Some mistakes can be permanent and, in most cases, there won't be any polite pop-ups gently asking whether you're sure you want to make those mistakes. There are few guardrails here, and you can lose a lot of important data very fast. We're on a very simple mission here, and nothing I recommend below will do any damage to your machine or data, but changing firmware settings in your BIOS menu can have a wide-ranging impact.

If this is your first time working in a BIOS menu, stick close to the instructions and don't veer too far from the beaten path.

Always back up your important files before making any big changes to your computer.

It's also a good idea to get in contact with your local PC repair shop having a qualified professional on standby is the best way to get back on track if you get turned around or encounter roadblocks. If your machine is owned and maintained by your company or school, it may have a unique security configuration that your IT staff will need to handle.

If your machine is still covered by a warranty, always speak with the manufacturer first before doing anything that could potentially void it.

For the most part, though, the process is similar enough across machines that you should be able to use the instructions as a guide and, where your computer differs, still identify the equivalent menu or label in your own system.

That's because Windows machines vary so much that it's not feasible to cover all the possible ways to enable TPM and Secure Boot across every device. Keep in mind that these instructions are written as broadly as possible.If you are missing the hardware or firmware necessary for Windows 11, the instructions below won't help - you'll need to buy a new device to run the OS.

Microsoft confirmed there are four types of problems that might have given you a 'This PC can't run Windows 11' error message if you used its PC Health Check tool.

Tpm chip windows 11