HRESULT 0x803100A1 (FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PIN

Status / error code:

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Constant name:

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Description:

Please enter the correct current PIN.

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FVE_E_NO_EXISTING_PIN	FVE_E_PIN_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_BY_STD_USER_DISALLOWED

FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PIN_MISMATCH

The failed prerequisite

FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PIN_MISMATCH / 0x803100A1 marks a rejected BitLocker transition: the current PIN supplied to an in-place change operation does not authenticate the existing PIN protector.

For FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PIN_MISMATCH, note: Never capture PINs, passwords or recovery passwords in logs. When diagnosing FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PIN_MISMATCH, remember: IDs, types, policy, call result and attempt counters are sufficient for most diagnosis.

Diagnostic map

Layer	key-protector lifecycle
Proof to collect	protector GUID, operation type, failed-attempt count, policy state and whether the user intended change versus administrator reset
Different condition	invalid characters in the new PIN or a missing PIN protector
First safe change	use the correct current PIN or perform an authorized recovery/reset workflow; do not brute-force repeated changes

For FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PIN_MISMATCH, note: A BitLocker key protector wraps access to the volume master key. When diagnosing FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PIN_MISMATCH, remember: TPM, TPM+PIN, startup key, recovery password, password, certificate and Network Unlock protectors have different volume and policy rules; changing one is not the same as decrypting the volume.

A focused verification sequence

For FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PIN_MISMATCH, record protector GUID, operation type, failed-attempt count, policy state and whether the user intended change versus administrator reset. For FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PIN_MISMATCH, keep the full HRESULT and the first method that returned it because later cleanup calls can report a different state.
For FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PIN_MISMATCH, capture manage-bde -status and 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_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PIN_MISMATCH failure and note the boot session, caller identity and management source; that evidence separates this BitLocker condition from a generic access or storage error.

Recommended operational response

For FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PIN_MISMATCH, use the correct current PIN or perform an authorized recovery/reset workflow; do not brute-force repeated changes.
After correcting the FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PIN_MISMATCH prerequisite, refresh protection, conversion and lock state before one controlled retry; a cached UI message is not proof that the FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PIN_MISMATCH condition is still active.
Before a FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PIN_MISMATCH remediation 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.

manage-bde -protectors -get C:\npowershell -NoProfile -Command "Get-BitLockerVolume C: | Format-List KeyProtector,ProtectionStatus,VolumeStatus"

Interpretation checkpoint

FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PIN_MISMATCH identifies a condition but not every owner of the surrounding state. Preserve the original caller, volume GUID and event sequence so the correction is applied at the right layer.

State checks specific to FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PIN_MISMATCH

Checkpoint	How to interpret it for FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PIN_MISMATCH
Before the call	Record the target identity and the pre-call key-protector lifecycle state. For FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PIN_MISMATCH, the decisive boundary is that the current PIN supplied to an in-place change operation does not authenticate the existing PIN protector.
At failure	Preserve protector GUID, operation type, failed-attempt count, policy state and whether the user intended change versus administrator reset. This proves whether FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PIN_MISMATCH came from BitLocker itself or from a wrapper translating another result.
After correction	Use the correct current PIN or perform an authorized recovery/reset workflow; do not brute-force repeated changes. The FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PIN_MISMATCH request should then advance without removing an unrelated recovery route.
After reboot or remount	Recheck protection, conversion and lock state for FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PIN_MISMATCH; a successful management call is incomplete if the next boot cannot unlock the volume.

Verification after the change

For FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PIN_MISMATCH, success means more than the absence of a dialog. Confirm that the condition represented by FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PIN_MISMATCH 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_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PIN_MISMATCH request advances to another HRESULT, record both values in order because that transition reveals the next unmet prerequisite.

Official references

Reference set for FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PIN_MISMATCH:

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