Windows 8.1 Update - 'A TCG Command has returned an error' - Automatic Encryption Involved?

Anonymous
2014-05-18T21:14:09+00:00

I've got a desktop system which has been showing error messages in the Event Viewer ever since the upgrade to Windows 8.1 Update.  It's an error in EnhancedStorage-EhStorTcgDrv that says "A TCG Command has returned an error".  The error is with the "AuthenticateSession" command.

Doing a bunch of research shows that this error involves SSD encryption.  However, this is for a gaming PC with no personal information on it.  There's no need for Bitlocker or anything of that sort on it.  So I'm not entirely sure why it's sending that command in the first place other than if it's using the "Opal" / Microsoft eDrive spec for automatic encryption. The SSD I'm using (Plextor PX-M5M) does fully support the Opal specification, but I do not have a TPM, and as this is a desktop PC it doesn't support Connected Standby, two features that previously were requirements for automatic encryption on Windows 8.1.  Did something change with regards to these requirements in Windows 8.1 Update? 

I guess the really important question is... is this actually a message I should be worried about?  It's listed in Event Viewer as critical.  Can it just be ignored instead?

For what it's worth, my first thought was actually that the SSD or the mSATA slot it is installed in were the cause.  However, both of those have been swapped out as part of my troubleshooting, and that hasn't solved anything.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Devices and drivers

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Anonymous
2014-05-22T10:34:16+00:00

Hello,

Thank you for your response.

Did you try performing clean boot?

Sometimes, "A TCG Command has returned an error" message appears because the device encryption is turned on.

I would suggest you to turn off the device encryption and check if it helps. Device encryption is turned on by default. Please use these steps.

a. If you have performed a clean install of Windows 8.1, device encryption is turned on by default. If you have upgraded a previous Windows installation to Windows 8.1, you can turn device encryption on by using PC info.

b. To open PC info, swipe in from the right edge of the screen, tap "Settings", and then tap "Change PC settings". (If you're using a mouse, point to the upper-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer down, click "Settings", and then click "Change PC settings".)

c. Tap or click "PC & devices", and then tap or click "PC info". The "Device Encryption" section appears at the bottom of the PC info page.

d. In the "Device Encryption" section, select "Turn On".

To opt out of automatic device encryption:

If you do not want the devices you are deploying to be automatically protected with device encryption, you can configure the unattend file to enforce the following registry setting:

• Path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\BitLocker

• Value: PreventDeviceEncryption equal to True (1)

• Type: REG_DWORD

Note: Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322756

For reference:

What's New in BitLocker for Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn306081.aspx

I hope this information helps.

Thank you

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  1. Anonymous
    2014-10-04T15:24:10+00:00

    Hello,

    sorry but there is no TCG feature that i can disable.

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  2. Anonymous
    2014-10-04T12:32:25+00:00

    Hello Steve,

    Thank you for the reply.

    I am sorry for late response.

    I would suggest you to try disabling TCG feature from Windows features.

    Refer:

    Enable or Disable Windows Features Using DISM

    http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh824822.aspx#

    Note: Refer section "To disable Windows features" from the above article.

    I hope this information helps.

    Thank you

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  3. Anonymous
    2014-09-29T11:43:51+00:00

    Sorry but it doesn't help.

    And yesterday i got a freeze during gameplay, so hibernate or sleep states are not responsible for the tcg error.

    Can I disable this tcg feature?

    Why windows trigger this function?

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  4. Anonymous
    2014-09-24T11:16:20+00:00

    Hello Steve,

    Thank you again for updating on the issue.

    I would suggest you to refer to suggestions and solution provided in this link and check if it helps.

    Refer:

    http://forums.crucial.com/t5/Solid-State-Drives-SSD/M500-sleep-hibernate-and-screen-lock/m-p/134003#M38317

    If it does not help, then I would suggest you to post your question on Crucial community.

    Crucial Community

    http://forums.crucial.com/

    Thank you

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