Q. I want to enable BitLocker on a Windows Server 2008 or Windows Vista system, but what if I didn’t create a separate system partition when I installed the OS?

If you don’t create the 1.5GB boot partition but want to enable BitLocker, you need to manipulate your disk layout.

First, you need to create the partition that will become the boot partition. If you have unpartitioned space on the disk, simply create a new 1.5GB partition. If you don't have 1.5GB of space to spare, you can use the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) Disk Management snap-in to shrink an existing partition: Select the Shrink Volume option and specify the amount of space to shrink (e.g., 1500MB).

Next, you need to boot the machine from the Server 2008 or Vista DVD-ROM. Select the Repair Computer option, then select the Command Prompt option after selecting your Windows installation.

Now you need to verify the partitions. The C partition should be the OS’s system partition, and the D partition should be the new 1.5GB BitLocker partition. However, be sure to change to each drive so that you know for sure. In this example, C is the system partition and D will be the boot partition.

Copy the content of the boot folder to the new boot partition.

xcopy c:\boot d:\boot /h /e
Does D:\boot specify a file name
or directory name on the target
(F = file, D = directory)? d

Notice that the system asks you to confirm whether the target is a file or directory. Select D for directory.

C:\boot\BCD
C:\boot\BCD.LOG
C:\boot\BCD.LOG1
C:\boot\BCD.LOG2
C:\boot\bootstat.dat
C:\boot\memtest.exe
C:\boot\cs-CZ\bootmgr.exe.mui
C:\boot\da-DK\bootmgr.exe.mui
C:\boot\de-DE\bootmgr.exe.mui
C:\boot\el-GR\bootmgr.exe.mui
C:\boot\en-US\bootmgr.exe.mui
C:\boot\en-US\memtest.exe.mui
C:\boot\es-ES\bootmgr.exe.mui
C:\boot\fi-FI\bootmgr.exe.mui
C:\boot\Fonts\chs_boot.ttf
C:\boot\Fonts\cht_boot.ttf
C:\boot\Fonts\jpn_boot.ttf
C:\boot\Fonts\kor_boot.ttf
C:\boot\Fonts\wgl4_boot.ttf
C:\boot\fr-FR\bootmgr.exe.mui
C:\boot\hu-HU\bootmgr.exe.mui
C:\boot\it-IT\bootmgr.exe.mui
C:\boot\ja-JP\bootmgr.exe.mui
C:\boot\ko-KR\bootmgr.exe.mui
C:\boot\nb-NO\bootmgr.exe.mui
C:\boot\nl-NL\bootmgr.exe.mui
C:\boot\pl-PL\bootmgr.exe.mui
C:\boot\pt-BR\bootmgr.exe.mui
C:\boot\pt-PT\bootmgr.exe.mui
C:\boot\ru-RU\bootmgr.exe.mui
C:\boot\sv-SE\bootmgr.exe.mui
C:\boot\tr-TR\bootmgr.exe.mui
C:\boot\zh-CN\bootmgr.exe.mui
C:\boot\zh-HK\bootmgr.exe.mui
C:\boot\zh-TW\bootmgr.exe.mui
35 File(s) copied

Next, copy the bootmgr file. Again, the system asks you whether the target is a file or directory. This time, select F for file.

xcopy c:\bootmgr d:\bootmgr /h
Does D:\bootmgr specify a file name
or directory name on the target
(F = file, D = directory)? f

C:\bootmgr
1 File(s) copied

Now, using the Diskpart utility, set the 1.5GB partition to be the active partition, as follows. (When you run the following commands, be sure to select the 1.5GB partition.)

diskpart

Microsoft DiskPart version 6.0.6001
Copyright (C) 1999-2007 Microsoft Corporation.
On computer: MINWINPC

DISKPART> list disk

Disk ### Status Size Free Dyn Gpt
-------- ---------- ------- ------- --- --- Disk 0 Online 186 GB 0 B

DISKPART> select disk 0

Disk 0 is now the selected disk.

DISKPART> list part

Partition ### Type Size Offset
------------- ---------------- ------- -------
Partition 1 Primary 1500 MB 1024 KB
Partition 2 Primary 49 GB 1501 MB
Partition 3 Primary 136 GB 50 GB

DISKPART> select part 1

Partition 1 is now the selected partition.

DISKPART> active

DiskPart marked the current partition as active.

DISKPART> exit

Leaving DiskPart...

Finally, reboot the system. It should boot from your new boot partition, and BitLocker will be available for activation.

End of Article