Hey everyone, I recently built my first PC using parts mostly from Microcenter, and I was super excited for the first boot. However, I'm facing a strange issue. When I turned it on today, I got an error message related to BitLocker. Just to clarify, I don't have an operating system installed yet, so this is my very first boot. The message I encountered is similar to one I found online (you can check it out here: https://imgur.com/a/YY1B6o4).
Since this motherboard is brand new and never opened, I'm wondering if anyone else has encountered this. The error suggests something about BitLocker, which I obviously don't have a key for. If I press "N," I can get into the BIOS, but even saving and exiting there brings me back to the same error screen. I've already contacted ASUS support, but I didn't find their advice helpful, so I'm hoping someone here might know how to resolve this. I really want to avoid taking apart my setup again if it can be fixed without that. Thanks for any suggestions you might have!
5 Answers
Honestly, just hit 'Y'. It's safe to do that since you're just getting started and have no OS on the machine yet. It's more of a warning than a hard stop. You got this!
BitLocker is Microsoft's way of encrypting your data, so it won't be a problem unless you had data already on the drive. Since you're starting fresh with a new build, if you press 'Y' to erase the keys, you can just reinstall Windows without losing anything. Just make sure that's what you want to do!
It sounds like the motherboard might have been paired with another CPU before, which is triggering the BitLocker message. Pressing 'Y' can reset the TPM chip, but be cautious if you had data on a previous system—it would typically be a bad move for that. Just check your manual for any specific reset instructions. It's also worth considering that this could be a returned board that was mislabeled as new.
You should just try hitting 'Y'. It's likely just a prompt telling you that the motherboard recognizes a change in hardware configuration. Since you don't have any data on there yet, it won’t hurt anything. Just confirm, and you should be good to go!
Are you sure? I thought I needed a BitLocker key if it asked for that.
That prompt is basically saying, 'Hey, I noticed some new stuff here, and I just want to confirm about the security settings (TPM) before moving forward.' Just hit 'Y' to proceed with the changes. No big deal!
I was worried about that too! It’s a bummer if it's not actually new.