I'm using Bitlocker in Windows7 with a USB startup key. The system creates a hidden *.BEK file on the USB drive. It works fine and I can make as many startup keys as I want from the "Manage Bitlocker" screen. However, if I manually copy the *.BEK file to another USB drive, it will not work. Does anyone know why?

Are you copying it to the root of the drive? If you put it in a folder, BDE will not see it.

Yes, I am copying it directly to the root. If I look at the flash drive in Windows Explorer, the file looks identical to the one that the Bitlocker program creates (it just does not work).

That should be work if you copy the Bitlocker key from USB drive to another USB drive. Try to change another USB device an copy again for test. Regards, Leo HuangLeo Huang TechNet Community Support