How To Encrypt Windows 7 Professional

BYTE -- Distressing just true. Your IT guy has to enable BitLocker in Windows 7 before you can use this excellent encryption tool. So talk IT into it. I've included instructions at the finish of this piece in instance you need to help them out a chip.

One time it is enabled, it's time to get going with encrypting your drive. Showtime, find Bitlocker on your PC Windows 7 organisation drive. Right click on the drive and select Turn on BitLocker.

BitLocker will scan your system to make sure the setup process can continue. Information technology might inform y'all that a new arrangement drive will exist created from free infinite on drive C. This is where BitLocker stores its boot-time components . After this is done, reboot.

Adjacent, configure the decryption cardinal. Just plug in a USB drive with the decryption fundamental on it at kicking time. Or supply a Pivot at startup for boosted security.

When you select Require a Startup Key, the system will prompt you to insert a USB flash bulldoze. This will shop the decryption key. It'll also prompt you to salve a separate copy of the recovery fundamental, which you should save to decrypt the bulldoze in the event the Startup cardinal ever gets damaged or goes missing.

TIP: Don't save the recovery fundamental to the aforementioned place equally your Startup key. Information technology's like putting your house and car keys on same ring. Non smart.

Before starting the encryption process, BitLocker will offer to run a organisation cheque. This ensures the Startup central is readable at boot time and that decryption works. The whole procedure shouldn't take more than than a couple of minutes, and I strongly recommend you take it up on its offer.

Note: When your organisation boots with the Startup primal plugged in, a message that says Remove disks or other media could popular upwards. If information technology does, press whatever key to restart.

CAUTION: Do not remove the startup key when you see this message. If yous take the key out at this fourth dimension, the startup bank check volition fail and you'll have to brainstorm again from a much earlier stride. So merely press a key and continue the boot process.

One time the startup check succeeds, BitLocker will begin encrypting the system drive in the background. The encryption process could take several hours. During this time the computer will withal be usable -- and in fact even be suspended, close down or restarted.

That said, the system will be slower respond while it encrypts the organization drive. Don't look to become a great deal done at this fourth dimension.

If you double-click on the tray icon for BitLocker, you can run across a progress window for the encryption process.

Drives encrypted by BitLocker will have a lock icon. Note that only the organisation drive has been protected. Discover the other drives in this system, which are for such auxiliary user data as downloads, are non encrypted. You'll have to encrypt them manually.

Recollect, BitLocker is included in most versions of Windows, just not in home versions. You'll accept to seek another solution, like TrueCrypt.

Enjoy your newly secure boot bulldoze.

As promised at the beginning, your system administrator will have enable BitLocker in Windows. Here's a guide you can show them to help them figure that out.

FOR ADMINISTRATORS: If y'all've got BitLocker up and visible on your organisation drive, just jump ahead to the configure process. Launch gpedit.msc by typing that command in the Starting time Menu's Search box and pressing Enter.

Navigate to Local Computer Policy >> Computer Configuration >> Authoritative Templates >> Windows Components >> BitLocker Drive Encryption >> Operating System. Here is what you'll run into.

Double-click on Crave boosted authentication at startup and select Enabled. Then check this: Allow BitLocker without a compatible TPM. The other options should each exist fix to Let. Click OK and shut the Group Policy Editor.