To help prevent cheating, the Windows PC beta for Black Ops 7 requires both Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 to be activated before you can play. Some systems ship with these enabled already; if yours doesn’t, the game will prompt you to turn them on when you launch the beta. Enabling them usually means changing settings in your PC’s UEFI/BIOS.

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Official Activision walkthrough — recommended to watch before proceeding.

How to enable Secure Boot on a Windows PC

UEFI/BIOS layouts vary by manufacturer, so the exact menu names and locations might differ on your machine. The steps below cover the typical procedure used on most desktops and laptops.

  1. Restart your computer and press the UEFI/BIOS entry key repeatedly as it boots — common keys include DEL, F2, F10 or ESC.

    1. Note: Some systems provide a “UEFI Firmware Settings” option inside Windows > Settings > Update & Security > Recovery > Advanced startup. If present, that can take you directly into the firmware interface.
  2. Within the firmware interface, look for a menu labeled Security, Boot, or Authentication.
  3. Locate the Secure Boot option and switch it to Enabled.
  4. If the firmware displays a prompt or requires additional actions — such as installing a Platform Key (PK) or disabling Compatibility Support Module (CSM) — follow the on-screen instructions to proceed.
  5. Save changes and exit the firmware utility to reboot into Windows.

How to enable TPM 2.0

  1. Re-enter your UEFI/BIOS using the same method described above.
  2. Open the menu that may be called Security, Advanced, or Trusted Computing.
  3. Find an option named TPM Device, Security Device, Intel PTT, or AMD fTPM (naming varies by platform).
  4. Enable the option, save your settings, and restart the PC so Windows recognizes the TPM.

If you need further assistance, Activision’s official explainer may be useful: Trusted Platform Module and Secure Boot (Activision Support).

Possible display issue and CMOS reset

There is a small risk that after enabling both Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 your system might fail to send a video signal. I personally experienced this once. If that happens, perform a CMOS reset to restore firmware defaults: power down and unplug the PC, locate the coin-cell battery on the motherboard, remove it for several minutes to discharge residual power, then reinstall the battery and boot again. This is a recovery step; most users will not encounter the problem.

Why Black Ops 7 requires Secure Boot and TPM

Secure Boot and TPM operate at the hardware/firmware level and make it harder for malicious tools or cheats to tamper with the game environment. By requiring these protections, developers aim to strengthen anti-cheat measures and reduce instances of cheating in multiplayer matches — at least in principle.

 

Source: Polygon