Fixed: 0x80070015 Bitlocker The Device is not Ready | 9 Ways

When you try to encrypt or decrypt a drive using Bitlocker, you may receive 0x80070015 The device is not ready error. It will prevent you from accessing your drive, along with its data, and it usually occurs on the external disk.

Thus, there is a potential risk of data loss. To fix this error without losing data, it’s suggested to recover data from this inaccessible drive beforehand. In the following sections, we will show you the possible reasons and 9 effective solutions to resolve it.

What Causes 0x80070015 The Device Is Not Ready?

There are various reasons for the 0x80070015 Bitlocker error and it’s challenging to identify the root cause. However, there are still some possible reasons. You can try to find useful clues to fix this error.

• Hardware issues, such as disk connection issue, power failure, physical damage, etc.
• Conflicts between Bitlocker and other recently installed or updated software.
• Viruses or malware interfere with the encryption or decryption process.
• Corrupted system files.
• Outdated or incompatible drivers.
• Incompatible file system.
• Windows update issue.

How to Recover Data from Bitlocker The Device Is Not Ready

If there are any important data on the device you are encrypting or decrypting, please recover data from the inaccessible drive with a professional data recovery software like MyRecover. It has a high success rate and fast recovery speed. And it is able to handle all-inclusive data loss scenarios, such as accidental deletion, virus-infected, corrupted drive, and more. Below are the key features of this software:

• 200+ file types: It is able to recover Word documents, Excel files, PowerPoint, photos, audio, videos, emails, webpages, compressed files, etc without reducing the quality.
• Multi-devices compatible: It allows you to recover files from inaccessible drives like internal or external disks, flash drives, SD cards, etc.
• Multiple systems compatible: It supports Windows 7, 8, 10, 11, etc, and Windows Server.

Besides, this software has a user-friendly interface, which makes the data recovery process smooth. You don't need any technical knowledge to use it effortlessly.

Step 1. Install and launch professional Windows data recovery software - MyRecover. Hover the mouse over the drive and click Scan to scan.

Step 2. It will run two advanced scanning methods - Quick Scan & Deep Scan automatically and display all the found files or folder on the selected device. You can filter and preview files in the disk. Here are two methods:

• Click Filter and select a file type, such as Documents. Then, type the file name or file extension in the Search for files or folders box.
• Expand the Deleted Files, Recycle Bin, or Other Missing Files tab to preview files in the accessible drive.

Step 3. Select all the files on the accessible disk and click the Recover x files button. You will then be asked to select a location. Please select a new location instead of the original location.

Notes:  

• The restore button will display the number of selected files and their full size. You can use it to determine the integrity of the recovered files.
• Saving the recovered files to original location may cause data corruption or further data loss.
• You can recover files in the accessible drive for free, up to 500MB in total. Try advanced editions if you want to recover all files.
• Except for recovering data from Bitlocker the device is not ready, you can also use it to recover files from a formatted disk, fix RAW drive without losing data, etc.

How to Fix The Device Is Not Ready 0x80070015

Before diving into the solutions, it's advisable to check the connection of your device. You can also try to unplug and reconnect it to the same or different USB port. Or use a different cable. If all of them are well, try other methods in the following.

1. Run Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter

Windows has a built-in hardware troubleshooter that can fix general hardware issues and make your device functional. Also, you can try the troubleshooter released by an external hard drive manufacturer.

Step 1. Press the Win + I keys to open Settings. Then, select Update & Security.

Step 2. Click Troubleshoot, search for Hardware and Device, and click Run the troubleshooter.

2. Reinstall USB Controller Driver

Outdated drivers may also cause the 0x80070015 BitLocker error. You can check If your USB driver has a yellow mark. If yes, please uninstall and reinstall the USB Controller Driver.

Step 1. Press the Win + X keys and select Device Manager.

Step 2. Locate and expand Universal Serial Bus controllers, right-click on the USB driver, and choose Uninstall.

Step 3. Restart your computer and check if this action resolves the problem.

3. Install Drivers in Compatibility Mode

If your driver is not compatible with this version of Windows, which will further result in the device is not ready error 0x80070015. You need to install the driver in compatible mode.  

Step 1. Download the driver from the manufacturer's website. Right-click on the driver setup file and select Properties.

Step 2. In the Compatibility tab, check Run this program in compatibility mode for and select the currently using operating system.

Step 3. Once the installation completes, restart your computer and try to encrypt or decrypt your drive.

4. Change Disk Drive Letter

If your drive has an improper drive letter, you may receive the 0x80070015 Bitlocker error while trying to encrypt or decrypt it. Please assign a drive letter for it first.

Step 1. Press Win + R keys to open the Run window, type diskmgmt.msc, and hit Enter to access the Disk Management console.

Step 2. Right-click on the external drive and select Change Drive Letters and Paths.

Step 3. In the popup window, click Change.

Step 4. Select a drive letter and click OK to assign a drive letter for your drive.

5. Run a Full System Scan

Malware or viruses may cause various errors including 0x80070015 the device is not ready error. You can try to start a full system scan and find if there are malware or viruses.

Step 1. Search for Windows Security and select it. Then, click Virus & threat protection.

Step 2. Choose Scan options.

Step 3. Select Full scan and click the Scan now button.

6. Repair System Files

Your drive may become malfunction due to corrupted system files and cause the device is not ready error in Bitlocker. The SFC utility is one of the methods to repair system files in Windows 7, 8, 10, 11, etc.

Step 1. Hit Start, type cmd and select Run as administrator.

Step 2. Type the following command: sfc /scannow and press Enter.

Wait for the scanning process to complete, then restart your computer. It will automatically replace the corrupted system files.

7. Install the Latest Windows Update

It is also a good idea to check for new Windows Updates. The outdated update may contain bugs and cause the device is not ready 0x80070015 error.

Step 1. Press Win + I keys to open Settings. Then, click Update & Security.

Step 2. Click the Check for updates button. If there are any new updates, please download and install them on your Windows PC and wait for the updates to download.

8. Clean Boot Your System

Performing a clean boot will erase all the bugs or minimize the software conflicts causing the device is not ready 0x80070015 error and solve this problem sometimes.

Step 1. Press Win + R, type msconfig and click OK to open the System Configuration window.

Step 2. In the Services tab, select Hide all Microsoft services and click Disable all.

Step 3. Switch to the Startup tab, click Open Task Manager, and disable all the startup items. Finally, close these windows and restart your system.

9. Change the Drive Status

It’s likely that your drive becomes unallocated, RAW or not initialized. To make it recognize, you need to change the disk status in Disk Management.

• Unallocated: Try to create a new partition if there is no data. Right-click the unallocated space and select New Simple Volume. Then, click Next, specify capacity, drive letter, file system and click Next > Finish.

• RAW: The easiest method to fix a RAW external drive is to format disk to a compatible file system, such as NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, etc. Start from a right-click on the RAW disk and select Format. Then, follow the on-screen instructions.

• Not initialized: You can choose to initialize disk. Right-click the not initialized disk and select Initialize Disk. Then, follow the on-screen instructions.