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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..
Re CSM, that was what someone else from a Google search was talking about. I see no CSM in my F2 bios. Only Legacy setting.
I will test with Legacy setting tomorrow, to see if I can boot the CD with that. But from what I read, Windows 8 will NOT boot in Legacy settings, that is why it is set for UEFI. I'll test, but I have no hope that will work.
I have no "advanced" settings in F2 bios. Going to bios from the booted OS, which takes about 15 steps and involves two restarts, does have some advanced settings. I have looked at them, and other than what I mentioned in my first post, I see nothing there to help. But I will look again, since I now know some more info, but again, I am doubtful there is anything there to help. Gee, the bios page you get to via F2 is under Advanced in that 15-step approach to bios from the OS (I haven't counted, I'm just saying a lot of steps).
Yes, I will look for Fast Boot there, and if I find it, I will make sure it is off. Hmm, did I see a Fast Boot in Startup Options?
So, you know no way to simply add a drive to the Boot Manager. OK. Unless turning off Fast Boot accomplishes that. Fast Boot -- something about that sound familiar from about 100 details ago, but maybe just someone talking form a Google search.
Thank you for all your efforts. We're not there yet, but you have definitely tried. Now we both are up against the wall.
Its just unconscionable that Gateway and Windows would do this with NO instructions about it! Do a Google on it -- everyone is going absolutely crazy about it.
I can't reinstall OS 8. The laptop came with it already on it. I have no install disk! This is actually why I got into this and discovered the boot issue -- I'm trying to clone the hard drive over to an external drive, and then go up to Windows 10, and if I don't like it, I would clone the external back over. I have serious privacy reservations about Windows 10. I got the bootable Acronis True Image to do the clone, but I can't boot from it!
Hi,
I can only suggest two things at this point...
Browse through some of the Advanced Settings and such in the BIOS, and look for Fast Boot... or Enable legacy... Your machine might actually boot from the HDD just fine with Legacy...
You Mentioned the "CSM" setting... I don't think that is necessarily a boot feature as much as a type of BIOS... I don't have that on my laptop at all either...
But normally you need to disable\turn off CSM before you can switch to Legacy and\or turn off Secure Boot.. if you have it...
Another option if you want to go that route would be to reinstall Windows with the BIOS set to Legacy...
There really isn't that much of a difference in functioning other than the fact the machine may take slightly longer to boot...
Was your Win 8.1 preinstalled ?
BTW... When you selected the CD\DVD drive as a Boot Device, did you specifically set it as the FIRST boot device, and the HDD the 2nd ?
Yes, with the thread having grown,and through all those details, it is difficult to follow. We are now focusing on the few details that appear at this point to be at the crux of the matter, maybe. Thank you for your efforts in pursuing this.
My F2 takes me to the bios. My F12 takes me to boot manager, which I do not consider to be bios, but maybe I'm wrong. In boot manager, the only thing that can be done is to select the boot drive from the list, and there is only the one drive on the list, the internal hard drive, not the CD drive.
In F2 bios, the only listing of UEFI is under the Boot tab, and the only thing that can be done is to choose UEFI or Legacy -- nothing else. There are no UEFI bios other than that, there are no UEFI bios to get into.
So, if we could figure out how to get F12 Boot Manager to list the CD drive, we will have solved the issue, I would boot an external via Boot Manager and leave UEFI in F2 bios as the mode to boot.
Again I note, the CD in the CD-DVD drive is bootable, it boots on other machines. The drive is reading it, and when booted to the internal hard drive, I can access that disk. That is, the disk is fine, it is bootable, the optical drive reads it, the machine reads it -- but it is not listed in Boot Manager so I can't select it to boot. And there are no settings in Boot Manager to add drives.
Hi,
It isn't so easy to keep track of your list of different attempts...
It would require I take detailed notes !!!
One time you say you are unable to access UEFI BIOS, then another you say you did...
Normally when you choose a Boot Option with F12, it is a one time selection that bypasses what the F2 BIOS is set for, so there is no need to be switching back and forth..
The only BIOS settings that 'Stick" are the ones through your F2, and then only when saved properly...
