Resolving TPM Malfunction Caused by Undetected TPM Chip

Owned by Colin McNeil
Last updated: Apr 07, 2022 by Sarah Nguyen (Deactivated)
2 min read

A message stating "TPM Chip Malfunction" may pop up in Microsoft Teams or in Office 365 applications. This message appears when the computer stops recognizing the built-in Trusted Platform Module security chip. Another symptom of this issue is constantly being prompted for a BitLocker recovery key.

Symptoms

  • Constant prompts to enter a BitLocker Recovery Key at startup.

  • Inability to log into Microsoft Teams.

  • Receiving a "Need Password" notice in the bottom-right corner of Outlook, with sending/receiving email not functioning.

  • An error window appears stating "Something went wrong" describing an error with TPM.

  • Any of the below error windows:

something went wrong error window
we're sorry -- we've run into an issue

Solution

Hard Reset with Power Drain

  1. Unplug the AC power cord or laptop charger from the device.

  2. Shut down the computer completely by pressing Start > Shutdown or holding down the power button for 30 seconds.

  3. Leave the machine off for a few minutes.

  4. Start the computer again.

(Optional) Dell TPM Firmware Update

  1. Download the Dell Command Update tool. 

  2. Open the application and check for updates. In this case, look for any updates involving the TPM, BIOS, or Firmware.

  3. If the application does not restart your machine after installing updates, do so manually.

  4. If you receive any TPM error after updating and restarting, follow the Hard Reset with Power Drain instructions above once more.

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