Introducing Windows 11

Rats. I found out WHY MS is requiring TPM on Win11 so it is going to be needed after all. Windows Hello needs to have it, along with a bunch of other new security-enhanced features coming out with the new OS. I am also completely flummoxed by WTH it is doing to my computer. From MS:

"Is there any importance for TPM for consumers?
For end consumers, TPM is behind the scenes but is still very relevant. TPM is used for Windows Hello, Windows Hello for Business, and in the future will be a component of many other key security features in Windows. TPM secures the PIN, helps encrypt passwords, and builds on our overall Windows 10 experience story for security as a critical pillar. Using Windows on a system with a TPM enables a deeper and broader level of security coverage."

One of the many strange things about TPM is what exactly is it doing on my machine? It definitely says that it is doing a secure boot (as it says in the UEFI part of my boot page in the BIOS). Is it encrypting my NVME and SSD drives so I will have to clear the TPM code when I reinstall? Is it doing the Core isolation that Brink is showing in his TPM tutorial but is NOT showing up on my settings page? Why is my computer also failing Standard Hardware Security? Are these things a BIOS setting (not that I know of)? Are they a Windows setting and as a user or administrator, do I have to enable them? SHOULD I enable them? What a mess.

One good thing. I was able to do a BIOS update with TPM turned on. It warns about Bitlocker to make sure the key is saved somewhere is all.

cereberus said:

So TPM 2 is a requirement. This is going to upset a lot of users. Also the 64GB limit will be no use for my travel laptop.

You can't help thinking the majors have colluded with MS to kill off older devices and generate more sales of pcs.

My motherboard is two years old and I meet all the Win11 requirements. I can't see how anyone running Win10 might have a problem here, really. "This PC can run Win11," as if I didn't know it already, since Win11 is Win10 in every respect but name only. I'm sure there have been some changes--knocking out 32-bit Windows is a good thing, I think. And all of the minimums seem well with the range of anyone owning a 2-3 year old box, I should think.

It's forward progress, no doubt--gotta clip off the dead-wood or else software and hardware development will stall, imo. Still, not much dead wood coming off, really, I've been TPM 2.0 compatible for two years, and it's been many, many years since I had as little as 4 GBs of ram installed and I have in excess of 8TBs of "storage"; running UEFI mode/secure boot for > two years, and running WDDM 2.7 graphics for many moons!

Looks like some older Intel systems might have problems as Microsoft has published a list of compatibles but no such list for AMD so I guess all the Ryzen CPUs are compatible--not surprising as Ryzen Zen2/3 are much newer, more advanced architectures than anything Intel has been able to field to date.

And....looks like I don't have to do anything to start getting Win11 Insider builds through the dev channel, and the more things change, the more they stay the same, eh?...

jh30uk said:

I read it was for Hello but Hello works right now, I use my Fingerprint via USB on PC.

Yep. For Windows 10, Hello/Bitlocker/UEFI secure boot all work without TPM enabled for now. Virtual Smart Card and a few other things need TPM. I expect Windows 11 will require it which is why MS said that it was needed for Hello on their TPM info page.

exploder said:

All 4 of my Dell Precision Workstations have TPM 1.2. I'm screwed....

Perhaps not. From MS:

My AMD Ryzen set up is failing on TPM despite having firmware TPM2, Secure boot and CPM off, and ready for use according to Win10, run tpm.msc, but not according to that Health check, its a 3 year old motherboard so should be fine.