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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..
OK, yes. I have to right click on This PC, and then I could set that up as My Computer. I made a shortcut to go inn the upper left corner of desktop, where it is expected.
But other than to pin it in Quick Access in a folder on the task bar, is there a way I can make a shortcut to it -- it doesn't seem to let me do that. And in Quick Access, it is not pinning the version of This PC I want, with the drives already all showing, it instead gives an abbreviated view, so I will forever more have to do extra clicks.
I want the shortcut so I can just do one click to get to that view of This PC. I don't want to click on a folder, troll through a list, select This PC, get to the page and have to click yet again on This PC to have the view of the This PC window with the drives in it. I want a shortcut to get to that in a single click, like I have always had -- otherwise, this is a real step backward.
I also would want it so I can immediately see it from the desktop,whether a shortcut or pinned to the taskbar -- with it in the folder, you can't see what is in there without already knowing to open the folder. In the past, I was able to just make a shortcut from the file tree on the left side of what is now This PC.
EDIT: Never mind about the shortcut -- I just found a way to do it and it is now in place. END EDIT
As I write, I'm installing Win 10 on my laptop. From the desktop. I will look this stuff over more thoroughly on my computer.
I am suspecting you have not used My Computer very much. Well back in this discussion, when I was making the backup and I said I put the Image on the desktop of the external drive, you did not understand how that could, didn't see it on your backup. That sounded like you are not used to navigating through the list at the left under My Computer -- which you can get now by right clicking on This PC.
To get to the desktop on the external, you simply navigate through those folders to the same spot as in the location tree on the left of My Computer. This is one reason why My Computer is so important, it shows the basic layout of the computer -- that's why it was my first question when not finding it.
I already put a few things pinned to the task bar, such as Control Panel, and Windows Defender, and one or two other things. I will set my own computer up more extensively. This guy with the Win 7 computer doesn't use it for much other than watching Thai TV and running a Kareoke application. :) He can't even read English, he reds Thai. He fixed my watched and clocks when needed, and I'm just doing him a favor by doing this for him, as he doesn't know anything about it.
Being able to go all around and turn off all that stuff, I might actually stay with Win 10. Will see, I do have options if I want them later. I at minimum need to use ti fora little while to get used to it. But actually, one thing is if that dongle doesn't work in Win 10, I will have to go back to Win 8.1 -- but I think it will work, for multiple reasons, including that Win 10 supposedly allows you to do some setting to run things in something like Legacy. But I suspect this will work, since Win 8.1 ran it even thought there is no 8.1 software for it, it patched it through Win 8.1 WiFi software.
Hi,
ThisPC replaces Computer and My Computer... It is similar but different...
Do you have a ThisPC Icon on your Desktop, and maybe Control Panel, and a few more ? If not, you can add them...
Right click on the Desktop and select Personalize, then Themes... on the left...
Then in the center of the windows click on Desktop Icon Settings... you will see what I am talking about...
A lot of that stuff is available if you right click on the Windows icon on the lower left of the Desktop... OR hold down the Windows key on the keyboard and hit x...
If you go to Control Panel and set the VIEW to Small Icons you will see all kind of stuff...
You can right click on any of them and make a Shortcut for your Desktop or anywhere else..
I put a bunch of shortcuts and other things I use a lot in a folder...
Then I put the folder in C:... I call it Apps... just because that is a short name.
If you then right click on the Taskbar you will see TOOLBARS at the top...
If you select New Toolbar you will be able to browse to your new folder on C:\ and add it to the Taskbar... When you then click on it, a menu opens with all your stuff right there..
That sounds like it went well with the Win 7 machine... Win 10 is much better than previous versions about finding all the correct drivers you need... If you look in Device Manager you may see some OTHER or UNKNOWN hardware that you will need to find drivers for...
Let me know how things go... And btw... make sure it Activated properly...
Click on Notifications by the time on the Taskbar... All Settings... Update... Activation...
Once that says Activated by Digital Entitlement you no longer need the original OS to do a clean install, and will reactivate by a Hardware ID that was created...
I just finished installing Win 10 of that other Win 7 laptop. Figured I could test on that one before ruining mine -- the guy said it would be OK to erase it all. I did need to erase it all, because it did not have enough empty space - although that is odd since there was nearly nothing on it. Anyway, got it done, went through a lot of the settings.
Question: How can I get into what previously was called My Computer or Computer? That is where I can select a disk to look at or other things, see what drives are in there. The closest I can find is This PC, and that just is not the same thing. Gee, now that I think of it, I didn't even see Disk Management anywhere -- I went to that via My Computer.
Will do my computer this afternoon or tomorrow. But having done it once now, here should be no issue, only issue will be getting to now Windows 10. I wish they would let us pin the power button to the start menu -- would be so much easier. I have that on my Gateway, added by Gateway -- I hope I still have it once upgraded.
Oh, I had to do that laptop from the booted DVD. I learn that in Win 8.1, I can open the ISO on the desktop by right clicking on it and run it from there. I was not able to open the ISO on the desktop of the Win 7 machine, so I had to run the install from the booted DVD.
Did not give them a MS account. I agree with you.
Hi,
Normally a CD\DVD will not boot in UEFI... But I have noticed that on some machines that it is able to distinguish between a Windows DVD and a Non Windows DVD... Then will boot from Windows, but not others..
This is something that varies by manufacturer...
I'm not real sure what to tell you about the internet connection...
It is beneficial in that it allows Windows to check for machine specific drivers like graphics and such..
But there have been times when having a internet connection actually causes a problem... either because of a network problem, or a incompatible update...
Your Dongle might complicate things a little... that is also had to say...
Windows does not need to connect at the time of installation to activate... it will do that later when a connection is available...
The only real reason to do a Windows Installation by booting with the media is to do a clean install of some type... You can only UPGRADE by running the install from within Windows.... If you do it when booting you will lose all of your programs...
Hopefully you are not using a Microsoft Account to login... Don't use one if you can avoid it... If you do a Clean Install, Windows will try very hard to finagle you into entering one, but you are not required to do so...
There will be a button for Not Now, or I Don't have One... You will then get a window to create one, but with an option to Skip...
