his data that he really should keep backups of.
- willis936 3y agoIndeed and it's always good practice to keep the key backed up somewhere safe. Often times you need to manually enter the bitlocker key after a hardware change. This is only slightly inconvenient and exactly what should happen. Popular linux distros being behind Windows on this front is one of the key reasons I still daily Windows.