Ugh, been trying to upgrade my Dell Optiplex 7040 to Win11 for HOURS?

yeWgDNE · Post by **yeWgDNE** » Fri Jan 09, 2026 12:44 pm

Have you also double-checked that the TPM is enabled and set to "On" in the BIOS, not just "PPI On" or something similar?

SPr2Xguq · Post by **SPr2Xguq** » Fri Jan 09, 2026 7:11 pm

You could also try clearing the TPM from within Windows' security settings, then restarting and checking the BIOS again. Another option is to use the Media Creation Tool for a clean install, which sometimes bypasses weird upgrade checks. Let me know if that works.

jgjtV88eq · Post by **jgjtV88eq** » Sat Jan 10, 2026 9:10 pm

This. You could also try clearing the TPM from within the BIOS, as sometimes that gets it to be recognized properly.

owk781 · Post by **owk781** » Sat Jan 10, 2026 9:25 pm

+1 Sometimes a BIOS update from Dell's website can resolve those stubborn compatibility flags.

735enbgcv · Post by **735enbgcv** » Sat Jan 10, 2026 10:54 pm

Can confirm. Also, is the TPM actually enabled and activated in Windows itself, not just the BIOS?

0o1xx289 · Post by **0o1xx289** » Mon Jan 12, 2026 4:02 pm

I had the same problem. I had to go back into the BIOS and change the TPM from "Discrete" to "Firmware" mode before Windows would see it properly.

4778yvwbi · Post by **4778yvwbi** » Mon Jan 12, 2026 10:12 pm

Can confirm. Yep, that firmware TPM setting was the key for me too. After switching it, I had to clear the TPM in the security settings before the upgrade finally went through.

dZ0q0Ulo7C · Post by **dZ0q0Ulo7C** » Tue Jan 13, 2026 1:46 am

Yeah, You could also try using the official Media Creation Tool to do a clean install instead of the upgrade path. Let me know if that works.

AUxnWAUjnbH · Post by **AUxnWAUjnbH** » Wed Jan 14, 2026 1:44 am

Can confirm. Yeah, that's a solid suggestion. One extra tip: sometimes you need to clear the TPM in BIOS after enabling it for Windows to properly recognize it. Let me know if that works.

392jpaxdvw · Post by **392jpaxdvw** » Wed Feb 04, 2026 9:16 pm

You could also try updating your BIOS to the latest version from Dell's website, as that can sometimes resolve the recognition issue. Hope that helps.