HRESULT 0x803100CC (FVE_E_INVALID_PIN_CHARS

Status / error code:

Category:

Constant name:

Source:

Facility:

Operating System:

Description:

Your PIN can only contain numbers from 0 to 9.

Previous	Next
FVE_E_DE_PROTECTION_NOT_YET_ENABLED	FVE_E_DEVICE_LOCKOUT_COUNTER_UNAVAILABLE

FVE_E_INVALID_PIN_CHARS_DETAILED

Read this as a state-machine result

FVE_E_INVALID_PIN_CHARS_DETAILED is a BitLocker facility HRESULT, not a Win32 filesystem error wrapped by an application. In this case the proposed PIN includes something other than decimal digits 0 through 9 in a numeric-only PIN path.

Note: A BitLocker key protector wraps access to the volume master key. When diagnosing this result, 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.

What the code does not prove

The closest misleading interpretation is the broader enhanced-PIN compatibility error, which can arise even when characters are allowed by one policy layer. Verify the returning method and state transition before assigning the incident to disk corruption, TPM failure or bad credentials.

Inspect the target, not just the message

record PIN policy, enhanced-PIN setting, input method and keyboard layout without recording the PIN itself. Keep the full HRESULT and the first method that returned it because later cleanup calls can report a different state.
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 result failure and note the boot session, caller identity and management source; that evidence separates this BitLocker condition from a generic access or storage error.

Note: A change operation authenticates the old protector and creates replacement wrapping data. When diagnosing this result, remember: An administrator reset follows a different trust path, which is why change and reset errors must not be merged.

A low-risk recovery path

enter digits only or enable and validate enhanced PIN support consistently across policy and preboot firmware.
After correcting the result prerequisite, refresh protection, conversion and lock state before one controlled retry; a cached UI message is not proof that the condition is still active.
Before a this result 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"

Result Interpretation

After correction, compare the new conversion, protection and lock state with the original snapshot. A different HRESULT after this result is useful because it means the request crossed this boundary and reached the next prerequisite.

This path accepts decimal digits only

The detailed variant is useful because it narrows the validation result to characters outside 0 through 9. It can be produced by pasted whitespace, locale-specific digits or punctuation as well as visible letters. Count and classify input characters without recording the secret itself.

If enhanced PINs are desired, verify the corresponding policy and preboot keyboard support before retrying. Otherwise, use an ASCII numeric PIN and confirm the management tool does not append hidden line endings.

State checks specific to it

Checkpoint	How to interpret it for it
Before the call	Record the target identity and the pre-call key-protector lifecycle state. The decisive boundary is that the proposed PIN includes something other than decimal digits 0 through 9 in a numeric-only PIN path.
At failure	Preserve PIN policy, enhanced-PIN setting, input method and keyboard layout without recording the PIN itself. This proves whether it came from BitLocker itself or from a wrapper translating another result.
After correction	Enter digits only or enable and validate enhanced PIN support consistently across policy and preboot firmware. The request should then advance without removing an unrelated recovery route.
After reboot or remount	Recheck protection, conversion and lock state for it; a successful management call is incomplete if the next boot cannot unlock the volume.

Verification after the change

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

References

Reference set for it:

Looking for a different code? Search another status or error code.