What does HRESULT 0x8031006C (FVE_E_FIPS_PREVENTS_PASSPHRASE) mean?

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The Group Policy setting requiring FIPS compliance prevents passwords from being generated or used. Please contact your system administrator for more information.

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FVE_E_POLICY_PASSPHRASE_REQUIRED	FVE_E_OS_VOLUME_PASSPHRASE_NOT_ALLOWED

FVE_E_FIPS_PREVENTS_PASSPHRASE

Where the operation stops

The value 0x8031006C, named FVE_E_FIPS_PREVENTS_PASSPHRASE, is returned when FIPS-restricted policy disallows the password/passphrase protector path requested for the volume. It belongs to the FIPS-restricted key management part of BitLocker rather than to generic file I/O.

Note: 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. Note: FIPS-restricted operation changes which protector, export and key-derivation paths BitLocker may use. When diagnosing this result, remember: 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.

Question	What to verify
Which object failed?	The exact volume GUID, protector GUID, certificate or API target supplied by the caller.
Which state matters?	FIPS state, drive type, effective password-protector policy, existing protectors and the exact add/change method.
What is the nearest false lead?	a password that is too long, too simple or typed incorrectly; those validations occur only when password protectors are allowed.

Build a minimal diagnostic record

record FIPS state, drive type, effective password-protector policy, existing protectors and the exact add/change method. 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.

Change only the failed prerequisite

select a compliant recovery or certificate-based design instead of weakening validation or storing an unapproved passphrase. Collect a fresh state snapshot and issue a single retry from the same management layer.

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

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

State checks specific to the result

Checkpoint	How to interpret it for it
Before the call	Record the target identity and the pre-call FIPS-restricted key management state. The decisive boundary is that FIPS-restricted policy disallows the password/passphrase protector path requested for the volume.
At failure	Preserve FIPS state, drive type, effective password-protector policy, existing protectors and the exact add/change method. This proves whether this result came from BitLocker itself or from a wrapper translating another result.
After correction	Select a compliant recovery or certificate-based design instead of weakening validation or storing an unapproved passphrase. 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 this result 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.

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