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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,
Sometimes it works better if you just delete all of the other users on the list except for your account... After you have made yourself the Owner that is...
Here are some Pics of the Parted Magic screens you will see...
This is the first to appear... just hit enter at the default as shown...
Here is the Desktop you will see... The time zone stuff isn't important...
You will see the File Manager on the far upper left corner... Double click it just like you would in Windows...
This is what File manager looks like after to expanding to Full Screen... You will see the Linux type file naming on the upper left, but it still lists the original name of the drive....
After double clicking the drive labeled sdb1 2T BACKUP, the contents of the drive appear in the main window... BACKUP is the original drive name that I gave it in Windows... it is a 2TB (2T) drive I use for backup... of course...
Once you have opened the drive and the folders are visible as shown, they can be accessed just like in Windows... but you should now have no problems deleting the ones you don't want...
Everything you say about the permissions should be right. But I have done all of that, and it does not work.
In fact, I just now tried again. I noted I must have killed Administrator off the list earlier, in one of various tests. I added it back, with User as owner. It wold not proceed, wanted permissions from user, which is already in the list with full permissions but it would not take it. It did do the administrator permissions though.
I tried changing owner to Administrator. The opposite happened, it would not do the Administrator permissions in deleting the file. For some reason, it requires owner permission but refuses to recognize it.
It doesn't work. It should, but it is junk.
I'll see about getting that download tomorrow and try to address this over the weekend. If that doesn't work, I will ruin my backup images by copying them over so that if I should need them sometime, they won't work. This thanks to MS. Gee, I will also have to remember all the multiple things we had to figure out about formatting this drive! I no longer remember what that was, but it was a bunch of stuff. Was something about partitions. Oh, I'm am not going to get into six months of that again!
Hi,
To make a long story short... there are basically two types of Administrators...
You may be logged in as a Administrator, but it is not the "Official" Administrator Account... I don't really know how to explain the difference in a understandable fashion...
What you need to do concerning the permissions is to make yourself the Owner, and then ADD yourself to the list of Users with Full Permissions... I think that is the step you are missing... That is why after changing the Owner to yourself, it is requiring your permission, and refusing to delete the file... You have not been added to the list...
I think your Mac may have used something like a exFat file system, and you are now using NTFS... I think newer macs can read NTFS, but probably not the older ones...
The Parted Magic is not huge... 344mb... but it can take awhile to download...
Compared to your frustration with changing permissions, it should be a piece of cake...
I will see if I can get some pictures of what it's screen looks like so you know more of what to expect...
Well, all efforts today have been a failure. Windows wasted two+ more hours of my time for what should be a routine, 2-minute effort. I am not going to go into another 6-month irritating and maddening project to try to erase these stupid files. It is unforgivable that Windows makes it so impossible to do such a routine thing.
I went into those windows for the permissions. Mine looks like yours and doesn't look like yours, depends on the -- I don't know, the thing.
But after trying about 30-40 different things for changing owner and changing permissions, I don't even have the slightest idea any more what it is. Nonetheless, Windows keeps wanting administrator permission, administrator has the permission, I am the administrator, it won't proceed. It also wants permission of whomever I set as owner, and even when I set my user name as owner, it won't proceed without administrator privileges, which my owner also is.
Without knowing just how to set what, I give up on that. I am not going to keep trying 100 more combinations, none of which work, days of time expended. I either know exactly what to set as what, or never mind.
So, I tried Partition Wizard. It has only the ability to wipe the entire drive, so never mind.
I just tried a variation of your download approach. You suggested that in order to use a different operating system. Well, that sounded promising, so I fired up my Mac and plugged the drive into that. Dang, Mac can't read the drive, not sure why, probably because it is formatted for Windows. I did read that drive on my Mac previously. I don't recall details, maybe I had not yet formatted it? I'm pretty sure I had formatted it already, so I don't know why it won't read it now, even with the Windows format on it. But it won't. Hmm, maybe it was formatted, but in putting it on the Mac, I have to initialize it -- and I can't do that now or I will lose everything?
So, I can try downloading and burning and starting up from that download you offered. Maybe I can get that tomorrow. This should not be required, Windows should provide for doing such a simply thing as this -- this is not the startup drive.
Windows wants administrator permission, I am the administrator, what does it want me to do to give that permission, the only option it offers is to try to proceed, but it won't proceed!? The files are already assigned full administrator permissions. I tried making the owner Administrator, I tried making it my user name, I tried making it any user, I tried making it Administrators plural, I tried denying all permissions from Trusted Installer, nothing gets it done. I'm not going to try 100 more things, that's just wasting time.
So, unless your download works, I have no choice but the nuclear approach.
