I'm in a bit of a predicament here. My ASUS ROG laptop automatically upgraded to Windows 11 last year, and it ended up 'bricking' my SSD by doing some BitLocker encryption issue. I had to shell out money to get a new SSD and reinstall Windows 10. I suspect there might be a compatibility problem with my laptop's TPM and Windows 11, but I'm not very tech-savvy. Is there a way I can upgrade to Windows 11 without risking another hard drive disaster, or should I just consider buying a new computer?
5 Answers
If you still have the old SSD, just format it; it might be usable again after the encryption mess. You can also see if there's a Windows update tool still available on Microsoft’s site to upgrade directly to Windows 11 without the hassle.
It's hard to believe BitLocker could break your SSD. Normally, if there's a problem, you should be able to reformat the drive and it would work fine. Can you check your CPU in the task manager? That can give insight into compatibility issues with Windows 11.
Before trying to upgrade, make sure to back up all your data. If you're considering Windows 11, you can download the Microsoft Media Creation Tool to create an ISO file. Then, use Rufus to create a bootable USB drive with it, and you can check an option to bypass Windows 11's checks. Just remember to back up everything first, just in case. Good luck!
Just to clarify for you, BitLocker does not physically damage drives. It’s software, so if you had to replace your SSD, there may have been a different hardware issue at play. Make sure all your important data is backed up to avoid future scares.
You might want to double-check if you actually have the BitLocker recovery key saved somewhere. It doesn’t physically damage your SSD; it just encrypts the drive. If you didn't know how to access the key, that might be what caused the issue. You can decrypt the drive using the recovery key if needed, so it's crucial to have it stored safely.
Thanks for the tip! I never thought of that. I'll look for my recovery key.