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..
Just updating. I got a little time and am now making the Recovery drive. I'm doing it via the instructions in the link you gave to Gateway. I note, those instructions do not work, it must be different in Windows 8.1 from whatever that is for. I think that is for Win 7, as it refers to the Start menu, and there is no start menu in Win 8.0, and Win 8.1 has something other than a normal Start menu in place of the Start menu.
It even refers to clicking on the Gateways Management icon - but there is none!
But I was able to use that info to look around and figure out how to proceed.
I also note, one BIG disappointment, it will not allow me to do it as DVD disks, will only allow it to a USB flash drive. I wish I could have that on DVD disks instead of a flash drive.
I now have it done and it does boot.
It appears it is simply copying the Recovery partition. It suggests you can simply copy over manually if you want, and if so, then it is not adding anything to that, it is nothing but that partition.
It says it will restore to factory. Since this notebook shipped with Win 8.0, then does that mean it would restore to Win 8.0, not to the 8.1 I currently am at? Was that Recovery partition not updated when I went up to Win 8.1?
I booted form it to test it. I con do some troubleshooting and other once in that. But I note, I see nothing that will use this to install Windows 8 to a blank drive, as I believe you said it would do. No, it will simply do a recovery of an image file, or it will restore to a restore point marked on the PC, which means it needs the OS on the PC to have a restore point; hat is NOT installing the OS to a blank drive, and I don't see how I could even sue it to restore my way from Win 10 back to Win 8 since it would only have a Win 10 restore point to use.
I also can "refresh" or "reset" -- the PC. It simply says that "Refresh Your PC" will do that without losing any of your files, and "Reset Your PC" will lose all your files and do a complete reset of the PC. Note, it says it will do it to the "PC." I don't think I will be getting a choice of drive to do it to, so would not be able to choice a USB flash drive or external HDD. When I click on Reset Your PC, it has me chose the operating system to do it to, and the only one on the machine is the Win 8.1 on the internal drive. So that means it will NOT install Win 7 to a blank drive; it does not allow me to choose my blank external drive. It appears it will need to have an OS on the drive to work with, but I'm not sure whether I could do even that on an external. But if I could, then in theory I could do a files recovery with Acronis on an Image, and then use this reset on that partition to make it bootable, unless it will not let me selection a non-bootable OS? I hate to have to reset to work arounds for that!
This is helpful, but I don't think it will get me back to Win 8 after going up to Win 10 -- unless running that reset on the Win 10 OS will change it to Win 8 -- not sure you can simply do that. Once I go to Win 10, it won't have a Restore point on the PC for Win 8, would only have a Win 10 restore point. I don't know that running Reset Your PC on a Win 10 internal HDD will "reset" it to Win 8? Gee, I'm not sure that will do anything other than maybe corrupt everything.
I guess the Reset function is what will put it to factory? Why doesn't it say that, and why does it call it reset instead of something like reinstall? This sounds like it is simply a permanent restore point that also erases your files. The word reset suggests is it NOT installing the entire OS, it is just fixing certain things, maybe only boot files, and getting rid of everything else that might be creating trouble, or everything else since that factory reset point, all OS updates.
Will get to the other things when I can.
Hi,
The refreshes you did before must have used the Windows Tool, but I'm not sure...
Gateways process may have the same ability...
I'm not 100% sure that if you made the flash drive that it would restore the preinstalled Gateway stuff... If it is saying that the Flash Drive must be 16GB or more, it kind of sounds like it may return the machine to "Out Of Box"... But I really can't say for sure...
I can say that the DVD's WILL return it to "Out Of Box" condition...
It might only need two... but it may need 4-5...
You can get a better idea ahead of time by the USED space on the 15GB partition...
That is what will go on the DVDs...
I can say that my HP Laptop had everything on two DVDs...
One DVD was Windows 8.1, and the other was all of HP's preinstalled stuff...
One of the DVDs must be a double-layer because it has 5GB on it...
If you machine is even close to being similar, I think 3 DVDs would be a good guess.
All of the backup stuff we have been discussing will return the machine to Win 8.1...
The only thing I am uncertain about is whether the Flash Drive method will also return Gateway's preinstalled stuff...
I am fairly certain you will eventually lose that 15GB partition after you upgrade to Win 10... It may be there for 30 days possibly... After 30 days Win 10 deletes all of the Windows.old files and anything to Rolling Back to Win 8.1...
Even if it is there, it may be useless...
I just went through this process with my new Tablet... I didn't wait 30 days because I have very limited storage space... After manually removing the backup files for "Rolling Back" with a Disk Cleanup of System Files, I found that Win 10 also deleted my 15GB partition...
Based on that I would guess that is the standard practice on all machines with that type of partition...
The difference between the image you made with Acronis and those DVDs is that the Acronis will return the machine to the condition it was in when the image was made...
The DVDs will return the machine to the condition it was in when it was new...
Anything you have added, including any Data, will be lost...
I can't say with any certainty exactly what will happen with the Flash Drive method...
I currently don't have any way to test it...
