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FVE_E_RECOVERY_PARTITION
The exact BitLocker boundary
FVE_E_RECOVERY_PARTITION (0x80310082) identifies the point where the selected partition is reserved for Windows recovery and is excluded from BitLocker encryption as a normal data volume. For FVE_E_RECOVERY_PARTITION, note: The BitLocker provider tracks encryption conversion, protection, lock state, metadata version, filesystem geometry and outstanding volume use independently. When diagnosing FVE_E_RECOVERY_PARTITION, remember: Two volumes can both appear “encrypted” in a UI while being in very different states for a management API.
For FVE_E_RECOVERY_PARTITION, note: Use the volume GUID and current storage topology as the stable identity. When diagnosing FVE_E_RECOVERY_PARTITION, remember: Drive letters, mount points and cluster paths are presentation details and can point to the wrong object during recovery.
Do not confuse it with a nearby failure
Keep this separate from an unmounted user data volume or the system partition; recovery-partition identity comes from layout and role metadata. For FVE_E_RECOVERY_PARTITION, that distinction determines whether the next check belongs to policy, protector inventory, volume geometry, firmware, account escrow or the calling application's buffer contract.
Evidence that distinguishes the condition
- For
FVE_E_RECOVERY_PARTITION, record partition type GUID, WinRE registration, reagentc output, volume label and the device identifier passed to BitLocker. ForFVE_E_RECOVERY_PARTITION, keep the full HRESULT and the first method that returned it because later cleanup calls can report a different state. - For
FVE_E_RECOVERY_PARTITION, capturemanage-bde -statusand the protector inventory for the exact volume GUID, not only the drive letter, because letters can change in WinRE, clusters and deployment environments. - Export BitLocker operational events for the
FVE_E_RECOVERY_PARTITIONfailure and note the boot session, caller identity and management source; that evidence separates this BitLocker condition from a generic access or storage error.
manage-bde -status
powershell -NoProfile -Command "Get-BitLockerVolume | Format-List *"
Safe corrective sequence
- For
FVE_E_RECOVERY_PARTITION, target the intended OS or data volume and leave the registered recovery partition unchanged unless performing a supported WinRE redesign. - After correcting the
FVE_E_RECOVERY_PARTITIONprerequisite, refresh protection, conversion and lock state before one controlled retry; a cached UI message is not proof that theFVE_E_RECOVERY_PARTITIONcondition is still active. - Before a
FVE_E_RECOVERY_PARTITIONremediation deletes protectors, changes firmware mode, resizes partitions or decrypts a production drive, verify that an independent recovery method is available and escrowed in the intended directory or account.
For FVE_E_RECOVERY_PARTITION, the boundary above identifies which BitLocker state must change before a retry can be meaningful; repeating the call without changing that state only adds noise.
Confirm the partition role through WinRE registration
A recovery partition commonly has no drive letter and uses a dedicated GPT type, but those clues alone are not sufficient. Compare the partition identifier with reagentc /info, the current WinRE location and the deployment layout. Selecting the wrong small partition can produce this result even when the intended data volume is eligible.
Leave the registered recovery partition outside ordinary data-volume encryption. If the recovery layout must change, disable and re-register WinRE through a documented deployment procedure before resizing or replacing partitions.
State checks specific to FVE_E_RECOVERY_PARTITION
| Checkpoint | How to interpret it for FVE_E_RECOVERY_PARTITION |
|---|---|
| Before the call | Record the target identity and the pre-call volume state and geometry state. For FVE_E_RECOVERY_PARTITION, the decisive boundary is that the selected partition is reserved for Windows recovery and is excluded from BitLocker encryption as a normal data volume. |
| At failure | Preserve partition type GUID, WinRE registration, reagentc output, volume label and the device identifier passed to BitLocker. This proves whether FVE_E_RECOVERY_PARTITION came from BitLocker itself or from a wrapper translating another result. |
| After correction | Target the intended OS or data volume and leave the registered recovery partition unchanged unless performing a supported WinRE redesign. The FVE_E_RECOVERY_PARTITION request should then advance without removing an unrelated recovery route. |
| After reboot or remount | Recheck protection, conversion and lock state for FVE_E_RECOVERY_PARTITION; a successful management call is incomplete if the next boot cannot unlock the volume. |
Verification after the change
For FVE_E_RECOVERY_PARTITION, success means more than the absence of a dialog. Confirm that the condition represented by FVE_E_RECOVERY_PARTITION now matches the intended design, that the protector inventory has not lost an independent recovery route, and that the next reboot or remount can unlock the volume. If the FVE_E_RECOVERY_PARTITION request advances to another HRESULT, record both values in order because that transition reveals the next unmet prerequisite.
References
Reference set for FVE_E_RECOVERY_PARTITION:
- Microsoft: GetConversionStatus method
- Microsoft: GetLockStatus method
- Microsoft: BitLocker operations guide
- Microsoft: manage-bde status
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