TPM Chips on Motherboards in 2025
In 2025 Windows 10 will reach end of life in their consumer-level operating systems and the only viable alternative in the Microsoft space is using Windows 11 or if it’s released; Windows 12.
More critically, the requirements to install Windows 11 currently is having a hardware module called the “Trusted Module Platform (TPM)” that supposedly enhances security for users that use full disk encryption or just use cryptography in general.
Having attempted to repair a Microsoft Surface laptop recently that one of my friend owns, they have made boot and bluescreen repair attempts incredibly difficult as you need to enter the entire disk’s decryption key and have a premade repair USB drive first to do anything (and also I needed additional Surface drivers to use the keyboard and trackpad, cmon!).
Another flaw in these enforced technologies is that many computers and laptops made in the last decade will become redundant and insecure very fast without extended support for Windows 10. This could mean a feast of cheap linux laptops will become available next year should businesses be forced to write them off.
I think TPM should have been optional in Windows 11 and that we should have adopted physical security key tokens instead. I know there are workaround solutions and add-on TPM chips but these are only temporary as Microsoft could enforce stricter measures to prevent software circumvention. For many, an upgrade from Windows 10 doesn’t seem to bring any new features or stability and because their native applications are underwhelming.
This is evocates sweet memories of the great PC migration from 32-bit to 64-bit operating systems, but old systems were kept afloat with 32-bit support across Windows XP, Vista, and 7.
Finally, when 2025 comes and people try to upgrade from seeing end-of-life alerts, Microsoft saying “You need a TPM chip” will be the equivalent of saying “Just buy a new computer”. I had better prepare a guide for people who want a Linux alternative by then.