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
    2015-02-18T20:11:25+00:00

    Dear all,

    I have been reading this post since my system too suffers from this error, only at boot/reboot. It may or may not affect the rest of the system, fact is that even a simple internet game on a website leads to first loosing audio and later a crash of IE. Probably these problems have to do with other underlying issues, of which there seem to be many.

    But coming back to the 'A TCG Command has returned an error' (EnhancedStorage-EhStorTcgDrv), it seems that this is something that is not well-known yet, and Microsoft does not seem to have a clearcut solution for it (yet).

    My system, built and first startup and install on 15 Feb 2015:

    Case: Cooler Master Silencio 550

    Motherboard: Gigabyte G1 Sniper B5-CF

    Bios: F8 (Jul 2014)

    Chipset: Intel Core i5 4590

    Chip cooler: Cooler Master Hyper T4

    Graphics Card: MSI NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970

    Memory: Crucial DDR 3 Ballistix 4GB 2x

    Power: Seasonic S12G PSU 450W

    SSD: Crucial SSD MX100 256GB

    HDD: Seagate ST2000DM001

    OS: Windows 8.1 Professional x64 OEM

    Monitor: iiyama ProLite E2208HDS

    First problem:

    A TCG Command has returned an error. Error happens at every startup/boot of system.

    Ran sfc, no problem

    Ran chkdsk, no problem

    As can be seen, two startups (19:22 and 20:33) both lead to the TCG Command error. Same for earlier boots/startups, it's even the first error in the list from the very first boot.

    Hopefully this issue will be solved in due time.

    As for the other problems that I have (audio stops in game in IE, IE crashes, and some other errors), where would you recommend posting? I'm pretty surprised that a brand new system with (I suppose) rather high quality hardware and software is giving so many issues from the start...

    Thanks and regards,

    Edwin.

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  2. Anonymous
    2014-12-29T12:38:53+00:00

    Hello Arbeedub,

    I really appreciate your reply.

    However, as you mentioned in the previous post that you are using Windows Server 2012 R2, I would suggest you posting your question on TechNet forum for better assistance from IT professionals and enterprise support.

    TechNet forum

    https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/home?forum=winserver8gen

    Thank you

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  3. Anonymous
    2014-12-29T09:53:59+00:00

    Hello Mbulger,

    Thank you for responding.

    It is good to know that you managed to fix the issue.

    I really appreciate your efforts and time.

    Please feel free to reply, if you have any other issues with Windows.

    Thank you

    Ratandeep, you haven't got a clue what we're saying, have you...

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  4. Anonymous
    2014-12-29T09:14:14+00:00

    Hello Mbulger,

    Thank you for responding.

    It is good to know that you managed to fix the issue.

    I really appreciate your efforts and time.

    Please feel free to reply, if you have any other issues with Windows.

    Thank you

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