Windows 7 "Re-Locking" a Drive Using BitLocker in Windows 7

[ferguj1]

First a little background. What is BitLocker? From the microsoft website:

How can you help protect your data from loss, theft, or hackers? The answer: BitLocker. If you've got information on your PC that you need to protect, you can help prevent theft or loss by using BitLocker data encryption to put a virtual lock on your files.

Improved for Windows 7 and available in the Ultimate edition, BitLocker helps keep everything from documents to passwords safer by encrypting the entire drive that Windows and your data reside on. Once BitLocker is turned on, any file you save on that drive is encrypted automatically.

The BitLocker setup wizard can be accessed by "Right Clicking" on your drive in the Windows Explorer or My Computer windows.

Alright, fair enough. But here is the problem I have found. When you boot windows and check your drive that you have installed BitLocker on it is locked just as it should be. So you unlock it and go about your business. You finish up and want to go back to protecting your data, but how do you do that. There is no option for this, which I find hard to believe. Someone definitely missed the boat on this one. However, it can be done using a small batch file very easily. So here goes.

First open up Notepad and paste the following:

manage-bde -lock F: -ForceDismount

Making sure to substitute the drive letter of your choosing in place of my "F"

Next we want to save it. Name it however you choose, I went with "Lock" and be sure to put the ".bat" after. Then change the file type to "All Files" prior to clicking the save button. And then be sure to place the file in a directory where you can locate it.

Now if you are running UAC on your PC you will have to take an extra step in order for the process to work it has to be run as an Administrator. This requires creating a shortcut to your new file. Just right click and "Create Shortcut" and put it on your desktop for easy use. Next "Right Click" on the new shortcut icon and select "Properties" and be sure you are on the "Shortcut" tab at the top.

Now click on the "Advanced" button and tick the box for "Run as administrator".

Now test out your new found powers and go on with your life knowing your data is secure.
There may be an easier way of doing this, and if so feel free to post it here. I did find a method for adding this option to the context menu when you "Right Click" on your drive, but as of yet have been able to make it work for me.

 

[RipIt_4]

Thanks for this.

 

[moh]

Thanks for this ferg excellent post easy to follow and very well displayed :)

 

[Linny40]

i cant read this without me galsses on but will say thanks and post to remind me to have a proper look 2mora when i got me glasses

 

[MWillis]

Great fix man. Thanks a ton. Works perfectly.

 

[bstrick]

This is the best and easiest method I have found to Re-Lock a Bitlocker Drive

This is the best and easiest method I have found to Re-Lock a Bitlocker Drive using Windows7 and you do not have to mess around with the registry.
1) Open up note pad by right clicking on it and run it as administrator.
2) Cut and paste or type in the following command: manage-bde -lock x: X would represent the drive you are trying to lock, substitute x with the letter of the drive you are trying to lock.
3) Click “File” and then” Save As” in Note Pad
4) Save As; Lock.bat in C:\windows\system 32. Be sure to change “Save as type” to “all files” before you save.
5) Close Note Pad
6) Go to C:\windows\system 32 and find the file named, “lock.” You can use the windows search feature here to help find it.
7) Right click on “lock” and create a shortcut. Windows will say” that it cannot make a shortcut in system 32 but do you want to move the short cut to the desk top.” Just click yes.
8) A short cut to Lock will be placed on your computers desk top.
9) You must complete this next step in order for the short cut to work. Right click the short cut for “lock” on the desk top and click properties. Click the tab for Short Cut then Advanced and then click the box for” Run as Administrator,” click Ok, Apply and Ok. You now have a short cut that will Re-Lock your Bitlocker drive.
10) To test. Double click on the short cut. Windows will ask “do you want to allow this program access to your computer.” Just click yes and your drive is locked.
11) If you want to get fancy and make your short cut look better on your desk top follow the next couple of steps.
12) Right click on “Lock” scroll down to “rename” and click on it. The word “lock” will now be highlighted and you can type in whatever name you would like. I used “Bitlocker Lock.” Hit enter.
13) Right click on Bitlocker Lock or whatever you named it. Scroll down and click on properties. Click on the tab for “shortcut” and then “change icon”. Use the scroll bar to find an icon you would like to use. I used the one that looks like a set of keys. Click on the icon, click “apply” then “ok.” Now you have a shortcut on your desktop that will relock your Bitlocker Drive and looks kind of cool as well.
14) Good luck.