Introduction:
In this article we will answer the title’s very simple question whether Windows 11 could run in a computer that has no TPM chip at all.
Short Answer – Yes.
How? – By not installing it on it at all, but by forcing Windows onto it.
Let us explain with a long answer:
- We have tested Windows 11 24H2 and 25H1 on a VM that has a TPM 2.0 chip. A virtual one of course, but based on a real physical bare metal one
- 24H2 was installed on that VM with the TPM 2.0 chip already there – after the installation was done – we shut down that VM, removed the TPM 2.0 chip from the VMWARE and powered it back up – Windows started up normally.
- Later-on, we updated from 24H2 to 25H1 – same result. Windows worked fine.
- After that we tried installing Windows 11 24H2 on that very same VM, without a TPM – it did not work. Windows refused to be installed on that VM that had no TPM chip.
In the following steps we will demonstrate how we conducted our experiment:
1. First let’s go and check Windows’ version by going to the Start menu and typing winver and hitting the ENTER key.
2. As you can see, the current version is 24H2
4. In Device Manager, we want to make sure that the TPM 2.0 chip is indeed present and functional.
5. We checked the various tabs for any issues
6. Now we shut down Windows in order to power-off the VM
7. We have removed the TPM chip from the VM’s hardware list and powered it again
8. Let’s go again to Device Manager to make sure the TPM chip is not there anymore
9. As you can see below – the TPM chip is gone a well as the Security Devices category.
10. To make sure the TPM chip is not present on this VM, let’s go to Bitlocker and try tampering with it.
11. As you can see below, we are unable to turn Bitlocker on due to the absence of a TPM chip.
12. As you can still see, Windows 11 has been working normally this entire time. No BSODs, no errors, no prompts, no warnings.
- Now let’s update it from 24H2 to 25H2.
14. Windows has been upgraded to 25H2
15. Still, Windows 11 has been working normally this entire time. No BSODs, no errors, no prompts, no warnings. And as you can see, no TPM chip is present in the system.
Conclusion:
We were very surprised at first to see Windows starts up at all. There has been such a big fuss about this TPM requirement that we have become under the notion that running Windows without a TPM was impossible.
Yet, the bigger issue still exists – Windows 11 cannot be INSTALLED on a system without a TPM chip, specifically TPM version 2.0. it is like that by design. What we did here was very simple – we installed Windows 11 on a system, in this case, a virtual system, with a TPM and then just removed it. Windows kept running normally.
What would it mean in the real world?
It would mean that if you have a computer/computers that have a TPM chip older than version 2.0 or no TPM at all then the only ways to install Windows 11 onto these machines would be to:
1. Deploy an image of Windows 11 onto those computers
2. Clone a Windows 11 disk/partitions onto those computers
3. In terms of upgrade from Windows 10 to 11 you could:
a. Take the hard drive with Windows 10 out of the computer, install it on a placeholder computer with a TPM 2.0 chip - perform the upgrade to Windows 11 and then return the hard drive to the old computer
b. Do the same thing described in Stage A, but use a P2V solution and then use a V2P back to the old computer
In any case, it’s a head ache to perform on one computer let alone an array of computers, but it is not impossible. The ROI would be worth it for those would cannot afford or would not want to invest in new IT equipment (ie – computers with a TPM 2.0 chip).
IT might be worth for IT professionals and/or companies who maintain an array of computers with incompatible TPM chips to just buy a single new computer that has a TPM 2.0 chip that will be used as a placeholder and perform these upgrades one by one instead of investing in an array of new computers.