0x80070015 Bitlocker The Device is not Ready issue occurs when a user tries to install an external drive on their computer. The most common cause of this error is an incompatible drive, but there may be more serious causes. The Device is Not Ready issue can prevent a user from accessing an external drive, and in some cases, they may even lose their data. In the following guide, we will discuss what is 0x80070015 Windows installation error, and what methods you can use to fix it.

Ways to Fix 0x80070015 Bitlocker the Device is Not Ready Error

Here, you will get to know about the troubleshooting methods to solve 0x80070015 Bitlocker the Device is Not Ready error.

Reasons for the Device is Not Ready Hard Drive Error

There can be several reasons for this error on Windows 10. Some of the common reasons are mentioned here.

• Improper or faulty drive connections are the basic reason for this issue.
• A faulty hard drive can also cause this issue on your computer.
• System bugs and issues with Windows can also cause this issue.
• If the drive status is Not Initiated, Unallocated, or RAW, it can show you this error while connecting to a computer.
• A virus attack on your computer or drive can also cause this issue.
• Corrupt system files are also associated with this issue.
• An outdated or corrupt Windows update can also cause this issue.
• This problem can also be caused by an outdated or corrupt USB Controller driver.
• If the USB driver is not compatible with Windows, it can cause this issue.
• An improper driver letter can also cause this issue.
• Various other underlying issues with system hardware can also cause this issue.

Quick Answer

Try running Windows hardware and devices troubleshooter or updating USB controller driver. If that doesn’t work try installing drivers in compatibility mode by using these simple steps:

1. Download the driver from the manufacturer’s website.

2. Right-click on the downloaded setup file and click Properties.

3. Navigate to the Compatibility tab and select Run this program in compatibility mode for.

4. Select Windows 8 and save the changes.

How to Fix 0x80070015 Bitlocker the Device is Not Ready Error

In this guide, we will discuss methods to help you figure out how do I fix Windows error 0x80070015.

Method 1: Basic Troubleshooting Methods

The following are some of the basic troubleshooting methods that you can perform to fix this error on Windows 10.

1A: Fix Drive Connections

It is common for a drive to not connect to your computer properly and cause errors. When you are trying to connect an external drive to your computer, always make sure you have properly connected it to the USB port. You can also check for any physical damage to the port and, if found, get it repaired to avoid the Device is not Ready hard drive issues. If this does not help and you still don’t know what is 0x80070015 Windows installation issue is or how to fix it, try the next method.

1B: Replace Hard Drive

If the issue continues, you should check if the drive you are trying to connect is in good condition and is not corrupt at all. If the drive fails, it is best to replace it with a new one to avoid further computer damage and fix 0x80070015 Bitlocker the Device is not Ready issue.

1C: Perform Clean Boot

In some cases, you can try to resolve this issue by performing a clean boot of the system. A clean boot will try to erase all the bugs that may be causing this issue with an external drive. You can check out the Perform Clean boot in Windows 10 guide to find methods for performing a clean boot on your computer.

Method 2: Run Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter

You can try to run an in-built troubleshooter to diagnose and resolve the hardware and drive issues. Check our guide to run hardware and devices troubleshooter to fix issues.

Also Read: Fix Windows Error 0 ERROR_SUCCESS

Method 3: Modify Drive Status

One of the easier methods to diagnose what is causing this error with a drive is to check and modify the drive status in Disk Management.

Option I: If Drive not Initialized

If the drive status reads as not initialized, this message means that the drive has not recognized the system and therefore is causing an error. You can take the following steps to figure out how do I fix Windows error 0x80070015.

1. Press Windows + R keys simultaneously to open the Run dialog box.

2. In the Run dialog box, type diskmgmt.msc and press the Enter key.

3. Locate and right-click on the drive that shows Not Initialized status.

4. Finally, click Initialized Disk.

If this does not help and you still don’t know what is 0x80070015 Windows installation issue is or what you can do to fix it, try the next method.

Option II: If Drive is Unallocated

If the drive status reads as unallocated, you can try to fix the Device is not Ready hard drive issue by creating a new partition on the unallocated space.

