Methods for Restore Encrypted Hard Drive After Formatting?

Nimmi Terance
5 min readDec 18, 2023

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BitLocker-encrypted hard disk data retrieval: how

In a nutshell: This blog post will describe how to restore encrypted hard drive after formatting if the encryption was accidentally destroyed. BLR BitLocker data recovery tool can recover lost data or missing partitions from BitLocker-encrypted hard drives.

Microsoft includes the BitLocker encryption mechanism in Windows, which encrypts whole disks to protect data from unauthorized access. When you activate BitLocker, it encrypts the files and folders on your hard drive, USB flash drive, or SD card.

You may format the encrypted hard drive on occasion, resulting in data loss. It may be difficult to restore encrypted hard drive after formatting. In this post, we’ll go over how to recover data from encrypted BitLocker-formatted hard disks. Windows BLR BitLocker Data Recovery Tool

Accidental Formatting:

Occasionally, while attempting to format another disk, you may mistakenly format a disk containing critical information.
Intentional Formatting: You can’t access data if the file system on a device is set to RAW. In this instance, the only choice is to format the disk. However, formatting may cause data loss.

Virus Infection:

If a virus attacks your hard drive, the data on it may become corrupted or unreadable. The disk may be banned by the computer’s firewall or antivirus software in this situation, requiring you to format it. In some cases, the Windows firewall may erase BitLocker metadata, resulting in data loss.

Methods for Restore Encrypted Hard Drive after Formatting
The following are the methods for disabling BitLocker encryption:

Method 1: Using BitLocker’s Drive Encryption feature

Follow these procedures to decode a BitLocker-encrypted drive:

1.Go to the Start screen.
2.Select the Control Panel.
3.Choose Security and System.
4.Select BitLocker Drive Encryption.
5.Click to decrypt a disk. (With this option, the selected drive is automatically unlocked.)

Method 2: Decrypt using certificates

To decrypt a BitLocker-encrypted drive using certificates, perform the following steps:

[Note: The encrypted hard drive’s certificate is necessary for this.]

  1. Choose Start.
    2.Enter after typing certmgr.msc.
    3.Click to open Certificate Manager.
    4.Choose a Personal File.
    5.Choose All Tasks > Action.
    6.Follow the instructions on the screen and the Certificate Import Wizard.

Method 3 is to use Windows GUI Mode.

Take the steps given below to disable BitLocker encryption.

[Notice: You need administrative rights to disable BitLocker encryption.]

1.Go to Start > Control Panel > System and Security > Encryption to encrypt your BitLocker drive.
2.Locate the BitLocker-encrypted drive and click Turn Off BitLocker.
3.According to the notification, the drive will be decrypted, which may take some time. Select Turn off BitLocker/Decrypt the drive to proceed and disable restore encrypted hard drive after formatting.
4.It may take some time to decrypt the drive and remove BitLocker protection.

Method 4: Decrypt using Windows PowerShell Mode

To disable BitLocker encryption using Windows PowerShell mode, you must first install Windows PowerShell on your PC. Otherwise, go to the Microsoft website and download and install the appropriate version of Windows PowerShell. Take the following steps next:

[Note: If the operating system-containing partition has any automatic unlocking keys, the cmdlet to disable BitLocker encryption will not work. Disabling BitLocker on the partition is as simple as using the Clear-BitLockerAutoUnlock cmdlet in the PowerShell window to delete all entries that automatically unlock the partition.

1.Enter administrator mode and launch PowerShell.
2.PS C:$BLV Get-BitLockerVolume
3.PS C:BitLocker Disable-Mountpoint $BLV
4.Use the following instructions to see if the decryption is proceeding:
5.Execute the directive: PS C: Obtain-BitLockerVolume
6.;Examine the “Volume Status” and “Encryption Percentage” to confirm the decryption status.

Recover Data from a BitLocker-Encrypted Formatted Drive
You must use trustworthy data recovery software, such as BLR BitLocker data recovery tool, to restore encrypted hard drive after formatting The software can restore data from BitLocker-encrypted storage devices that have been deleted, erased, or become unavailable. BLR BitLocker data recovery tool can recover any type of file from a password-protected or encrypted storage device.

To recover data from a formatted hard drive, use professional Windows data recovery software and follow the procedures below:

BLR bitlocker data recovery tool must be installed and activated.

1.From the “Select What to Recover” screen, select the file type you want to recover. Next should be selected.

2.Select the BitLocker-encrypted Windows drive volume. Scan should be selected.

3.From the “Recover From” screen, select the type of device from which the data is to be recovered.

[Note: The software will display a BitLocker password prompt. Enter the password to access and scan the drive. If you forget the BitLocker password, you cannot restore data from encrypted storage media.]

4.View the data in preview after the scan is complete. Choose the files to recover.

5.Find a place to save the files by clicking Browse. (Use an external hard drive to save retrieved data.)

To save the restored data, click Start Saving.

Services for BitLocker Encrypted Hard Drive Recovery
Select a reputable source of data recovery services, like Stellar, if you would prefer the professionals to do the data recovery task for you. BLR BitLocker data recovery tool has the infrastructure and experience needed to handle a variety of data loss scenarios.

BLR BitLocker data recovery tool has effectively retrieved data from many kinds of encrypted hard drives throughout the years. For example, data from an encrypted drive that was physically destroyed and formatted was retrieved by BLR Tools. After evaluating the damaged hard drive, experts start the appropriate data recovery procedure.

They use the steps listed below to retrieve deleted data from a hard drive that has been formatted and secured using BitLocker:

1.To make sure the drive is in operational condition, it is inspected.
2.The hard drive is then imaged in case any sectors are damaged.
3.To decrypt the drive, enter the BitLocker password.
4.A scan of the HDD partitions comes next. Errors can be fixed with the scan.

Following this, every file and folder on the drive is available and can be examined to look for any irregularities.

[Note: To unlock the drive and recover your data, you’ll need an encryption key or password.]

In Summary

This article covers how to restore encrypted hard drive after formatting. Using specialized data recovery software, like BLR BitLocker data recovery tool, is the best method for recovering data from a BitLocker-encrypted device. It is advised to seek assistance from a qualified data recovery service provider who has knowledge and experience handling all types of data loss scenarios if the hard drive is physically damaged.

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