HRESULT 0x803100A9: meaning and diagnosis

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Please enter the correct current password.

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FVE_E_NO_EXISTING_PASSPHRASE	FVE_E_PASSPHRASE_TOO_LONG

FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PASSPHRASE_MISMATCH

The exact BitLocker boundary

FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PASSPHRASE_MISMATCH (0x803100A9) identifies the point where the current password supplied for an in-place protector change does not match the existing password protector. For FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PASSPHRASE_MISMATCH, note: A BitLocker key protector wraps access to the volume master key. When diagnosing FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PASSPHRASE_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.

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

Do not confuse it with a nearby failure

Keep this separate from a new password that violates length or complexity policy. For FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PASSPHRASE_MISMATCH, 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_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PASSPHRASE_MISMATCH, record protector GUID, change versus reset path, failed-attempt history, policy result and caller authorization without recording the password. For FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PASSPHRASE_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_PASSPHRASE_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_PASSPHRASE_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.

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

Safe corrective sequence

For FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PASSPHRASE_MISMATCH, use the correct current password or an authorized reset/recovery workflow and stop automated retries with stale credentials.
After correcting the FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PASSPHRASE_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_PASSPHRASE_MISMATCH condition is still active.
Before a FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PASSPHRASE_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.

For FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PASSPHRASE_MISMATCH, 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.

State checks specific to FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PASSPHRASE_MISMATCH

Checkpoint	How to interpret it for FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PASSPHRASE_MISMATCH
Before the call	Record the target identity and the pre-call key-protector lifecycle state. For FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PASSPHRASE_MISMATCH, the decisive boundary is that the current password supplied for an in-place protector change does not match the existing password protector.
At failure	Preserve protector GUID, change versus reset path, failed-attempt history, policy result and caller authorization without recording the password. This proves whether FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PASSPHRASE_MISMATCH came from BitLocker itself or from a wrapper translating another result.
After correction	Use the correct current password or an authorized reset/recovery workflow and stop automated retries with stale credentials. The FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PASSPHRASE_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_PASSPHRASE_MISMATCH; a successful management call is incomplete if the next boot cannot unlock the volume.

Verification after the change

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

References

Reference set for FVE_E_PROTECTOR_CHANGE_PASSPHRASE_MISMATCH:

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