Clearing your TPM

[Mark Bolton]

Some may remember recently had a chaotic upgrade to Win10 April update. Now getting a prompt from windows defender saying a firmware update is needed for your processor (TPM). Reading through any of the machine specific info for the manufacturers models doesnt include my machine anywhere. In the windows10 security options when you get to the firmware update and click the "get started" button it takes you to a MS page link that explains going to the next step and clicking the "clear TPM" in the security processor troubleshooting tab.

Im recently backed up and I feel in good shape but a little gunshy with all the warnings with regards to backing up and so on. Any heads up or information with regards to what happens when you clear the TPM?

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I have no idea, but I sure wish Microsoft would get its act together again. Pretty sure all the competence there has retired.

[Pat Barry]

Have you looked at this?

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4096377/windows-10-update-security-processor-tpm-firmware

It says contact equipment manufacturer for specific instructions if your equipment is not listed

[Mark Bolton]

Have you looked at this?

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4096377/windows-10-update-security-processor-tpm-firmware

It says contact equipment manufacturer for specific instructions if your equipment is not listed

Yes, I have read every link in the the first 3 or so pages of several Google search strings pertaining to the TPM. Doing a bit more searching at acer we will see.

[Kev Williams]

yet another reason I'll never have win10...

win10 updates are essentially forced whether you want them or not, now you folks have to update firmware...

Ok, a very stupid question:

--Bill already has the keys to your computer, and Bill knows your computer needs a firmware update, and since he lists all the device company names and links to the updates, he knows where the updates are--

So then: why doesn't Bill just update your firmware himself?

From a security standpoint, this whole thing sounds like an invitation to hackers--how hard would it be for a hacker to imitate a 'you need an upgrade' message complete with bogus links allowing you to upgrade their trojan software?

[Grant Wilkinson]

I'm not an apologist for MS or Bill, but keep in mind on this one that the root problem is not a MS problem, it's a hardware security issue. Windows need to be updated to co-exist with the new TPM firmware, but it is up to the hardware manufacturers to provide the updates for the firmware. This is not a Windows 10 issue. It spans all versions of windows.

I had no problem doing the upgrade on my Toshiba laptops running windows 7 and windows 10 machines. Toshiba provides the firmware update and MS provided the windows update.

[glenn bradley]

I have no idea, but I sure wish Microsoft would get its act together again. Pretty sure all the competence there has retired.

+1. I grew to prefer Windows but now, am swinging back to my ill-ease. If I have to do that much fiddling around I'll just go back to a unix based system as my goto.

[Mark Bolton]

yet another reason I'll never have win10...

win10 updates are essentially forced whether you want them or not, now you folks have to update firmware...

Ok, a very stupid question:

--Bill already has the keys to your computer, and Bill knows your computer needs a firmware update, and since he lists all the device company names and links to the updates, he knows where the updates are--

So then: why doesn't Bill just update your firmware himself?

From a security standpoint, this whole thing sounds like an invitation to hackers--how hard would it be for a hacker to imitate a 'you need an upgrade' message complete with bogus links allowing you to upgrade their trojan software?

While I dont disagree with the concern, I really am not overly paranoid about such scenario's like I use to be. Cautious vigilance is most definitely always there but I am not one to go clicking and installing arbitrarily when a notification pops up. I just dont know enough about the repercussions of clearing the TPM (or even seeing if there are any keys on there to begin with). My hardware manufacturer hasnt addressed TPM firmware updates across the board and has a list of models and states that if yours isnt listed your not affected but Windows doesnt agree.

I have been nothing but pleased with 8.1 and 10 but as I have said here before, I am a lover of change other than when it effects my bushiness production. Im the rare bird who gets excited when a phone update hits and changes everything and its like a new phone. Same with the computer. I enjoy the challenge of having to stay on my toes but the software has to run which was not the case in my last debacle.

I dont really buy the updates being forced on you either. Its your choice what and when to upgrade if at all. Thinking back all the way to 3.1 Windows in my opinion has gotten amazingly better by leaps and bounds in the last 10-15 years. Defrags, scandisk, keeping images so you can clean install monthly, blah blah blah, are all gone for me now. The time I use to spend with all that stuff was ridiculous. With today OS' and the ancillary software to handle the rare malware/spyware its pretty much maintenance free.

I run Search and Destroy on this machine and I honestly cant recall it ever finding anything other than the minor stuff it flags every time it runs.

[Mark Bolton]

I'm not an apologist for MS or Bill, but keep in mind on this one that the root problem is not a MS problem, it's a hardware security issue. Windows need to be updated to co-exist with the new TPM firmware, but it is up to the hardware manufacturers to provide the updates for the firmware. This is not a Windows 10 issue. It spans all versions of windows.

I had no problem doing the upgrade on my Toshiba laptops running windows 7 and windows 10 machines. Toshiba provides the firmware update and MS provided the windows update.


Thats the problem I seem to be finding. Acer has been questioned by many users through the end of 2017 til now with regards to my specific model and adjacent models and there is still no firmware update.

Im wondering if something I had to swap around in the BIOS in the April update has caused the flag as it was not there until the update.