Hardware Device Encryption and cloning

[Paindude]

SImple question: I have a secure erased Samsung 870 EVO.  Booting to my currently unencrypted Samsung 870 EVO drive, I use Samsung Magician to enable Device Encryption on this securely erased SSD.  The question: what happens if I use Samsung Magician to Clone from my unencrypted 870 EVO to this securely erased, no device-encrypted-enabled SSD?  It is usable? Can Windows Bitlocker use hardware encryption for it? (preferred)  I can do the experiment, but I'd rather find out if someone has already tried this.  The goal is to enable Samsung SSD hardware encryption with Bitlocker managing it, while not having to literally reinstall not only the OS, but every single app I've got on it.

[arianwen27]

Still kinda trying to work out what you're trying to do as it seems needlessly complicated.

Unencrypted drive. Clone to second drive, boot second drive, encrypt with bitlocker. You now have an encrypted and unencrypted bootable Windows drive. You can tweak it to need a pin, usb or whatever instead of the tpm if you want, after it's encrypted.

Oh and if you want to use the hardware encryption of the drive, enable it in the group policy editor under the bitlocker section. It'll try to use it, else it'll default to software encryption

[Paindude]

Finally just gave up, turned on Device encryption on the target disc and cloned the this target SSD, turned on bitlocker on this target cloned.  Then going to the gpedit.msc and turning on hardware encryption does..... Nothing.  It just remains software encrypted bitlocker according to the "manage-bde.exe -status" command

[arianwen27]

Yeah, I've never had hardware encryption ever works with bitlocker. It CAN work if the stars align and conditions are met, but it's not worth the effort

[Paindude]

As you and others have mentioned the only way to have hardware encryption is to turn Device Encryption on with Samsung magician, secure erase the disc and then reinstall the OS and reinstall every single app.  Cloning an OS and installed apps is not an option.

[Paindude]

Thanks for responding, though.