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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,
Failed upgrades have been known to case problems with a second attempt.
Deleting the left over stuff sometimes helps...
It is possible that your internet connection has not been right for several days.
I haven't had that problem lately, but have before. One time for four months. So bad my ISP refunded my money..
But just now I had a long Delaney just opening my Hotmail...
Hopefully things will go more smoothly the rest of the way.
Btw... You might try deleting that stuff on the Win 7 machine also.
OK, back on top of things now. I am downloading the upgrade ISO, and should have it in about two hours, or about 9 p.m., as long as no glitches during that time. EDIT: Never mind, now it says 5 hours, not two, so overnight.
Just FYI, that does not explain the same problem on the Windows 7 machine - that problem has been for three days now, and this internetting problem only started at that 79% point of yesterday's download.
This download is OS specific, only for Win 8.1 to go up to 10, wont;work on the Win 7 machine. Have to do a separate download for that. In fact, I'm getting the 64 bit version, so if I wanted the 32 bit for another machine, it would take anther download.
I'm getting the ISO. I need that to run from the desktop this machine, I also can burn it to disk, will do it as bootable, but I just need on ISO on the side that I can easily copy over to the desktop.
This was one irritating day! But thank you for your support and sticking with it. I don't see that I would followed through without you there continuing to try to help, which got me to keep plugging away.
I also might have the Windows Update fix.I ran the fix on it again, and it again fixed the same two problems, but this time it worked, although it found only Win10 upgrade. :) Maybe that got fixed really with the Disk Cleaner, but still needed those two things fixed, which hopefully this time will stay fixed.
So, that's it for tonight, But tomorrow I will have the ISO - hopefully -- to do the upgrade.
Thank you. I can't say that enough. Will keep you posted.
BTW, one of the things you mentioned in your messages was to ask if I had a 3rd party anti-virus. No, I simply use Windows Defender.
Hi,
The Downloads in Disk Cleanup has absolutely nothing to do with the downloads in your download folder... I doesn't delete personal files...
You need to delete the driver downloads as well... You would never even be able to find them if you thought you needed them anyway...
Personally, I think there is zero chance that downloading Win 10 through Windows Update damaged your computer's hardware... Damage Windows Update... maybe...
Have you checked your download speed to see if it is normal ?
Sometimes Microsoft's servers are busier during certain times of day and are slower, but the same thing can apply to your internet connection as well...
it's hard to say, but if you wouldn't have cancelled the recent ISO download, it may have been about done by now... Sometimes they start slow and then speed up...
Or start fast and then slow down like Windows Update did...
You also need to delete the contents of the SoftwareDistribution folder...
Anything that is possibly corrupted by the previous failures...
The Mac is an older, slower machine. It is not operating any slower than it always does, including on the Internet. Its only 933 MHz!
The issue yesterday happened with a download, downloading the Windows 10 update. And now downloads are not working. Something more than Windows Update was affected. The first 79 percent downloaded fine, then it stopped -- something happened at that point.
I just ran System Cleanup, and after it checked things, it added a check box that had not been in the list originally: Windows Update. Good. It had something like 19 MB of files in there -- not 79% of a 2.5 GB download, but something.
I unchecked I think two of the boxes: thumbnails and downloads. I don't want to lose what is in my downloads folder. Oh, I also unchecked a box for driver download packages -- why would want to lose those.
And now I am testing Windows Update, and it still is just running interminably. So that didn't do it. Tomorrow I will restore to an earlier point in time. There is no other option.
Do not take any of my anger as directed to you. You are an angel. I have just learned to truly hate Microsoft. And it has tried my patience to the limit. You just can't have a horror at every single inch of the way.
