Managing the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) is usually a straightforward procedure. If are unable to complete the initialization procedure, review the following information:

  • If the TPM is not detected by Windows, verify that your computer hardware contains a compatible TPM and BIOS. Ensure that no BIOS settings have been used to hide the TPM from the operating system.

  • If you are attempting to initialize the TPM as part of the BitLocker setup, check which TPM driver is installed on the computer. We recommend always using one of the TPM drivers provided by Microsoft with BitLocker. If a non-Microsoft TPM driver is installed, it may prevent the default TPM driver from loading and cause BitLocker to report that a TPM is not present on the computer. If you have a non-Microsoft driver installed, remove it and then try to initialize the TPM again. The following table lists the three standard TPM drivers that are provided by Microsoft.

    Driver name Manufacturer

    Trusted Platform Module 1.2

    (Standard)

    Broadcom Trusted Platform Module (A1), v1.2

    Broadcom

    Broadcom Trusted Platform Module (A2), v1.2

    Broadcom

  • If the TPM has been previously initialized and you do not have the owner password, you may have to clear or reset the TPM to factory default values. For more information, see Clear the TPM.

    Caution

    Clearing the TPM can result in the loss of data. To avoid data loss, make sure you have a backup or recovery method for any data protected or encrypted by the TPM.

Because your TPM security hardware is a physical part of your computer, you may want to read the manuals or instructions that came with your computer, or search the manufacturer's Web site. Some hints to help locate TPM-related information are included in the topic Manage the TPM Manually.