Does Windows Continues Backup if You Lock the Computer

Get the fix to the "The drive where Windows is installed is locked" error that appears on Windows 8, Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 systems.

Contents

1 About "The drive where Windows is installed is locked"
- 1.1 Description and Symptoms
- 1.2 Symptom 1: "The drive where Windows is installed is locked" error screen on startup
2 Causes of this Error
- 2.1 Cause 1: Bitlocker boot agent disabled
- 2.2 Cause 2: The TPM has been cleared or reset
- 2.3 Cause 3: BCD file is damaged
3 Fixing "The drive where Windows is installed is locked" on Windows
- 3.1 Fix #1: Use Easy Recovery Essentials
- 3.2 Fix #2: Run Automatic Repair
- 3.3 Fix #3: Check disk for errors with chkdsk utility
- 3.4 Fix #4: Use bootrec to rebuild the BCD file
- 3.5 Fix #5: Set the correct partition
- 3.6 Fix #5: Refresh the PC
4 More Information
- 4.1 Linked Entries
- 4.2 Support Links
- 4.3 Applicable Systems

About "The drive where Windows is installed is locked"

The following information on this error 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 messages, alerts, warnings, and symptoms below are tied to this error.

Symptom 1: "The drive where Windows is installed is locked" error screen on startup

The screen below is displayed when you attempt to start your PC. Unlike most errors, this error screen isn't identified by 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 error has been known to occur as a result of one of the following causes:

Cause 1: Bitlocker boot agent disabled

The root cause of this issue is due to the usage of Windows Bitlocker encryption. Bitlocker is a whole-disk 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 7, Windows 8, or Windows 10. If this agent is disabled or overwritten, either on purpose, by accident, or due to 3rd party interference such as 3rd party bootloaders or malware infecting the boot process, this error message can appear.

Cause 2: The TPM has been cleared or reset

BitLocker can optionally use a hardware encryption chip found on most modern PCs and laptops known as 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 be cleared and the system will fail to boot.

Cause 3: BCD file is damaged

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

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

Windows Setup CD/DVD Required!
Some of the solutions below require the use of the Microsoft Windows setup CD or DVD. If your PC did not come with a Windows installation disc or if you no longer have your Windows setup media, you can use Easy Recovery Essentials for Windows instead. EasyRE will automatically find and fix many problems, and can also be used to solve this problem with the directions below.

Fix #1: Use Easy Recovery Essentials

Easy Recovery Essentials can fix many errors such as this automatically using its built-in Automated Repair option. EasyRE is currently available for Windows XP, Vista, 7 and 8 and can be downloaded and created on any PC.

Download Easy Recovery Essentials. Make sure to note your Windows version (XP, Vista, 7 or 8) before you download EasyRE. This guide can help you identify what version of Windows you have installed.
Burn the image. Follow these instructions on how to burn the bootable ISO image very carefully, as making a bootable CD can be tricky! Alternatively, these instructions explain how to create a bootable EasyRE recovery USB stick/drive.
Boot up your PC from the Easy Recovery Essentials CD or USB you created.
Once EasyRE is running, choose the "Automated Repair" option and click Continue.

Choose "Automated Repair" in Easy Recovery Essentials
After EasyRE scans your computer's drives, identify and select the drive letter for your Windows installation from the list, and then click on the Automated Repair button to begin.

Choose the drive associated with the Windows installation you're trying to repair.
Easy Recovery Essentials will start analyzing the selected drive for problems. EasyRE will test for and attempt to automatically correct errors with the disk, partition, bootsector, filesystem, bootloader, and registry. No intervention is required, as EasyRE's repair is fully automated:

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

Windows, booting up successfully.

You can download Easy Recovery Essentials from here.

Fix #2: Run Automatic Repair

The Automatic Repair utility, which is available in Windows 8/8.1/10 by default, might fix the "The drive where Windows is installed is locked" error.

