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I recently looked in the Disk Management tool, and I noticed a (virtual) disk that I didn't recognize. The volume's name is "PortableBaseLayer."
I also noticed it while using the manage-bde -status command. It concerned me, as my whole disk is supposed to be encrypted by BitLocker. Please see the images below.
Can anyone tell me anything about this?
Daniel
Posted 2019-10-21T02:34:29.650
Reputation: 11
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PortableBaseLayer is a mounted virtual drive (.vhdx). I went through a lot of forum discussions on this topic. Many users claim that it is a part of Windows Sandbox. Some say that it is related to the recently announced Reserved Storage. It is not just for Sandbox, but it is special storage introduced in v1903 to accommodate Windows Update space requirements and temporary space for apps. It is even seen when you enable only Windows Defender Application Guard.
Whatever you feel, do not delete this volume. If it’s there, then its because the OS wants it to be there for its usage.
Tech Devils
Posted 2019-10-21T02:34:29.650
Reputation: 24
Should I be concerned about it being listed as decrypted in the output for “manage-bde-status” above? – Daniel – 2019-10-21T12:03:09.100
@Daniel - The virtual HDD wasn't encrypted in the first place, so the only status it should be, is to be unencrypted/decrypted. – Ramhound – 2019-10-21T16:54:04.737
@Ramhound thanks – Daniel – 2019-10-29T02:44:42.380
Your entire physical disk is indeed encrypted. PortableBaseLayer is a virtual HDD that you have mounted which is not encrypted. It is currently mounted in a read-only state. – Ramhound – 2019-10-21T16:53:19.057