Cannot Encrypt Disk When Using UEFI (Error code: 12000: bad parameters)

Article:TECH180744

Created: 2012-02-06

Updated: 2013-02-13

Article URL http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH180744

Article Type
Technical Solution

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Problem

When attempting to encrypt a disk with PGP Whole Disk Encryption (PGP WDE), encryption fails and you receive the error below.

Error

Error code: 12000: bad parameters

Environment

UEFI and BIOS are different types of firmware being used by computers. There are three types of bootstrap configuration on laptops and workstation computers:

UEFI > Operating System Boot loader

BIOS > Operating System Boot loader

UEFI > BIOS (emulated BIOS) > Operating System Boot loader

PGP Desktop currently supports BIOS and UEFI emulated BIOS boot configuration.

If an operating system is bootstrapped from UEFI directly, PGP WDE is not supported.

Cause

Currently PGP Whole Disk Encryption/Drive Encryption are not supported on computers using UEFI firmware. Therefore, this issue can occur if computers are running UEFI firmware without emulated BIOS.

Solution

True UEFI support is being considered for an upcoming release. It is possible to configure Windows 7 to boot from UEFI directly, bypassing the BIOS, but it is rarely configured by PC manufacturers in that manner. However, this is expected to change when Windows 8 is released.

There have also been cases where UEFI emulated BIOS do not work with PGP Whole Disk Encryption. This is caused by a bug in the BIOS and updating the BIOS may resolve the issue.