What does HRESULT 0x80310038 (FVE_E_FIPS_PREVENTS_EXTERNAL_KEY_EXPORT) mean?

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The Group Policy setting requiring FIPS compliance prevents the recovery password from being saved to Active Directory. When operating in FIPS-compliant mode, BitLocker recovery options can be either a recovery key stored on a USB drive or recovery through a data recovery agent. Check your Group Policy settings configuration.

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FVE_E_FIPS_PREVENTS_RECOVERY_PASSWORD	FVE_E_NOT_DECRYPTED

FVE_E_FIPS_PREVENTS_EXTERNAL_KEY_EXPORT

What BitLocker has already established

At HRESULT 0x80310038, BitLocker has determined that the requested export or escrow path would expose key material in a form disallowed by FIPS policy. The FVE_E_FIPS_PREVENTS_EXTERNAL_KEY_EXPORT code does not by itself say that the volume master key is lost or that user data is corrupt.

Operational boundary: FIPS-restricted key management.

FIPS-restricted operation changes which protector, export and key-derivation paths BitLocker may use. The volume encryption algorithm and the protector workflow are separate layers, so a FIPS-related HRESULT should be traced to the exact protector or key-management call. FIPS mode does not translate into “turn encryption off.” It constrains algorithms and key-handling paths, so the correct remedy is to select a permitted protector and escrow design.

Data to preserve before changing state

Related state to rule out

Do not merge this incident with failure to contact Active Directory or write a USB file; those are destination failures after export is permitted. If both appear with this result in one trace, preserve ordering because the first HRESULT normally identifies the prerequisite that caused later cleanup or fallback messages.

How to retest without losing evidence

Select a permitted recovery design such as a compliant external key or DRA and validate escrow before changing active protectors.

manage-bde -protectors -get C:
gpresult /h bitlocker-policy.html

State checks specific to FVE_E_FIPS_PREVENTS_EXTERNAL_KEY_EXPORT

Stage	How to interpret it
Before the call	Record the target identity and the pre-call FIPS-restricted key management state. The requested export or escrow path would expose key material in a form disallowed by FIPS policy.
At failure	Preserve effective FIPS setting, requested protector/export type, target destination, account context and whether a data recovery agent is configured.

Microsoft references

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