As part of new security measures to prevent cheats, playing the Black Ops 7 beta on Windows PC means you need to enable secure boot and TPM 2.0.
Some players may have this enabled by default, but if you don’t, upon launching Call of Duty — provided you know how to play the Black Ops 7 beta — you’ll be met with a prompt instructing you to do so. However, this is easier said than done, as it requires diving into your BIOS settings.
In this guide, we’ll explain how to enable both TPM 2.0 and secure boot so you can play the Black Ops 7 beta. Activision has released a video showing how to do both, which you should watch first below, but continue reading for more detailed guidance.
How to enable secure boot on Windows PC
It’s worth noting that BIOS menus differ per manufacturer, so it’s not possible for us to list every configuration. That said, most will follow these general instructions.
-
Enter the BIOS by restarting your computer and repeatedly pressing either DEL, F2, F10, or ESC upon startup.
- Note: You may be able to get here by finding the UEFI Firmware Settings option in your advanced settings, but this option wasn’t available for me.
- In the BIOS, find the tab or menu called Security, Boot, or Authentication.
- Find the Secure Boot option and enable it.
- If you’re blocked by another pop-up window, follow the instructions on screen, such as adding a Platform Key or disabling CSM (Compatibility Support Module) mode.
- Save your changes and restart your Windows PC.
How to enable TPM 2.0
- Return to the BIOS.
- Find the tab or menu called Security, Advanced, or Trusted Computing.
- Look for an option called TPM Device, Security Device, Intel PTT, or AMD fTPM.
- Enable it, save your changes, and restart your Windows PC again.
If you’re encountering any issues during this process, this official explainer from Activision may be able to help further.
There is a chance that, upon enabling these settings and restarting your Windows PC, your machine won’t be outputting any display signals. For context, this is what happened to me when I enabled both secure boot and TPM 2.0, but don’t worry. At this point, you need to perform a BIOS reset by resetting the CMOS battery. To do this, locate the coin-shaped battery on your motherboard, remove it, wait five minutes to let any remaining power discharge, then reinstall the battery. However, public channels aren’t full of people claiming this exact problem has happened to them, so it seems I may just be unlucky.
Why does Black Ops 7 require secure boot and TPM?
Essentially, Black Ops 7 — and other new multiplayer shooters, such as Battlefield 6 — are taking extra steps to retain the integrity of playing online. This means that both of these options, on a local hardware level, make it harder for players to cheat, and if they do use any form of cheats, the game’s anti-cheat systems should have an easier time detecting them. So, in theory, Black Ops 7 will have fewer cheaters online than previous games in the series.
In theory.
