Submit an edit

Get the fix to the <strong>"The drive where Windows is installed is locked"</strong> error that appears on <strong>Windows 8, Windows 8.1</strong> or <strong>Windows 10</strong> systems.
<h2>About "The drive where Windows is installed is locked"</h2>
[kbintro]
<h3><span id="Description_and_Symptoms">Description and Symptoms</span></h3>
The error messages, alerts, warnings, and symptoms below are tied to this error.
<h3>Symptom 1: "The drive where Windows is installed is locked" error screen on startup</h3>
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 <a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/your-pc-needs-to-be-repaired/">"Your PC needs to be repaired"</a> error:

<a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/01/the-drive-where-windows-is-installed-is-locked.jpg"><img class="alignnone wp-image-2968 size-full" src="https://neosmart.net/wiki/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/01/the-drive-where-windows-is-installed-is-locked.jpg" alt="The drive where windows is installed is locked error screen" width="980" height="380" /></a>
<pre>Refresh your PC

The drive where Windows is installed is locked. Unlock the drive and try again.

Cancel</pre>
<h2>Causes of this Error</h2>
This error has been known to occur as a result of one of the following causes:
<h3>Cause 1: Bitlocker boot agent disabled</h3>
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.
<h3>Cause 2: The TPM has been cleared or reset</h3>
BitLocker can optionally use a hardware encryption chip found on most modern PCs and laptops known as the TPM (<em>Trusted Platform Module</em>) 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.
<h3>Cause 3: BCD file is damaged</h3>
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.
<h2><span id="Fixing_8220Fatal_INT18_Boot_failure8221_on_Windows">Fixing “The drive where Windows is installed is locked” on Windows</span></h2>
[setupcd]
<h3>Fix #1: Use Easy Recovery Essentials</h3>
[easyre error="The drive where Windows is installed is locked" bootscreen="8"]
<h3>Fix #2: Run Automatic Repair</h3>
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:
<ol>
 	<li>Insert the Windows DVD/USB and reboot the system.
<p class="info">If you don't have your original Windows 8 installation media, go to <a href="#Fix_1_Use_Easy_Recovery_Essentials">Fix #1: Use Easy Recovery Essentials</a></p>
</li>
 	<li>Boot from the media</li>
 	<li>Click <strong>Repair your computer</strong></li>
 	<li>Navigate to <strong>Troubleshoot</strong> &gt; <strong>Automatic Repair</strong></li>
 	<li>Continue with the wizard to complete the process</li>
</ol>
[caption id="attachment_4485" align="alignnone" width="610"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/01/windows-8-repair-your-computer-screen.png"><img class="wp-image-4485 size-full" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/01/windows-8-repair-your-computer-screen.png" alt="Windows 8 Repair your computer screen" width="610" height="430" /></a> Windows 8 Repair your computer screen[/caption]

If running Automatic Repair didn't fix the error, go to <a href="#Fix_3_chkdsk">Fix #3: chkdsk</a> to run the <code>chkdsk</code> utility.
<h3>Fix #3: Check disk for errors with chkdsk utility</h3>
The <code>chkdsk</code> 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 <code>chkdsk /r</code> command.

To do so, follow these steps to access <code>chkdsk</code>:
<ol>
 	<li>Restart the computer with the original installation media (that's either the DVD or the USB flash drive)
<p class="info">If you don't have the original install media, go to <a href="#Fix_1_Use_Easy_Recovery_Essentials">Fix #1: Use Easy Recovery Essentials</a></p>
</li>
 	<li>Click <strong>Repair your computer</strong></li>
 	<li>At the <em>Choose an option</em> screen, click <strong>Troubleshoot</strong></li>
 	<li>Click <strong>Advanced options</strong></li>
 	<li>Click <strong>Command Prompt</strong></li>
 	<li>Type this command:
<pre>chkdsk C: /f /x /r</pre>
Where <code>C:</code> is the letter of the drive where Windows 8/8.1/10 is installed on. If your Windows 8 is installed on the <code>D:</code> drive, enter <code>D:</code></li>
 	<li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li>
</ol>
[caption id="attachment_4482" align="alignnone" width="980"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/01/chkdsk.png"><img class="wp-image-4482 size-large" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/01/chkdsk-1024x768.png" alt="Chkdsk results screen" width="980" height="735" /></a> Chkdsk results screen[/caption]
<h3>Fix #4: Use bootrec to rebuild the BCD file</h3>
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:
<ol>
 	<li>Insert the installation media and boot from it
<p class="info">If you don't have the original disc, go to <a href="#Fix_1_Use_Easy_Recovery_Essentials">Fix #1: Use Easy Recovery Essentials</a></p>
</li>
 	<li>At the <em>Install</em> screen, click <strong>Repair your computer</strong> or press <kbd>R</kbd></li>
 	<li>Navigate to Troubleshoot &gt; Advanced Options &gt; <strong>Command Prompt</strong></li>
 	<li>Type this command:
<pre>bootrec /FixMbr</pre>
</li>
 	<li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li>
 	<li>Type this command:
<pre>bootrec /FixBoot</pre>
</li>
 	<li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li>
 	<li>Type this command:
<pre>bootrec /ScanOs</pre>
</li>
 	<li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li>
 	<li>This this command:
<pre>bootrec /RebuildBcd</pre>
</li>
 	<li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li>
 	<li>Remove the installation media from the disc tray or USB port</li>
 	<li>Type <code>exit</code></li>
 	<li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li>
 	<li>Restart your computer</li>
</ol>
[caption id="attachment_4483" align="alignnone" width="980"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/01/bootrec.png"><img class="wp-image-4483 size-large" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/01/bootrec-1024x768.png" alt="Bootrec utility results screen" width="980" height="735" /></a> Bootrec utility results screen[/caption]
<h3>Fix #5: Set the correct partition</h3>
If <a href="#Fix_4_bootrec">Fix #4: bootrec</a> 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 <code>bootrec</code> again.

