Windows 11: No TPM required?

[German]Will Trusted Platform Module (TPM) not be a requirement for Windows 11 installation after all? After "TPM 2.0 is needed for Windows 11" and the "TPM 1.2 is also sufficient for Windows 11", I would like to add another volte-face. It looks like systems completely without TPM from Microsoft also have the blessing for Windows 11. In a leaked beta, there was already a trick to bypass the TPM check during setup.

It somehow doesn't look like a successful launch of Windows 11 after the presentation on June 24, 2021. A test version should probably be available for Insiders from June 28, 2021 – when exactly isn't known. The tool released by Microsoft to check whether a machine with Windows 10 version 1803 or higher is suitable for Windows 11 left the vast majority of prospective buyers with the realization that the system was unsuitable.  And also the hardware requirements are  challenging.

TPM 2.0, 1.2 or no TPM required?

ne question on many minds revolves around the requirement that machines must support TPM, with even TPM 2.0 being mentioned as a prerequisite at first. The source was the Microsoft article Find Windows 11 specs, features, and computer requirements from June 24, 2021.

Andererseits gibt es diese Microsoft-Seite mit Windows 11-Hardware-Anforderungen, wo TPM Version >= 1.2 und Secure Boot gefordert wird (siehe obiger Screenshot). Ich hatte das Thema bereits im Beitrag Windows 11: Die Hardware-Anforderungen angesprochen. Das Ziel von Microsoft ist klar: Rechner sollten künftig TPM 2.0 haben – das lässt sich aus dem Blog-Beitrag Windows 11 enables security by design from the chip to the cloud ableiten. Die Kollegen von heise haben sich in diesem Artikel der TPM-Nutzung durch Windows 11 angenommen.

Windows 11-Systeme ohne TPM von OEMs

Den Leuten von Tomshardware.com ist aber aufgefallen, dass Microsoft seinen OEMs die Möglichkeit eröffnet, Systeme für spezielle Zwecke ohne TPM auszuliefern. Im PDF-Dokument Windows 11 Minimum Hardware Requirements findet sich nachfolgender Auszug (zum Vergrößern anklicken).

It states that OEMs do not have to ensure that there is no option to disable TPM. So, the user could disable TPM. And there is the clause that OEM systems can be shipped without TPM for special cases with Microsoft's approval.

A UEFI firmware option to turn off the TPM is not required. Upon approval from Microsoft, OEM systems for special purpose commercial systems, custom order, and customer systems with a custom image are not required to ship with a TPM support enabled.

According to this, there should be no TPM check in the Windows 11 code, at most there will be a warning if there is no TPM.

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