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firmware update & bitlocker

walkalone
Level 7

I have a computer with ASUS TUF X470-PLUS motherboard.  The OS is Windows 10 Pro, and I have a drive being encrypted with bitlocker.  Is there a standard procedure to update the firmware without causing issues with bitlocker?

Dell or HP seems to have come out with firmware versions that don't require fiddling with bitlocker prior to firmware update. 

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6 REPLIES 6

Jiaszzz_ROG
Customer Service Agent

Hello, @walkalone 

May I inquire about which device's firmware update you wish to confirm? Or are you referring to the BIOS update?
Did you encounter any issues during the update process?
Could you please provide your current BIOS version and a more detailed description of the situation or BitLocker?

Thank you.

Due to the local holidays, my responses may be slightly delayed.
For any urgent cases, we recommend reaching out to your local service center for further assistance. Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding.

walkalone
Level 7

Yes, I am talking about BIOS update of the motherboard.  Motherboard is ASUS TUF X470-PLUS GAMING.  BIOS version is 6063.

My PC has multiple internal drives.  One of them, which is not the boot drive, is using BitLocker.  I have seen a lot of warnings of doing BIOS update while a drive is using bitlocker.  So, I am asking ASUS or users of ASUS products whether I need take some action before performing BIOS update.  To give you more detail, I have a RAID 1 array with two SATA hard disk drives that are connected to the SATA ports of the motherboard whose SATA ports are configured for RAID, and the whole array is used for a partition, and bitlocker is being used on it.

Jiaszzz_ROG
Customer Service Agent

Hello, @walkalone 

Thank you for the detail provided.
Could you please specify what hardware changes or BIOS feature requirements necessitate the need for a BIOS update?
Generally, BIOS updates do not affect RAID and Bitlocker unless a CPU replacement is involved, which may impact Bitlocker.
However, after completing the update, you can verify the RAID options and Bitlocker settings.
Additionally, please be reminded that updating the BIOS carries the risk of boot failure, thus, kindly back up your data before proceeding with the update.

Thank you.

Due to the local holidays, my responses may be slightly delayed.
For any urgent cases, we recommend reaching out to your local service center for further assistance. Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding.

What about this message in the picture below?  By the way, I don't have any problem with the computer.  I sometimes notice that release note for new BIOS states that the new BIOS improves the stability of the system, and that is normally the main reason why I update BIOS.  

walkalone_0-1713413709915.png

 

inge70
Level 13

When updating the BIOS/UEFI, everything is reset after the update. In other words, the settings were reset.

If you now actively use Bitlocker, the key in the TPM will also be reset. You may then be unlucky in that the drive can no longer be decrypted once the key has been stored in the TPM.

That's why you should deactivate Bitlocker BEFORE the BIOS/UEFI update.
This is also what it says in the warning before the update.
I wouldn't test around here and simply deactivate Bitlocker in order to be able to apply the update, but you can try it.

Make a backup of the data (without Bitlocker) and then activate Bitlocker again and test whether you can still access your data after the update despite Bitlocker being active.

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Thanks for input.  Until now, I have been decrypting prior to BIOS update.  However, it just takes too much time.  When the amount of info and drive size is big, it takes a while.  So, I thought it would be nice if I didn't have to worry about bitlocker giving me trouble after BIOS update.  Advice of backup is good one, but it also take a while.