This browser is no longer supported.
Upgrade to Microsoft Edge to take advantage of the latest features, security updates, and technical support.
![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(128, 8%, 22%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3EA%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
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..
Yes about getting it from a third party without knowing plenty about them, danger of malware.
Related, I found a Website a couple months ago where you can scan a Web page of a file for malware before you download -- can come in useful:
Will look into DivX Playe and some conversion software before grabbing that from any maybe questionable source. Besides, maybe there is a good reason MS took it down. It might not even be compatible with Win 10. Hey, it sounds promising, but it might not solve the problem anyway.
Hi,
That's kind of surprising, but I have been seeing that a lot lately for Microsoft file downloads... The file is available from 3rd party sources, but it's hard to say if it has been tampered with..
Oh well, your promising link produces no promise. I just checked that link in the QUOTE, to get the Microsoft Application Screen Decoder. All I get is the message: "We are sorry, the page you requested cannot be found."
On to the next thing.
Well, too not to be argumentative, of course there is such a thing as mpeg4. Perhaps you meant not with the dot in front of it, no .mpeg4.
www.freemake.com/how\_to/how\_to\_convert\_video\_to\_**mpeg4**
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/**MPEG-4**
Apparently, mpeg4 is the codec for mp4. I'm nearly positive I have seen some files use .mpeg4 interchangeably with .mp4. But regardless ...
Interesting we end up on that topic. Today I found that I can play those videos in my old DivX Player on Mac. I had forgotten all about that player. And, according to that Wikipedia link:
"The key parts to be aware of are MPEG-4 Part 2 (including Advanced Simple Profile, used by codecs such as DivX, Xvid,.. "
That appears to be saying that DivX uses mpeg4.
So, I used mp4 as the extension on the file. But it will not open in my VLC Player, which I know will l play mp4. So, that is not going to solve the issue.
However, since it will play in my older DivX Player on Mac, I will get the Windows version and try it over there.
DivX Player comes with a separate application to convert videos. But it would not convert this video on my Mac, even though it will play it. Hmm. I don't even know what it was going to convert it to, it gave no choice. Oh, maybe that was converting other formats TO DivX, but could not convert this one. Hmm. I don't think this file is DivX, I think it is older than DivX, was out before that format was out.
If DivX Player will play it on Windows, then I can play those. Will see. That doesn't explain the issue though. Can't get to this stuff until later in the week, all bogged down for a while now -- maybe I can get to it on Thursday, maybe. Actually tried to download the Windows version earlier on my Mac, but that damn Website won't let you choose, instead it detects your OS and won't let you have any other version. I don't need the Mac version! Will have to wait until I get on the Windows machine another time. I REALLY wish tech people would stop thinking they know more about what you want than you do.
On Mac, Get Info tells me what codec it uses, and it says WMA and WMV. I saw further info somewhere, suggesting WMV -- was it 3 or 2. I forget where I saw that, maybe on Windows somewhere. Oh yes, it was in one of those tabs, the window about Details in something. Maybe clicking on the file, and then Properties, and check the Details tab? Is there a Details tab there?
That QUOTE you gave sounds promising, will try that -- against, later. And will take a look at that thread, at least if the QUOTEe info doesn't work.
So, a couple promising things here, the DivX Player and that info in that QUOTE about that decoder to download. THANKS.
