TPM missing in BIOS after tech reinstalled same motherboard

I have a Dell Inspiron 7373, I use Bitlocker with password
I have the latest BIOS 1.17.0 Aug 2020
Support is going to replace motherboard but the new motherboard did not work so he reinstalled the old one until he receives the new one and schedules another visit - since the reinstall restarts have been requiring the full Bitlocker recovery key, I tried to change the password but it wont let me, TPM is missing
I currently suspended bitlocker, should I just wait for the new motherboard before I troubleshoot this or is their a simple solution?
Note: when I try to resume bitlocker, it says TPM Module is missing
I do not see TPM in security or system in Device Mgr

Plankton said:

The TPM module as I know it, is a seperate piece of hardware that is added to the mobo.
A Trusted Platform Module (TPM) is a specialized chip on an endpoint device that stores RSA encryption keys specific to the host system for hardware authentication. Each TPM chip contains an RSA key pair called the Endorsement Key (EK). The pair is maintained inside the chip and cannot be accessed by software.
Reference linl: What is Trusted Platform Module (TPM)? - Definition from WhatIs.com.
That said....did you old mobo have the module? If so, did the tech remove it from old mobo and put on new and then forgot to put it back on the old mobo?
My concern; is with the mobo swaps, back and forth, did the system become corrupt/missing files? If so would doing sfc /scannow or DSIM or even a system reset help?

Is it possible that the TPM chip physically was not reconnected? I am assuming the Dell hardware tech will be here this week. I can ask him

I believe it is soldered into the motherboard, so getting the mobo replaced so guessing the tpm chip will be new as well

Geneo said:

Newer Intel Chipsets have a TPM built into their firmware, Older boards it is a plug-in module. If older the tech probably left it out. Another thing is it could be a different model of motherboard or have an older BIOS version that doesn't support TPM. Anyhow you should contact DELL.


BTW, if you had anything encrypted with that TPM, it may be lost.

Im using that drive now. I have an i7-8550u. I have latest BIOS. If Bitlocker is enabled I need to enter the full 48 character recovery key. I suspended it but cannot resume it because of TPM error. Same motherboard was reinstalled supposedly

jmsnyc said:

Im using that drive now. I have an i7-8550u. I have latest BIOS. If Bitlocker is enabled I need to enter the full 48 character recovery key. I suspended it but cannot resume it because of TPM error. Same motherboard was reinstalled supposedly

My pc now shows PTT instead of TPM in the BIOS since the tech came. However I am reluctant to use it prior to a motherboard switch which should happen soon when the tech returns.

Though I have done a recent backup , perhaps it is safer to unencrypt the drive prior to tech coming and re-encrypt with the new mobo installed. Right now Bitlocker is on pause but I am not sure if that will be good enough to provide data access. Again, right now I have access w/o TPM

Actually based on this article, suspending should be sufficient - https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/win...%20clear%20key.

Geneo said:

PTT is Intel's implementation TPM. Enable it to Enable TPM.
Intel Platform Trust Technology (PTT): TPM For The Masses

If I do that and go back to Bitlocker settings "enter a pin" is greyed out