Infineon Security Platform Solution

Microsoft Windows

This page provides specific information for Microsoft Windows operating system versions.

User Account Control

User Account Control is an important feature offered by Windows Vista and later. With User Account Control, IT administrators can run most applications, components and processes with a limited privilege, but have "elevation potential" for specific administrative tasks and application functions. When standard users evoke a system task that requires administrator privileges, such as attempting to install an application, Windows will notify the user and requires administrator authorization, i.e. username and password of an account with administrative privileges to complete that task. Additionally User Account Control causes even administrator accounts to run as standard accounts most of the time and whenever an admin-level task is attempted, the administrator will receive a prompt to temporarily elevate the privileges in order to complete just that single task.

Windows uses a shield icon to indicate that a particular feature requires administrative privileges to perform the task (e.g. for Security Platform restoration via Infineon Security Platform Initialization Wizard).

In Windows 7, the shield icon is not permanently visible by default, but only after appropriate configuration. The shield icon can look slightly different, depending on the Windows version.

Microsoft BitLocker

Microsoft's BitLocker, which comes with some editions of Windows Vista and later, can be used to encrypt an entire hard drive, making it more difficult for someone to access the computer's data if it is lost or stolen. BitLocker Drive Encryption together with or without Trusted Platform Module provides full disk encryption. Trusted Platform Module makes drive encryption even more secure because it uses the chip to generate cryptographic keys based on scans of core system files in addition to a key for the hard drive itself. To configure this feature check  Infineon Security Platform Initialization Wizard and Infineon Security Platform Settings Tool.

Trusted Platform Module (TPM) Management

Microsoft's Trusted Platform Module (TPM) Management application is a feature offered by Windows Vista and later. This application can be used to set ownership of the Trusted Platform Module and manage it. More detailed information is available in the Microsoft TechNet. Please refer to Microsoft TechNet.

Errors

If unexpected TPM or TSS errors occur under Windows Vista or later operating systems, please check whether TPM commands are blocked via Windows Group Policy settings.

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