Windows
BitLocker protection kept turning off after a pending BIOS update was paused
BitLocker protection kept dropping off on the laptop because SupportAssist kept retrying a BIOS update that needed a full restart. The fix was to turn BitLocker back on, back up the recovery keys, and change the power setting so shutdown triggers a true restart cycle before the machine is restarted.
Killed once by someone from XL.net, on 2026-07-09.
Affects
Versions
- Windows
Apps
- BitLocker
- SupportAssist
Hardware
- laptop
What you see
- BitLocker protection shows as off again after update attempts.
- BitLocker cannot be kept on manually until the restart cycle is completed.
Why it happens
Likely SupportAssist was retrying a BIOS update every week; with fast startup enabled and no full restart, the update never completed and BitLocker stayed paused/off.
When it shows up
A Windows laptop has BitLocker protection repeatedly turning itself off after update attempts, especially when SupportAssist is installed and fast startup is enabled.
You are in this case if:
- SupportAssist is installed and scheduled to stage BIOS updates.
- Fast startup is enabled so shutdowns do not produce a full restart.
- BitLocker protection is observed as off after the update cycle.
1 fix below
The steps that killed it
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Keeping it away
- Restart the laptop about once a week so Windows and update tools can finish pending work.
Someone from XL.net killed this on a Windows computer on 2026-07-09. It is written up from that one repair, so it cites no outside page.