My keyboard stopped responding last night, so I restarted the computer. Afterward, I checked the system logs and found several similar errors, including one marked critical that appeared around the reboot. The message says the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) encountered a non-recoverable hardware error, preventing TPM features such as encryption from working. The keyboard is working again now. What should I check, and is this serious enough to consider switching from Windows to Ubuntu?
3 Answers
The TPM message may be a consequence of the unexpected restart rather than the cause of the keyboard problem. If the keyboard is working normally and the error does not keep returning, monitor it after a normal reboot. If it repeats, run the manufacturer's hardware diagnostics and look for related disk, memory, or firmware errors in the logs.
A TPM failure does not automatically mean the whole PC is unusable, but it can affect Windows security features and BitLocker. Before changing Secure Boot or encryption settings, make sure you have your BitLocker recovery key and a current backup. Do not disable BitLocker or Secure Boot just to hide the warning unless the manufacturer’s troubleshooting steps specifically call for it; start with diagnostics and firmware updates instead.
Switching operating systems probably won't fix this. If the TPM or another component is having a hardware problem, Linux would still be running on the same hardware. Since the logs mention multiple errors, back up important files first, then test the memory and storage drives. Also check for BIOS, chipset, and TPM firmware updates from the computer manufacturer.
The keyboard is working again, so I’ll back up my files and run the memory and drive tests before changing operating systems.