User's Manual

Credential Archive & Restore
The Credential Archive and Restore functionality is used to back up and restore all user
credentials (login and encryption information) stored in the ControlVault and Trusted Platform
Module (TPM). A backup of this data is important when re-provisioning a computer or for
restoring data in the case of hardware failure. In this case, you can simply restore all of your
credentials to your new computer from a saved archive file.
The user credentials consist of data used in pre-Windows or Windows, such as enrolled
fingerprints and smartcard data, and keys stored in the TPM. The TPM will create keys as
requested by secure applications; for example, generating a digital certificate will create keys in
the TPM.
NOTE: To determine if the TPM keys are able to be archived by Dell Data Protection
| Access, please consult the documentation for the secure application.
Archiving Credentials
To archive credentials, you must do the following:
 Provide authentication to the security hardware by entering the System (pre-
Windows) password, ControlVault Administrator password and TPM Owner password.
 Create a credential backup password.
 Specify an archive location, using the Browse button. The archive location should be
removable media, such as a USB flash drive or network drive, to protect against a hard
drive failure.
Important Notes:
 Make note of the archive location as the user will need this information to restore the
credential information.
 Make note of the credential backup password to ensure that data can be restored. This is
important as this password cannot be recovered.
 If you do not know the TPM Owner password, contact the system administrator or refer to
the computer's TPM setup instructions.
Restoring Credentials
To restore credentials, you must do the following:
 Browse to the archive location, and select the archive file.
 Enter the credential backup password that was created when you set up the archive.
 Provide authentication to the security hardware by entering the System (pre-
Windows) password, ControlVault Administrator password and TPM Owner password.
NOTES:
 If you get an error stating that TPM keys could not be restored, create a credential archive,
then clear the TPM in the BIOS. To clear the TPM, reboot your computer, press the F2 key
when starting back up to access the BIOS settings, then navigate to
Security>TPM Security >Clear TPM. Then re-establish ownership of the TPM and attempt
to restore credentials again.
 Detailed information on the specific error message for Dell Data Protection | Access
(DDP|A) can be found by searching for “DDPA Error Codes” at: http://support.dell.com.