To access Automatic Repair on your computer, 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 Fix #1: Use Easy Recovery Essentials
Boot from the media
Click Repair your computer
Navigate to Troubleshoot > Automatic Repair
Continue with the wizard to complete the process

Windows 8 Repair your computer screen

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

Fix #3: Check disk for errors with chkdsk utility

The chkdsk utility will check the integrity of your hard disk. You can try 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, go to Fix #1: Use Easy Recovery Essentials
Click Repair your computer
At the Choose an option screen, click Troubleshoot
Click Advanced options
Click Command Prompt
Type this command:
```
chkdsk C: /f /x /r
```
Where C: is the letter of the drive where Windows 8/8.1/10 is installed on. If your Windows 8 is installed on the D: drive, enter D:
Press Enter

Chkdsk results screen

Fix #4: Use bootrec to rebuild the BCD file

In some cases, the "The drive where Windows is installed is locked" error can appear 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 have the original disc, go to Fix #1: Use Easy Recovery Essentials
At the Install screen, click Repair your computer or press R
Navigate to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Command Prompt
Type this command:
```
bootrec /FixMbr
```
Press Enter
Type this command:
```
bootrec /FixBoot
```
Press Enter
Type this command:
```
bootrec /ScanOs
```
Press Enter
This this command:
```
bootrec /RebuildBcd
```
Press Enter
Remove the installation media from the disc tray or USB port
Type exit
Press Enter
Restart your computer

Bootrec utility results screen

Fix #5: Set the correct partition

If Fix #4: bootrec didn't fixed the "The drive where Windows is installed is locked" error by replacing the boot loader of your Windows 8, you may need to set the correct partition first and then run bootrec again.

To do so, follow these steps:

Boot from the install media as explained in Fix #4: bootrec until you reach Command Prompt
If you don't have the original disc, go to Fix #1: Use Easy Recovery Essentials
When Command Prompt appears, type this command:
```
diskpart
```
Press Enter
Then type:
```
sel disk 0
```
Press Enter
Then type:
```
list vol
```
Press Enter
Check the volume listed by Command Prompt with FAT32 at the Fs column. Once 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 partition. The letter must be unique, e.g. it can't be c::
```
assign letter x:
```
Replace x: from the command 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 drive letter or mount point.
```
Then type:
```
exit
```
Press Enter
Then type:
```
cd /d x:\EFI\Microsoft\Boot
```
Make sure to replace x: with the letter you've assigned earlier.
Press Enter
Then type:
```
bootrec /fixboot
```
Press Enter
Then type:
```
ren BCD BCD.Backup
```
This will create a backup of your current BCD file.
Press Enter
Then type:
```
bcdboot c:\Windows /l en-us /s x: /f ALL
```
Make sure to replace x: with the letter you've assigned earlier.
Press Enter
Remove the install media from the disc tray or USB port
Type:
```
exit
```
Press Enter
Restart the computer

Fix #5: Refresh the PC

You can perform a Refresh of your Windows 8/8.1/10 system.

Refresh acts as a reinstall of your Windows 8 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
Boot from the Windows 8/8.1/10 installation media (the original DVD or USB drive).
If you don't have your original Windows 8 installation media, go to Fix #1: Use Easy Recovery Essentials
Click Repair your computer
Click Troubleshoot and then click Refresh your PC
Follow the wizard instructions to complete the process

Windows 8 Repair your computer screen

More Information

Linked Entries

bootrec
diskpart
chkdsk

Support Links

Easy Recovery Essentials for Windows – our repair and recovery disk.
It's an easy-to-use and automated diagnostics disk. It's available for Windows 8, Windows 7 and Windows Vista. It's also available for Windows XP and Windows Server.

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

Applicable Systems

This Windows-related knowledgebase article applies to the following operating systems:

Windows 8 (all editions)
Windows 8.1 (all editions)
Windows 10 (all editions)

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