Windows 11 has a baffling bug that means it’s not detecting TPM with some processors – and therefore not recognizing the host PC as supporting the OS – with one CPU hit badly in particular, the popular Ryzen 7 5800X3D.
Neowin pointed out a whole bunch of Windows users who are having an issue whereby they are failing ‘TPM attestation’ with the result that the PC is not supported for running Windows 11.
This is despite the system getting the all-clear in terms of the TPM module being detected as ‘ready for use’.
As noted, this is happening to various Ryzen processors (and even Intel models in outlying cases), and the 5800X3D seems to be more affected than others. In some cases, users report that with a different CPU, the TPM requirement is passed with no problems.
One person who encountered the bug writes: “After upgrading my CPU from Ryzen 5 2600 to Ryzen 7 5700X Windows Security Chip App reports ‘Attestation: Not Supported’ but ‘Memory: Ready’. In the TPM Console it shows that the TPM Module is Ready for use.”
They add: “When I switch back to my old Ryzen 5 2600 everything works.”
Analysis: Come on Microsoft, AMD – this isn’t good enough
This one’s a bit of a headscratcher for sure, but we have got official word from Microsoft on the bug.
In a known issue filed under Windows Autopilot problems, the software giant notes: “TPM attestation for AMD platforms with ASP firmware TPM may fail with error code 0x80070490 on Windows 10 and Windows 11 systems. There’s currently no update available to resolve this issue.”
Now, Windows Autopilot is a tech used by IT teams to deploy multiple Windows PCs, so not something the home user will encounter. But evidently, there are consumers out there who are getting brick-walled by this bug when attempting to install Windows 11 with certain CPUs.
It’s seriously disappointing to hear that there’s no resolution, or more to the point, evidence that Microsoft is at least investigating what’s going on here. Neither have we got any word from AMD that it’s looking into the gremlin or trying to discern what’s up.
For affected PCs, it seems the only possible remedy is to install a separate TPM module and not rely on the processor’s built-in one. To say that’s far from ideal is an understatement.
As another affected user on Reddit, who was upgrading from a 5800X – which worked just fine with Windows 11 – to a 5800X3D put it: “I’ve searched online and there is bunch of people with 5800X3D having exact same problem and no one has any idea why or how to fix it. Some did buy external TPM module, but why the hell would I do that when Ryzen 5800 have one onboard?”
It’s a very good point indeed. One suggestion we’ve seen (in the above Reddit thread) as a workaround for those upgrading to a new CPU which is hamstrung by a TPM attestation fault goes as follows. Put the old CPU back in, disable TPM, clear the CMOS, reinstall the new processor and then turn TPM back on. Take that as a bit of a wild punt in the dark, though, but one upgrader claims it worked for them.
And it’s more of a hint than Microsoft or AMD have given us so far, that’s for sure.
