Forum Discussion
I've been trying to figure out why Windows 10 is starting up so slowly.
PC:Dell XPS8900 22H2 no TPM machine
My PC normally boots up in about 30 seconds, but after a recent Windows update it now takes 5 minutes.
This is a report on copilot and an analysis of the problem (which was not resolved).
### Title:
Persistent Event ID 1033 from TPM-WMI in Non-TPM Legacy Device — Unjustified Boot Delay Due to Invalid EFI Module Detection
### Description:
I am reporting a system behavior that consistently affects a legacy, non-TPM-enabled device running Windows 10. The issue involves the repetition of **Event ID 1033 from Microsoft-Windows-TPM-WMI** during boot, even though the system contains no physical TPM.
#### Key Conditions:
- The device lacks TPM hardware (confirmed via BIOS and system diagnostics).
- Event ID 1033 references a revoked EFI boot manager located at:
- TPM-WMI continues to log errors even after:
- The flagged `.efi` file is renamed to `.bak`.
- The parent folders (`Dell\Boot`) are renamed or moved.
- The boot configuration (`bcdedit /enum firmware`) shows no reference to the revoked path.
- Secure Boot is enabled and functions correctly using Microsoft's default EFI boot manager.
- There is no BitLocker enabled and no TPM provisioning history.
#### Observations:
- The flagged EFI file has valid size and timestamp consistent with legitimate Windows EFI modules.
- TPM-WMI registers Event ID 1033 even when the file exists as `bootmgfw.efi.bak` inside deeply nested renamed folders.
- Boot time remains significantly delayed (~5 minutes) with no observable hardware faults.
- Clearing TPM is not possible (TPM does not exist); `tpm.msc` reports "Compatible TPM not found."
#### Concerns:
- In systems without TPM, Secure Boot’s reliance on TPM-WMI creates **false-positive detection of revoked modules**.
- There appears to be no mechanism to bypass or disable the revocation check logic in the absence of TPM.
- Disabling TPM-WMI logging via `wevtutil` is not feasible due to absence of an Operational channel.
- This behavior may affect other legacy systems globally where revoked OEM bootloaders remain in EFI but are not in use.
### Request for Consideration:
I kindly request that Microsoft review the logic applied in Secure Boot/TPM-WMI interactions when no TPM is present. Specifically:
- Avoid scanning EFI modules against DBX lists if TPM is not available.
- Allow suppression or deactivation of Event ID 1033 in TPM-absent configurations.
- Provide clearer documentation or mitigation paths for legacy device users experiencing unjustified boot delays.
This issue appears structural and reproducible. I hope this feedback contributes toward improving boot experience reliability on older hardware still in operation.
We ask Microsoft to improve this.
2 Replies
- UriahRedwoodIron Contributor
Since you mentioned Secure Boot is enabled, try disabling it in BIOS to see if the boot delay reduces. This might bypass the unnecessary EFI module checks tied to Secure Boot validation routines.
- 1047Copper Contributor
Hi UriahRedwood
I have disabled Secure Boot.
There is no change other than the system error event ID number becoming 1033 to 1796.
Allow 5 minutes for startup time..We've spent a long time working with Copilot to try and identify every possible cause, and have concluded that there is no solution at this time.
We took the step of posting to encourage the possibility that Microsoft might add a fix in the future to "suppress TPM-WMI events in environments without a TPM installed."