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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..
Yes, I'm sure your download worked. But it would not if Microsoft had broken your computer.
I was just about to give up on the download, but now it suddenly shows it downloading -- after a half hour, it has 1%, so far. So, I give up --the machine can no longer download properly because Microsoft broke it. If it takes a half hour to get 1%, then it will be downloading until Monday evening in order to get this.
So, I can't get it unless the computer gets fixed. And I have nothing to fix it with. So, that's the end of the line, all your effort was wasted since I can't do it thanks to MS.
And I am not now going to start a six month effort to try to fix it. Windows is not worth 8 months of effort so far, and six more.
I realized I have the download that won't work already on my desktop from my upgrade to Windows 8.1 -- and it is the same one. So I don't have to download anew.
I opened it and started the process. The process,as I was afraid, is to download the damn ISO anyway! Or maybe it is doing it as ESD and converting. Either way, I guess a big download -- it give zero idea what you are getting into.
So far, after 20 minutes, it says it has downloaded nothing and has no idea whatsoever how long it will take. This already looks like it is falling --and that's because Microsoft broke my computer yesterday in that download! Nothing is going to work here because Microsoft broke my computer.
I will let it run about another half hour, and if it still indicates it has downloaded nothing so far, there will be no point in continuing. Microsoft broke my computer, and it appears to bee affecting all the Interneting, at least downloads.
There is no This Computer on this computer. Even Microsoft thinks Windows 8.1 has a Start menu! They don't even know what people complained about about Windows 8 and 8.1 -- no Start menu. MS online instruction (that's where I read the instructions earlier, not inside the application) say for Win 8.1, go to the start menu! How stupid.
But I found I can't remember where I found Disk Clean up anyway earlier,although I now have no idea where, but I'm certain it was the right one.
But inn looking at it, you can't use it if you are not a coding engineer, who knows what any of that is. OK, you say to check only the System box, and then run.
I don't recall why I gave up on it earlier. And I'm not touching that until after this download finishes (so in about 155 more minutes, when I give upon it, because Microsoft broke my computer) or I give upon it, and I already am about 99.9% certain I will be giving upon it.
If I have to give up on it, then I have to fix this Win 8.1 in order to do anything. And I have nothing to fix it with, so it is not going to get fix.
So, Microsoft is going to lose the opportunity to collect any info at all on me, because I will junk the damn thing, and I will never, no matter what, consider using Windows again as long as I live.
Well, I suppose I could resort to trying to download the ISO on my Mac, since I found that URL. But this is an older, slower Mac. I'm sure that would take two days to download on this machine. They should never have imposed an insane 2.5 GB download on us! All else aside, doesn't MS even know that everyone's internet service is questionable, is always glitching and cutting off momentarily, and that means you have to start downloads all over again or you end up with corrupted stuff? You just never make big downloads, or you waste incredible amounts of people's time.
Hi,
The download of the ISO from the Create Media link just completed without problems...
It did in fact download a ESD and then when the download was complete, it created a ISO...
Hi,
You need to run the tool to get to all the explanations and selections...
I don't have a clue as to why it won't run...
Try the latest link I provided... there is no tool...
You just select which version of Windows ... Windows 10... Then English, then 32 or 64 bit...
BTW... All the installation ISOs\ESDs are generic... That's why there are additional downloads that are machine specific...
I just realized I didn't cover the Disk Cleanup issue...
I don't know if that was the right Disk Cleanup...
The main .EXE is actually located in C:\Windows\System32\cleanmgr...
You can go to ThisPC... right click on the drive and select Properties... You will see the button for Disk Cleanup...
After it does it's first scan you then see another button for System Files...
This is the one you want...
Check every box... Delete everything in SoftwareDistribution first... also delete the .BAK folder...
If you try Win 10 again, remember that you can't have a bunch of 3rd party stuff running when you do it... Antivirus software... Acronis may be a problem also if it is set for any type of automatic operation...
I just completed a download of a Win 10 ISO from the TechBench link without a problem...
I'm in the process of downloading a ISO from the Media Creation Link now... It has started downloading without a problem...
