Windows 10: Secure Boot and TPM (what does it do to the system drive)

Hi I'm becoming more and more confused over TPM and perhaps to a lesser extent on Secure Boot. Sure, I've got both enabled on my PC but exactly what do they do, particularly TPM? Yes, the TPM stores keys (or parts of keys) and generally provides a higher level of security of which I fully approve. However, what I'm uncertain of is: what does it do to the System Disk? I've heard all sorts of people imply that it actually encrypts the system drive but I've not found anything definitive about this. I've read many articles hoping to get the answer but no-one is saying anything about this so can it be assumed that it doesn't encrypt the System Drive? What I do know is that it enables a disk to be encrypted using Bitlocker but beyond this I have little idea what it does. One thing I'm sure of is that the TPM does a lot more than my current understanding suggests. There's also the question of what should be done when installing a new OS, Windows 11 for example. Should both Secure Boot and the TPM be disabled? Are there any other times that these two items should be disabled, for example when stripping the PC down ready for a re-build? Perhaps both items should be disabled before doing anything which changes its configuration, e.g. installing a new GPU or even a hard drive/SSD. I just don't know what the implications are with both Secure Boot and TPM enabled. I'm hoping someone on this forum can help me on this matter and perhaps point me towards web pages that may explain it and help clear up my confusion. Any help would be most appreciated. Thank you. Tracey PS I'm currently on the latest version of Windows 10 (21H1) with all updates installed as they come in.

:)

 

TPM update

Don't know if this is the right place for this thread but whatever, laptop informed me that " a firmware update is needed for you security processor (TPM)," now, i looked up what to do and from a microsoft support thing, the last step says to clear the tpm. it has a warning saying to back up my data, i would like to know what clearing the tpm does, and what measures i need to take to make sure nothing goes wrong.

 

Update your security processor (TPM) firmware

Is it just piece of cake or is this operation dangerous? I'm afraid to loose all my encrypted data???

3. Clear your TPM

Important

Before clearing your TPM, be sure to back up your data.
Do not clear the TPM on a device you do not own, such as a work or school PC, without being instructed to do so by your IT administrator.

Follow these steps to clear your TPM:

1. Go to Start > Settings >
   Update & Security > Windows Security >
   Device security .
2. Under Security processor, select
   Security processor details.
3. Select Security processor troubleshooting, and then under
   Clear TPM, select Clear TPM.
   
   Your device will need to restart before the process is complete.

 

Windows 8 Secure Boot Feature: Not So Secure?

So Linux is switching to secure boot also? Or they have to because of UEFI?