Those DVDs I've mentioned are in fact a Windows install disk... they are just created by Gateway instead of Microsoft so that you get everything back like it was new...
The process works a bit differently than a Windows Installation Disk, but you end up installing Win 8.1 regardless...
You WILL lose anything you have added though...
If you were to run the Flash or DVDs with Win 10 on the machine, Win 10 would simply be overwritten..
You really can't go wrong burning the DVDs... just a little time...
You probably can't get better insurance for returning to "Out Of Box" should that ever become necessary or desireable...
The Flash Drive method may do exactly the same thing as the DVDs, but I can't give a good answer to that question... I just don't know...
If you had a more modern, spare HDD, you could test it...
I have a lot of confidence in Acronis... it should work... But there is a risk that it won't...
OK, so then the reason MS info said the recovery drive would need 4-6 GB of space but mine needs 16 GB is because mine is bigger due to the extras added by Gateway. OK, now that curiosity is solved.
But I would not be able to add that stuff into Win10. But are you sure it would not remain with the upgrade? I will be upgrading to Win 10, not installing it anew. In fact, it will check my OS to decide whether I can have the free upgrade or will have to buy, and I will get the free upgrade.
Here's something you have said similarly before, and please clarify:
"You are correct that it would put the machine back to Win 8.1, not Win 10, but sometimes that is what is desired... You can always do the upgrade to 10 again, but it is hard to get all of the preinstalled stuff back..."
It sounds like you are saying that if I ran that win 8.1 recovery USB flash drive, it would restore "it" to Win 8.1, not to Win10. It seems implicit that you are saying if I run it on Win 10, and that will restore it back to Win 8.1, not to Win 10. Are you saying that if I make this recovery flash drive now, then go up to Win10, if I want to go back to Win8.1, I simply run the Recovery flash drive on it?!
If so, that's what I need! I've said from the start, I need to be able to get back to Win 8.1 after going up to Win10. That restore function leaves all my files alone, it just deals with the OS -- not sure whether it also deals with the Gateway stuff, but it doesn't deal with anything I've added. It does it like an OS installation, and takes 20 minutes to a half hour, compete with the restart and setup.
So then if I did the image, and I can't test it, if I tried to use it and it failed, I could get back to Win 8.1 by running this Recovery USB flash drive on the Win 10 drive? That isn't going to be some conflict that causes a nuclear explosion or something making so I then can't have either OS, must erase and start clean, which can't do for lack of an OS install disk?
If so, that is far more important than I already thought. And that goes a long way to taking away the concern about not being able test the disk image, because I would be able to get back to 8.1 this way anyhow. I guess I just could not do a clean install with this, but I can get the same thing by having an OS and running this.
And you're also saying the Gateway feature wouLd allow me to burn this Recovery USB flash drive to DVD instead? That's good,saves me my flasH drive for other things, and DVDs are a lot cheaper than a flash drive.
Hi,
It is a bit confusing because Microsoft and some of the manufacturers use the same RECOVERY term for their process...
The easiest way to tell is that a Microsoft Recovery Partition will be from 450MB to 6GB in size, and the one from the manufacturer would be over 10GB...
My HP laptop uses the term HP Recovery to clear that up a little...
The 450MB partition usually only contains the TOOLS needed to boot the machine and do repairs... You would need some type of installation media to actually do most of them...
The process you have done several times is what I'm talking about to restore the machine to Out Of Box... (I think)... If it is Gateways method it puts the machine back like new..
The Windows process usually only does Windows, but it is possible that it may also reload Gateways preinstalled stuff...
It is Gateways process that I have been mentioning...
You are correct that it would put the machine back to Win 8.1, not Win 10, but sometimes that is what is desired... You can always do the upgrade to 10 again, but it is hard to get all of the preinstalled stuff back...
When switching to Win 10, it may or may not be a Clean Install... The normal upgrade process retains all of your existing programs, files, and settings...
A true Clean Install will not... it would be Windows only, installed on a blank HDD, or at least a blank partition...
The Gateway feature to burn DVDs would do the same thing when finished as what you have probably done previously, except you would do it with the DVDs instead of the built in partition... They would actually create e new 15GB partition... Just like the machine was when new...
I can't say for sure, but you may need 4-5 blank DVDs to do that... They would be numbered something like Disk #1, #2, etc... you would either boot with the #1 DVD to start the process, or select something from your Boot Options possibly...
The different methods to make sure you can get the machine up and running again all have their advantages and disadvantages...
The biggest advantage with Acronis, among other things, is that it keeps all of your pictures, videos, downloads, and etc., in the image...
With the Windows or Gateway method they are gone... The only exception would be the Windows System Imaging feature... It would retain everything like Acronis...
BTW... I just noticed that Newegg has a internal 3.5" 1TB HDD on sale for $45...
And a external 1TB 2.5" for $50... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822178744&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=IGNEFL111715&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL111715-_-EMC-111715-Latest-_-PortableExternalHardDrives-_-22178744-S0E
Good luck with that print job ! If you need anymore clarification on the backup stuff just ask..
