Find out if a PC has a TPM chip installed?

I have several Windows XP laptops that I need to check to see if they will work with Bitlocker if I install Windows 7. If they have a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chip then Bitlocker should work without a USB key. If not, I'll leave them running XP.

Is there and easy way (or a free utility) that will tell me if a TPM is installed or integrated?

Update:
Windows XP lists the TPM (if present) in Device Manager under 'System Devices' (Windows 7 lists it under 'Security Devices').

pelms

Posted 2011-01-19T15:42:28.217

Reputation: 8 283

Post the exact model and somebody might know without you needing to check ;) – Shinrai – 2011-01-19T16:01:11.443

@Shinrai. I was really after a general method as there are about 8 laptops with more to come. – pelms – 2011-01-19T16:33:40.240

Answers

I don't know if this works on Windows XP (it does on Vista) but from here there appears to be a Control Panel for it, at least on Vista. I'd hope the same is true for XP but I have no way to verify it.

Click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, and then click Run.

Type tpm.msc in the Open box, and then press ENTER.

Doing this shows me this window.

tpm.msc

Otherwise as atroon advised it may show up in either the BIOS or Device Manager (detailed here)

alt text

Mokubai

Posted 2011-01-19T15:42:28.217

Reputation: 64 434

tpm.msc is not present in Windows XP. If I can't find anything easier, I'll have to go with looking in the BIOS setup though I suspect some may be password protected. – pelms – 2011-01-19T16:36:42.497

1Great. Found it in Device manager (under 'System Devices' in XP). – pelms – 2011-01-19T16:46:05.680

First, when was the laptop made? If the computer was built before 2006, it's very unlikely to have a TPM installed. If it was built after that, the first wave of TPMs were in corporate PCs like Dell Latitudes and IBM (soon to be Lenovo) ThinkPads.

From what I understand you will see an entry in the BIOS if there is a TPM installed. Another place to check would be the Device Manager in Windows, it's possible it would show up there as a hardware device, but I'm not certain.

Other than that, I would look for original documentation on the device, but I don't have any that I can find in the laptops near me. Good luck!

atroon

Posted 2011-01-19T15:42:28.217

Reputation: 2 496

This. If it's just a consumer line laptop, especially if it's old, it probably does NOT have a TPM. – Shinrai – 2011-01-19T16:00:46.247

A variety of HP machines. All will be post 2006 though. – pelms – 2011-01-19T16:35:02.623

TPM will show up in the bios setup utility. If it does not, then No it does not have TPM, most consumer grade notebooks do not have them, mainly newer (last 4-5 years) generation business grade laptops do.

You can use bitlocker without TPM

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee449438(WS.10).aspx#BKMK_NoTPM

Bitlocker FAQ http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee449438(WS.10).aspx

Moab

Posted 2011-01-19T15:42:28.217

Reputation: 54 203