Windows 11 has a baffling bug which means it doesn’t detect a TPM with some processors – and therefore doesn’t recognize the host computer as supporting the OS – with one CPU hit badly in particular, the famous Ryzen 7 5800X3D.
Neowin pointed to a whole bunch of Windows users who are facing an issue where they fail the ‘TPM Certificate’ resulting in the PC not being supported to run Windows 11.
This is despite the system getting full clarity as to which TPM is being detected as “ready to use”.
As noted, this happens to many Ryzen processors (and even Intel models in remote cases), and the 5800X3D seems to be affected the most. In some cases, users have reported that with a different CPU, the TPM requirement is passed without any problems.
One person who ran into the error wrote: “After upgrading my CPU from a Ryzen 5 2600 to a Ryzen 7 5700X Windows Security Chip, it reports ‘Authentication: Not Supported’ but ‘Memory: Ready’. In the TPM console it shows that the TPM is ready to use.”
They add: “When I go back to my old Ryzen 5 2600 everything works.”
Analysis: Come on Microsoft, AMD – that’s not good enough
This is a bit of a head scan for sure, but we have official word from Microsoft about the bug.
In a known issue filed under Windows Autopilot Issues, the software giant notes: “The TPM certificate for AMD systems with ASP firmware may fail with error code 0x80070490 on Windows 10 and Windows 11 systems. There is no update currently available to resolve this issue.”
Now, Windows Autopilot is a technology that IT teams use to deploy multiple Windows PCs, so the home user won’t struggle. But apparently there are consumers who are getting this error when trying to install Windows 11 with some CPUs.
It’s very disappointing to hear that there is no solution, or more than that, evidence that Microsoft is at least investigating what’s going on here. We haven’t gotten any word from AMD that it’s looking at a gremlin or trying to discern the matter.
For affected computers, the only possible remedy seems to be to install a separate TPM and not rely on the built-in TPM. To say this is far from ideal is an understatement.
As another affected user on Reddit, who was upgrading from a 5800X – which worked fine with Windows 11 – to a 5800X3D, said: “I’ve searched online and there’s a bunch of people with 5800X3D’s that have the exact same issue and no one has any idea why or How to fix it. Some have bought an external TPM, but why the hell would I do that when the Ryzen 5800 only has one on board?”
It’s a really very good point. One suggestion we’ve seen (in the Reddit thread above) as a workaround for those upgrading to a new CPU that’s hampered by a TPM certificate error is as follows. Reboot the old CPU, disable the TPM, clear the CMOS, reinstall the new processor and restart the TPM. Take this as a wild kick in the dark, but one developer claims it works for them.
And it’s a hint more than Microsoft or AMD have given us so far, that’s for sure.