To do so, follow these steps:
<ol>
 	<li>Boot from the install media as explained in <a href="#Fix_4_bootrec">Fix #4: bootrec</a> until you reach Command Prompt
<p class="info">If you don't have the original disc, go to <a href="#Fix_1_Use_Easy_Recovery_Essentials">Fix #1: Use Easy Recovery Essentials</a></p>
</li>
 	<li>When Command Prompt appears, type this command:
<pre>diskpart</pre>
</li>
 	<li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li>
 	<li>Then type:
<pre>sel disk 0</pre>
</li>
 	<li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li>
 	<li>Then type:
<pre>list vol</pre>
</li>
 	<li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li>
 	<li>Check the volume listed by Command Prompt with <strong>FAT32</strong> at the <strong>Fs</strong> column. Once you identified the volume, type this command:
<pre>sel vol 2</pre>
Replace <code>2</code> with the volume's number.</li>
 	<li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li>
 	<li>You need to assign a new letter to this partition. The letter must be unique, e.g. it can't be <code>c:</code>:
<pre>assign letter x:</pre>
Replace <code>x:</code> from the command above with a unique letter for this partition.</li>
 	<li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li>
 	<li>Wait for the confirmation message from the <code>diskpart</code> utility to appear:
<pre>DiskPart successfully assigned the drive letter or mount point.</pre>
</li>
 	<li>Then type:
<pre>exit</pre>
</li>
 	<li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li>
 	<li>Then type:
<pre>cd /d x:\EFI\Microsoft\Boot</pre>
Make sure to replace <code>x:</code> with the letter you've assigned earlier.</li>
 	<li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li>
 	<li>Then type:
<pre>bootrec /fixboot</pre>
</li>
 	<li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li>
 	<li>Then type:
<pre>ren BCD BCD.Backup</pre>
This will create a backup of your current BCD file.</li>
 	<li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li>
 	<li>Then type:
<pre>bcdboot c:\Windows /l en-us /s x: /f ALL</pre>
Make sure to replace <code>x:</code> with the letter you've assigned earlier.</li>
 	<li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li>
 	<li>Remove the install media from the disc tray or USB port</li>
 	<li>Type:
<pre>exit</pre>
</li>
 	<li>Press <kbd>Enter</kbd></li>
 	<li>Restart the computer</li>
</ol>
<h3>Fix #5: Refresh the PC</h3>
You can perform a <strong>Refresh</strong> 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:
<ol>
 	<li>Restart your computer</li>
 	<li>Boot from the Windows 8/8.1/10 installation media (the original DVD or USB drive).
<p class="info">If you don't have your original Windows 8 installation media, go to <a href="#Fix_1_Use_Easy_Recovery_Essentials">Fix #1: Use Easy Recovery Essentials</a></p>
</li>
 	<li>Click <strong>Repair your computer</strong></li>
 	<li>Click <strong>Troubleshoot</strong> and then click <strong>Refresh your PC</strong></li>
 	<li>Follow the wizard instructions to complete the process</li>
</ol>
[caption id="attachment_4486" align="alignnone" width="610"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/01/windows-8-repair-your-computer-screen1.png"><img class="wp-image-4486 size-full" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/01/windows-8-repair-your-computer-screen1.png" alt="Windows 8 Repair your computer screen" width="610" height="430" /></a> Windows 8 Repair your computer screen[/caption]
<h2>More Information</h2>
<h3>Linked Entries</h3>
<ul>
 	<li><a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/bootrec/">bootrec</a></li>
 	<li><a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/diskpart/">diskpart</a></li>
 	<li><a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/chkdsk/">chkdsk</a></li>
</ul>
[partial name="partial_moreinfo" versions="8,8.1,10"]