Component Object Model (COM) Error – FVE_E_POLICY_USER_CERT_MUST_BE_HW 0x80310074

In this post, you’ll learn about the error “FVE_E_POLICY_USER_CERT_MUST_BE_HW 0x80310074” that is returned when working with COM based APIs or libraries in Windows.

COM Error Message

FVE_E_POLICY_USER_CERT_MUST_BE_HW 0x80310074

What is COM?

Microsoft’s COM stands for Component Object Model. Component Object Model (COM) is a networked, object-oriented framework for building interoperable binary software components.   Microsoft’s OLE (compound documents), ActiveX (Internet-enabled components), and other products are built on the COM base technology.

Error Description

Below is the description of this COM Error.

Group Policy settings requires that you use a smart card-based key protector with BitLocker Drive Encryption.