Enabling BitLocker To Go on removable media

Purpose

To explain the process of enabling BitLocker To Go on removable media such as USB storage drives.

Procedure

When a removable storage device is inserted into an ADKF computer, the system will check if BitLocker is enabled on the device or not. If BitLocker is not enabled, a message will display stating that files cannot be saved to the device until BitLocker is enabled. To enable BitLocker on the device, follow this procedure.

0. If you only wish to view the files, choose ‘Don’t encrypt this drive’. Then open the drive from file explorer as normal.
1. If you are not in an ADKF office, you must be connected to the VPN, NetExtender, before encrypting with BitLocker.
2. Choose ‘Encrypt this drive using BitLocker Drive Encryption’.
   OR
   From the File Explorer, right click on the storage device you want to enable BitLocker on.
   1. Choose ‘Turn on BitLocker

3. After a short initialization, you will be prompted to create a password. This password will be used to unlock the drive when inserted into another computer.
   1. The password must be 8 characters and include 3 of these 4 requirements: Lower case letter; Upper case letter; Number; Special character.
4. The next screen will ask about a backup recovery key.
   1. Do nothing here, choose Next.
5. Leave the default ‘Compatibility mode’ selected and choose Next.
   1. Changing this selection may cause the drive to be unreadable from another computer.
6. Start the encryption on the next page.
   1. The time it takes to finish the encryption depends on the data currently on the drive. Expect 2-3 minutes for an empty drive, or 10-15 minutes for 4 GB of data.
   2. DO NOT REMOVE THE DEVICE WHILE IT IS ENCRYPTING!!!
      1. Doing this can cause the device to corrupt, losing any data it contains.