1. Follow Steps 1-2 from the previous method to access the Disk Management.

2. Locate the drive that reads Unallocated.

3. Now, Right-click on the Unallocated space and click on New Simple Volume….

4. Click Next on the New Simple Volume Wizard and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

Note: You can also try to recover partitions and data for the drive by using various third-party recovery tools.

Option III: If Drive is RAW

If the drive status reads as RAW, you can try to resolve this issue by formatting the drive.

1. Open Disk Management by following Steps 1-2 from Method 2A.

2. Right-click on the Drive and click Format….

3. Select Volume level as NTFS, and Allocation unit size as 32K.

4. Finally, click OK to confirm the step.

If this method does not help and you still don’t know what to do, you can try the next method to figure out how do I fix Windows error 0x80070015.

Also Read: 9 Ways to Fix Non-System Disk or Disk Error Message

Method 4: Run Malware Scan

A common reason for this error with hard drives on Windows computers can be a virus attack. If your computer is infected by a virus, it can block various processes and sometimes cause even more serious issues. Therefore, it is important to keep your computer safe from all such threats. You can perform a full scan of your computer to remove any existing virus from the computer. Check out our guide on How do I Run a Virus Scan on my Computer? to perform steps to safely remove a virus from your computer.

Method 5: Repair System Files

Your hard drive may malfunction due to various system file issues. If there are corrupt files hosted by your computer or drive, you will most certainly run into trouble while performing tasks on your computer. One of the easiest solutions to resolve this issue is to perform an in-built system scan on your computer. SFC and CHKDSK scans are the two best options that you can try to repair your system files. You can check out the How to Repair System Files on Windows 10 guide to learn how to run these scans to resolve 0x80070015 Bitlocker the Device is not Ready issue.

Method 6: Install Latest Windows Update

If you have disabled the automatic Windows updates on your computer, you may be missing out on new features due to an outdated Windows update. An outdated update can cause several issues with your computer as it is likely to contain bugs. If this is the case, you should consider installing the latest updates for Windows 10. If you are not sure how to install updates, read our guide on How to Download and Install Windows 10 Latest Update.

Also Read: Fix Windows Update Error Code 0x800b0108

Method 7: Update USB Controller Driver

USB controller drivers are an important part of Windows computers. These drivers help you connect hard drives and external drives to your computer. However, if these drivers are outdated and malfunctioning, they can produce several errors when you try to connect a drive. You can always check and update a device driver on your computer to fix this issue. Check out the How to Update Device Drivers on Windows 10 guide to find out how you can update the USB Controller Driver.

Method 8: Reinstall USB Controller Driver

If updating a driver does not resolve this issue, the chances are the driver is corrupt and you require a fresh new driver. You can uninstall an existing driver and reinstall a new one on your computer. You can check out our guide on How to Uninstall and Reinstall Drivers on Windows 10 to learn the steps for this method.

Also Read: Fix USB Not Working Error Code 39

Method 9: Install Drivers in Compatibility Mode

When you install a driver from an external website on your computer, you may sometimes run into compatibility issues due to different versions of the computer’s operating system. This can further result in a device is not ready error when you try to connect a hard drive to your computer. You can work around this problem by installing the driver in compatibility mode.

1. Open your web browser and download the driver from the manufacturer’s website. (Here, for example, is the Intel USB Controller Driver)

2. Right-click on the downloaded setup file and click Properties.

3. Here, navigate to the Compatibility tab.

4. Check the box for Run this program in compatibility mode for.

5. From the drop-down options select Windows 8.

6. Finally, click Apply and then OK to save the changes.

Also Read: Fix The Handle is Invalid Error in Windows 10

Method 10: Assign Drive Letter to External Drive

If the previous methods do not help, and the issue remains, you can try to assign a drive letter to an external drive to resolve this issue.

1. Connect an external drive to your computer, and then press Windows + R to open the Run dialog box.

2. In the Run dialog box, type diskmgmt.msc and press the Enter key.

3. Now, in the Disk Management window, right-click on the external drive and select Change Drive Letter and Paths….

4. Now, click on Change….

5. In the new dialog box, select the Assign the following drive letter drop-down.

6. Select a different drive letter and click OK.

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We hope this guide was helpful to you and you were able to fix 0x80070015 Bitlocker the Device is not Ready error. Let us know which method worked for you to fix Windows error 0x80070015. If you have any suggestions or queries for us, please let us know in the comment section.