How to Enable Vista's Bitlocker Encryption Without a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) Chip

Protect the contents of a whole storage volume with BitLocker encryption.

BitLocker is a full-volume encryption software module distributed by Microsoft as part of the Ultimate and Enterprise editions of the Windows Vista and 7 operating systems. BitLocker encrypts the full contents of a logical volume; a logical volume may consist of part of a hard disk, or span (parts of) multiple hard disks. Some of BitLocker's modes of operation require the computer to have a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chip to store the encryption key used for the logical volume. You can, however, enable BitLocker on your Vista computer even if the computer does not have a TPM module.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

1. Launch the Group Policy utility by clicking "Start," then typing "gpedit.msc" and pressing "Enter."

2. Click "Computer Configuration," then "Administrative Templates," then "Windows Components," then "BitLocker Drive Encryption."

3. Double-click on "Control Panel Setup: Enable Advanced Startup Options."

4. Select "Enabled," then search for the option named "Allow BitLocker Without A Compatible TPM" in the list below. Select the option using the check box on its left. Click "OK."

5. Enable BitLocker on a particular volume by clicking "Start," then "Control Panel." Click "Security," then click "Protect your computer by encrypting data on your disk" under the "BitLocker" heading. Select "PIN" as the authentication choice, type a number of your choice as the encryption passphrase for the whole volume, then click "Next." Select "Run BitLocker System Check checkbox," then click "Continue," then click "Restart Now." Vista restarts and BitLocker encrypts the drive in the background while you continue to use your computer.

References

• Vista Clues; Enable BitLocker Without a TPM; Tony Northrup; Dec. 13, 2010