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FVE_E_BAD_DATA
The exact BitLocker condition
FVE_E_BAD_DATA (0x80310016) identifies the point where BitLocker metadata or a management input was parsed but failed structural validation. The BitLocker provider tracks encryption conversion, protection, lock state, metadata version, filesystem geometry and outstanding volume use independently. Two volumes can both appear “encrypted” in a UI while being in very different states for a management API.
Conversion status and protection status answer different questions: sectors can be encrypted while protectors are suspended, and a fully decrypted volume can still contain stale management context in a caller.
Do not confuse it with a nearby failure
Keep this separate from a locked volume or an incorrect recovery secret, which fail at access or authentication rather than data validation. 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
- Record the exact API method, input buffer length, volume metadata version, first failing offset and whether another BitLocker tool can read the same volume.
manage-bde -status
powershell -NoProfile -Command "Get-BitLockerVolume | Format-List *"Validate structure before attempting recovery
This result is deliberately broader than an authentication failure: BitLocker received bytes or metadata but could not accept their internal structure. The first question is which object was being parsed—volume metadata, a key package, a protector blob or caller-supplied management data. Record that object and the exact read-only method that first rejected it.
A successful filesystem mount does not validate BitLocker metadata, and a failed recovery password does not prove structural corruption. Preserve the disk image or metadata evidence before any operation that rewrites headers.
State checks specific to FVE_E_BAD_DATA
| Stage | How to interpret it |
|---|---|
| Before the call | Record the target identity and the pre-call volume state and geometry state. BitLocker metadata or a management input was parsed but failed structural validation. |
| At failure | Preserve the exact API method, input buffer length, volume metadata version, first failing offset and whether another BitLocker tool can read the same volume. |
| After correction | Stop writes to the affected volume, preserve recovery material, and reproduce the failure with a read-only status query before attempting repair. |
References
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