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I am trying for the first time to boot my Windows 8.1 laptop from the internal CD-DVD drive. I have a bootable CD in there, and yes, I do have the bios set with CDROM drive as first in the list to boot from. But when I try to boot from the CD, it won't boot, instead the computer gives me this message:
"ATAPI CDROM has been blocked by the current security policy."
(Its actually a DVD drive.) All it lets me do at that message is hit the Enter key to OK the message, and then it boots from the hard drive.
I have no idea where "security policy" settings are or what they are set for. What do I have to do to get this to boot?
This is a Gateway laptop, 2.2 MHz Intel Pentium processor, 4 GB RAM, 64 bit OS, with Windows 8.1 fully updated, and Windows Defender running and fully updated.
I have already looked everywhere I can find, but nothing seems to address this message or issue, as follows:
*I went to Help menu to look up "Security Policy." While the computer is giving me the message about "security policy," the Help menu has no idea what "security policy" is, it just comes up blank!
*I went to Control Panels/System and Security/Action Center/Change Windows Settings/Smart Screen/... All I found in there that might be involved is a setting to block anything downloaded from the Internet until I give administrator access. Well, the booting issue didn't allow me to give administrator access (yes, I am the administrator) when I tried to boot, I only could hit the enter key to OK. Nonetheless, I changed to: notify me but proceed (not a quote).
With that, I tried again, but it still would not boot from the CD, got the same message, so that setting is not it. I changed the setting back.
I see no other setting there that could be related by even a stretch. And the control panels should be dealing with the OS anyway, and this is happening while trying to boot from the OS on the CD, not the hard drive. That is, this is something in the root.
*I then went into bios area (UEFI Firmware) by sweeping in from the right and into Settings/Change PC settings ..., and found a tab in bios for Security. Looking there, there is a list of things, but it lets me access only "Supervisor Password." It was currently set as "clear," meaning no password. I left it as that -- surely I can't need a password just to boot from a CD, and the message I got in trying to boot from the CD did not allow me to enter a password.
Other settings in the Security tab were not accessible. The only ones they included that might be remotely related were:
*Password on Boot, which was set as no password. But again, the message I get with this issue does not ask for nor allow me to enter a password.
*Secure Boot Mode: Standard (It does not let me access to change that.)
Some others also were in the list that are not worth listing, not even vaguely related.
I then went into some other things elsewhere in the main settings called Startup Settings. The only thing in there that sounded the least bit vaguely related was "Enable boot logging." I punched F2 to go into that, but the machine instead restarted, and did not start from the CDROM, same message again. I went back to it, and it is still listed as Enable boot logging, does not instead say Disable - so I don't know if anything even got changed. I did not touch it again, left it as-is.
So, that's it. I've checked all the settings I know about. Nothing about this bit about "ATAPI CDROM has been blocked by current security policy."
I tested with two DVDs that I have booted from in the past on other Windows machines -- they also would not boot, but they did not give me that message.
I note, all three CDs/DVDs are being read fine by the DVD drive once the machine is booted in Windows 8.1 from the hard drive - so the issue is not that the DVD drive can't read the disks.
Where is this "security policy" set?! What do I need to do to get this to boot from the CD?
Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.
Hi,
So everything is back to normal... or at least working to your satisfaction ?
You seem to know more about manipulating your email than I do, but though I may be able to help by describing what my screen looks like !
I know how that kind of conversation goes... Not so much with Microsoft, but with my internet provider sometimes..
Hi,
There is also a RUN command in the menu that will sometimes work as a administrator... Sometimes I try that first, but I have gotten in the habit of using CMD (Admin) because I got tired of having to do some things twice...
That partition\volume has a weird name because why Windows created it...
I wouldn't worry about it... It may be "Protected" for some reason... I've never tried to defrag mine... I delete them !!!
If sfc /scannow finds no errors, that means all of your actual Windows System files are good... Whatever error ChkDsk is detecting is some other type of file...
One of your programs or maybe some of your personal files...
Concerning the Disk Cleanup... just be sure to remember that after it does it's first scan, you need to click the button for System Files, and then check their boxes...
Oh, I took volume to mean more than just one partition, more like similar to a different hard drive, that is, the volume is the whole thing. OK. Actually, I guess Mac probably displays any partition as another volume, or maybe only any bootable partition.
Bizarre that one has to go to that list to open Command Prompt as administrator. On Mac, it is what user is doing it, an administrator or someone else, you don;pt open a different window. Can I always run everything as an administrator? I have an icon for Command Prompt in my Task Bar, and I can replace it with the one for this Administrator window if I can run anything and everything as that.
That is running now. I'm afraid it will be too voluminous to tell what's what, and I have already learned I can't copy anything from Command Prompt, so I can't copy and paste it and send it along.
Will check that later. To dinner now.
Thanks.
EDIT: sfc /scannow ran faster than I expected, and little text in the window at all. All come out fine.
It did the full 100% verification. Its final line says:
Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations.
So, that is done, found nothing.
But the chkdsk still thinks there is something there, but it isn't getting it fixed.
So, something still needs to get fixed. Your next step was clearing the files. Im not hopeful about that. Is there anything else first?
RE the frag of 16%, being as it appears to be one of the other partitions, not the primary or main recovery, what might that affect, and why can't it be defraged -- it actually says it needs to be defragged, unlike that one with 1%?
Hi,
The \?\Volume (abaf46... = 16% is probably one of the other hidden partitions...
It is most likely one of the "Recovery" partitions...
For the sfc /scannow issue... you need to use Command Prompt (Admin)... I may have forgotten to mention that.
Right click on the Windows Icon on the lower left corner of your Desktop... It will be on the menu...
ChkDsk can't fix all errors... I don't know if that is the problem or not...
Will the optimization run on any of the other partitions, or are you just having trouble with the \?\Volume (abaf46... = 16% ?
Going poorly.
Right now, I'm trying to run sfc /scannow out of Command Prompt. It just keeps saying I must be an administrator. I AM the administrator, there is only one user on this machine me, and I am the administrator.
So, how do I run that?
I spent all afternoon running the chkdisk as you said over and over and over. I'm not sure it was able to make any of the repair. Every time I run it again to check for a clean run, it has more to fix, and the way it completes, there is no idea if it succeeded or not. Apparently not since it still have to do it again next time I try.
Tons of errors throughout. Every time something different. I was listing them, but pointless with a different one every time.
And no difference with the Optimization, it just won't do it. I note, the Volume I'm talking about is listed as:
\?\Volume (abaf46... = 16%
That % is percent of fragmentation.
How is volume different form the other listing:
Gateway C = 0%
What is the volume? If it is the entire drive, then how can it be 16%, while nothing else is? The only other one with any fragmentation is:
Recovery = 1%
It also lists what either Acronis or Partition Wizard has used for the name of the fifth partition, the 15 GB recovery partition, we have spoken of, calling it Push Button:
Push Button = 0%
So giving up on that and trying to move to the Command Prompt -- but it won't run the command even though I AM the administrator.
I'm probably done with this for today.
