HRESULT 0x803100A3: meaning and diagnosis

Status / error code:

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Constant name:

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Operating System:

Description:

BitLocker has disabled PIN changes after too many failed requests. Click the link to reset the PIN as an administrator.

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FVE_E_PIN_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_BY_STD_USER_DISALLOWED	FVE_E_POLICY_PASSPHRASE_REQUIRES_ASCII

FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_MAX_PIN_CHANGE_ATTEMPTS_REACHED

Where the operation stops

The value 0x803100A3, named FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_MAX_PIN_CHANGE_ATTEMPTS_REACHED, is returned when BitLocker has throttled PIN changes after too many failed current-PIN attempts. For FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_MAX_PIN_CHANGE_ATTEMPTS_REACHED, it belongs to the key-protector lifecycle part of BitLocker rather than to generic file I/O.

For FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_MAX_PIN_CHANGE_ATTEMPTS_REACHED, note: Never capture PINs, passwords or recovery passwords in logs. When diagnosing FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_MAX_PIN_CHANGE_ATTEMPTS_REACHED, remember: IDs, types, policy, call result and attempt counters are sufficient for most diagnosis. For FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_MAX_PIN_CHANGE_ATTEMPTS_REACHED, note: A BitLocker key protector wraps access to the volume master key. When diagnosing FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_MAX_PIN_CHANGE_ATTEMPTS_REACHED, 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.

Question	What to verify
Which object failed?	For `FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_MAX_PIN_CHANGE_ATTEMPTS_REACHED`, the exact volume GUID, protector GUID, certificate or API target supplied by the caller.
Which state matters?	change-attempt timestamps, caller identity, protector GUID, related BitLocker events and whether automated management is repeatedly retrying.
What is the nearest false lead?	TPM anti-hammering during preboot unlock; this counter applies to the PIN-change workflow.

Build a minimal diagnostic record

For FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_MAX_PIN_CHANGE_ATTEMPTS_REACHED, record change-attempt timestamps, caller identity, protector GUID, related BitLocker events and whether automated management is repeatedly retrying. For FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_MAX_PIN_CHANGE_ATTEMPTS_REACHED, 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_MAX_PIN_CHANGE_ATTEMPTS_REACHED, 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_MAX_PIN_CHANGE_ATTEMPTS_REACHED failure and note the boot session, caller identity and management source; that evidence separates this BitLocker condition from a generic access or storage error.

Change only the failed prerequisite

stop retries, use the administrator reset path, and fix any script or user workflow that is submitting stale PIN data. For FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_MAX_PIN_CHANGE_ATTEMPTS_REACHED, collect a fresh state snapshot and issue a single retry from the same management layer.

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

Do not delete all key protectors, clear a TPM, reformat a partition or decrypt the volume as a generic response to FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_MAX_PIN_CHANGE_ATTEMPTS_REACHED; those actions affect different trust layers and can destroy the easiest recovery route.

State checks specific to FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_MAX_PIN_CHANGE_ATTEMPTS_REACHED

Checkpoint	How to interpret it for FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_MAX_PIN_CHANGE_ATTEMPTS_REACHED
Before the call	Record the target identity and the pre-call key-protector lifecycle state. For FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_MAX_PIN_CHANGE_ATTEMPTS_REACHED, the decisive boundary is that BitLocker has throttled PIN changes after too many failed current-PIN attempts.
At failure	Preserve change-attempt timestamps, caller identity, protector GUID, related BitLocker events and whether automated management is repeatedly retrying. This proves whether FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_MAX_PIN_CHANGE_ATTEMPTS_REACHED came from BitLocker itself or from a wrapper translating another result.
After correction	Stop retries, use the administrator reset path, and fix any script or user workflow that is submitting stale PIN data. The FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_MAX_PIN_CHANGE_ATTEMPTS_REACHED 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_MAX_PIN_CHANGE_ATTEMPTS_REACHED; a successful management call is incomplete if the next boot cannot unlock the volume.

Verification after the change

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

Official documentation

Reference set for FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_MAX_PIN_CHANGE_ATTEMPTS_REACHED:

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