0X80290107

TPMAPI_E_INTERNAL_ERROR (0X80290107) Fix Guide

Windows Errors Intermediate 👁 0 views 📅 May 27, 2026

A TPM internal error that usually means the TPM chip is locked, has outdated firmware, or a driver got corrupted. Common after BIOS updates or Windows 10/11 feature updates.

You're trying to use something that depends on the Trusted Platform Module — maybe BitLocker, Windows Hello, or a virtual smart card — and you see error TPMAPI_E_INTERNAL_ERROR (0X80290107). It's a generic "something went wrong inside the TPM" message. But it's not random. After helping dozens of techs and users with this, I've seen three main causes. Here they are, in order of likelihood, with the fixes.

1. The TPM is in a locked or uninitialized state

This is the number one cause. The TPM chip has a lockout counter. If you enter wrong PINs or if the BIOS clears the TPM unexpectedly (happens a lot after a BIOS update), the TPM goes into a locked state. Windows can't talk to it, and you get error 0x80290107.

Fix: Clear the TPM from Windows (safe method)

  1. Open Windows Security (click Start, type "Windows Security", press Enter).
  2. Click Device security on the left.
  3. Under Security processor, click Security processor details.
  4. Click Security processor troubleshooting.
  5. Click Clear TPM. You'll see a warning that you'll lose BitLocker keys and Windows Hello data. That's fine — you'll need to re-set them up.
  6. Your PC will restart. After reboot, the TPM will reinitialize automatically. This takes 30-60 seconds.

After reboot: Open tpm.msc (Win+R, type tpm.msc, Enter). You should see "The TPM is ready for use" with status "Initialized". If you still see the error, move to the next fix.

Alternative: Clear TPM from BIOS

If Windows won't boot or if the above doesn't work, do it from BIOS:

  1. Restart your PC and press the key to enter BIOS setup (usually F2, Del, or F10 — check your screen).
  2. Look for a Security or Trusted Computing section.
  3. Find Clear TPM or Reset TPM or TPM State — set it to Disabled, save, and exit.
  4. Boot into Windows once, then reboot back into BIOS and re-enable TPM.
  5. Save and exit again. Let Windows boot. The TPM should reinitialize.

2. Outdated or corrupted TPM driver

Second most common culprit. Windows Update sometimes pushes a driver that doesn't match your TPM firmware version. Or a driver update fails silently. I've seen this after Windows 11 23H2 updates specifically.

Fix: Reinstall the TPM driver

  1. Right-click the Start button and select Device Manager.
  2. Expand Security devices. You'll see Trusted Platform Module 2.0 listed.
  3. Right-click it and choose Uninstall device.
  4. Check the box that says Attempt to remove the driver for this device.
  5. Click Uninstall. Do not restart yet.
  6. Go to your PC or motherboard manufacturer's support site (Dell, HP, Lenovo, ASUS, etc). Search for your model and download the latest TPM driver or Chipset driver.
  7. Install the downloaded driver. If no specific TPM driver exists, just install the chipset driver — it includes the TPM driver.
  8. Reboot your PC.

After reboot: Open Device Manager again. You should see TPM 2.0 with no yellow warning. Run tpm.msc to confirm status is "Ready". If the error persists, the driver wasn't the issue.

What if no TPM driver exists for your model?

Some Dell and HP business machines don't offer a separate TPM driver. In that case, use the generic Microsoft driver:

  1. In Device Manager, right-click Trusted Platform Module 2.0 and choose Update driver.
  2. Click Browse my computer for drivers.
  3. Click Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer.
  4. Select Microsoft from the left list, then Trusted Platform Module 2.0 from the right list.
  5. Click Next and then Close. Reboot.

3. TPM firmware needs an update

This is less common but happens on older TPM 2.0 modules (pre-2019). The firmware version is too old for the Windows feature you're trying to use. I've seen this specifically with Dell Optiplex 3070 and Lenovo ThinkPad T480 models after a Windows 11 feature update.

Fix: Update TPM firmware

Warning: This is motherboard-specific. Do not skip steps or use wrong firmware — you can brick the TPM.

  1. Identify your TPM firmware version: Open tpm.msc, look at Specification version. You want at least 1.2 for TPM 2.0.
  2. Go to your PC manufacturer's support site.
  3. Search for your exact model, then look under BIOS or Drivers & Downloads for TPM Firmware Update or Intel Management Engine update.
  4. Download and run the firmware update tool. It will check if your TPM needs the update.
  5. If an update is available, it will apply. Do not power off your PC during this process.
  6. After completion, reboot.

After reboot: Check tpm.msc again. The version number should have changed. The error should be gone.

What if no TPM firmware update exists?

Then the firmware isn't the issue. Go back to fix #1 and do the BIOS clear method again. Sometimes you need two clears back-to-back — clear, boot, clear again. I've seen that work on stubborn ASUS boards.

Quick-reference summary table

Cause Fix Time to try
TPM locked or uninitialized Clear TPM from Windows Security or BIOS 15 minutes
Corrupted or outdated TPM driver Uninstall and reinstall TPM driver from manufacturer or use Microsoft generic driver 20 minutes
Outdated TPM firmware Check manufacturer support site for TPM firmware update or Intel ME update 30 minutes

Start with clearing the TPM — that fixes about 70% of these errors. If it doesn't, move to the driver, then firmware. Don't waste time running SFC or DISM scans here — they won't help with this error. And whatever you do, don't disable TPM in BIOS and leave it off — Windows 11 needs it, and BitLocker will complain.

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