WHS2011, bitlocker and a hardware failure

[Binky]

My WHS2011 server (HP N40L) crapped out with a hardware issue (mini-SAS contoller or cable I think). I have 4 data drives and 1 OS drive all encrypted with bitlocker. The OS drive is probably corrupted and the system will not recognize one of the data drive ports. I can start the OS boot, including getting past the bitlocker key input, but it reboots before getting into WHS.

My WHS backups are on...the server data drives. Lol, oops. I know, brilliant move! I have a full data backup but its a few months old. At this point, I don't have a usable and available server OS backup.

I have all bitlocker keys so decryption shouldn't be impossible, but I want to keep the data drives as-is so they will be unchanged when I get the new server box.

What's my best course of action? Is there a way to read the data drives in a Win7 machine without disturbing/changing the data drives? I would like to copy some data from them, which would obviously include the server OS backup files.

 

[Binky]

Still looking for ideas. I just need to access the data drives.

If I could just decrypt them, that would be fine too, but the decryption procedure I've found seems to remove the data from the bitlocker drive and dumps it onto a blank drive. If that's the only way I guess I could do that.

 

[ViRGE]

Bitlocker isn't my specialty, but what's stopping you from mounting the disks read-only? The way things are written on TechNet, it sounds like this would work.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee449438(WS.10).aspx#BKMK_AltPC

 

[Binky]

I found the solution. The command line "manage-bde" allows you to decrypt or turn off the bitlocker encryption (with key, of course).

The recovery procedure I was finding via google searching was probably intended for failed hardware. Manage-bde allows you to easily manipulate a working drive.