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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,
I installed Win 8 on my laptop and recorded the License Key and Product ID prior to upgrading to Win 8.1, and then to Win 10... The license and product ID did not change, and they are not supposed to...
I later put Win 8.1 back on the laptop from a image, and it is still activated using the original key
Windows 10 is supposed to use the license of the OS it is upgrading... That is different them how all the previous versions do it... They have their own key..
The only exception to that are machines that like my desktop, were upgraded to a Preview Edition of Win 10 prior to it's public release and the free upgrade offer..
Those specific machines are assigned a generic key that is the same for anyone that meets the criteria...
Maybe you installed a Preview build last summer ?
I will need to look at my laptop again, and maybe ome pictures... The screen I see may be a lot different than your's... A new driver was installed for the Synaptics with Win 10, and the windows configuration is completely different...
The TRAY option you are seeing is what adds or removes the Synaptics Icon from your Taskbar... That corner is sometimes called the Tray...
The buttons on your Touchpad are probably configured separately from the actual Touchpad.. If you have two things listed at the top center of the window when you open them from the Icon, click on the one that is not highlighted... That shoul be the actual touchpad...
There is no setting for Pressure.. They called it Sensitivity... You need to click on something else to be able to adjust it... At first you get a little demo window... then you need to cluck something else...
Have you checked with Lenovo to see if they have any newer drivers ?
I just checked Synaptics for newer drivers, and they have a generic one that is even newer than mine... They recommend using a driver from the computer manufacturer.
http://www.synaptics.com/resources
BTW... You need one for a PS\2 port... that is the method of connecting keyboards and mice in Windows before USB was available, and it is still sometimes used... just a internal connection for laptops..
Hmm. Wonder why your OS key didn't change. Like I said, I read that Installing Win 10 will change that, and mine is shown as changed. Well, not too important, since its hidden anyway, it isn't expected that people will ever need to produce it.
Oh, wait. You mentioned previously going back and forth with the OSs. Are those Win 8 and 8.1 keys after going back from Win 10? If so, that might actually be the new key from Win 10?
OK, the Touchpad. Doesn't work at all any more, previously worked a little bit. Might have gone out completely with Win 10, or maybe that happened a little bit before I went up -- I generally use a mouse anyway.
Looked all around, and great difficulty finding anything on the Touchpad. But I did finally find something under Mouse Pointer Settings. Under Mouse, not under Touchpad.
In Mouse Properties, I see the touchpad is identified as Synaptics Touchpad v. 7.5 on PS/2 port.
Elsewhere, it said Plugged into PS2 mouse port. So, PS2 is a mouse port -- huh? How can that be, being as it is internal!?
The mouse is listed as on USB input device. On, not an.
Hmm, it identifies the mouse as a Microsoft mouse -- but it is not, it is a Gateway mouse. This is not giving confidence in anything it says.
Under Mouse Properties, I clicked on the hyperlink to Click her to change Microsoft mouse settings, but the page it went to said it could find no device -- not surprising since it is a Gateway mouse, despite what Mouser settings say.
I saw a reference to a Tray. I have no idea what they are talking about. I think the touchpad was checked for animated.
I saw the pressure pad and mood paid from the icon out of the Task Bar. I saw that yesterday, but there is nothing in that to adjust the pressure. It looks like it is suppose to show a graph of the pressure when you touch the touchpad, but it shows nothing when I touch it, even is I press hard.
I note, I see nothing change when I unplug the mouse. Of course, the touchpad still doesn't work, so I can't do anything at all, can move around to a different windows, close and open, nothing.
I found no setting anywhere to "Disable When a External Pointing Device is Attached." Nonetheless, as I said, I unplugged the mouse. I found nothing with a Click tab, including not in Mouse settings, where there were several tabs, and I checked theme all.
This is another thing-- the stuff is spread out all over the place, a tiny, incomplete tidbit here, another there. This is not good. I am now coming up with a longer and longer list of irritating and dumb things like this all over Win 10.
So, that everything I found about the touchpad and settings.
VERY interesting and good advice about the right click on the installer to click into Capatibility Mode. Never would have thought to right click on that.
Hi,
I just checked my laptop... It uses the same license key and Product ID for Win 8, 8.1, and 10... I would think your's should be the same...
It may be that Belarc is identifying your License Key as Win 8.1... which it actually be...
You will not enter a key if you need to reinstall Win 10... If it asks for a key, select one of the other options like "I Don't have One", "Skip This Step", "Do This Later", and possibly one more I don't remember... The machine will obtain whatever it needs from Microsoft's server...
I'm not sure what your Touchpad screen looks like... Mine completely changed when it updated to the newest version... Mine is 19.0.12...
First thing you want to check is if the Touchpad is set to "Disabled When a External Pointing Device Is Attached" This should be on the first screen you see, about half way down.
Second... select the Advanced... "Click" tab and see if the box is checked to "Double Click To Enable or Disable Touchpad"... I unchecked mine...
Third... You can adjust the "Sensitivity (pressure) under the Advanced... "Motion" Tab...
With the previous drivers, I had to click on something in the window to get Touchpad Settings... There was a list... and the default selection was not the Touchpad. It my have for the buttons... I'm not sure. I haven't seen that screen for about a year.
If you can't get your Touchpad to work you can try Uninstalling it in Device Manager and Restart the machine... Make sure your external mouse is not hooked up when you restart...
BTW... HP had to replace a small circuit board on my laptop that had the Controller for the Touchpad on it.... Mine worked, but not properly...
My Touchpad has a small yellow light on the upper left corner... I think it indicates that the Touchpad is Off, but I'm not sure. I will need to look into that more...
As far as Office goes... I don't use it, so I have no first hand experience with it...
I have seen a lot of threads on the forum concerning Office, but don't pay much attention to those...
It is entirely possible that Office 2013 will not install on Win 10 even though Office 2010 that was already installed before the upgrade does... I have a similar issue with my machine, but not with Office... A number of programs that work properly if installed before the upgrade, but will not install after the upgrade...
Sometimes setting the installer's Compatibility Mode to a earlier version of Windows will work... You would do this by right clicking on it... Properties... Compatibility Tab...
Then check the box for Compatibility Mode...
I have had problems with some programs that have multiple installers... Like you click on a installer, but while installing it Extracts and runs additional installers...
It is sometimes these installers that have the issue and didn't extract properly, and then turned up missing...
Sometimes you can Extract the main installer into a folder, and then Extract some of the internal installers... Then set the compatibility of the SETUP or Install that you find... You will need to rename the original installer...
Yes, hardware. If the touchpad issue is hardware, I will just use the mouse. I prefer the mouse anyway, but there are times and circumstances and locations where a mouse is not good or maybe not even possible. But maybe you can remember and tell me something I might do other than hardware. When I saw that thing about pressure, I thought I might be able to set it more sensitive, but there was no such setting there. I have the new drivers now from Win 10, and I have not been able to use the touchpad at all since.
I had read sometime back that When you install Win 10, it will change the serial number-key. It appears it did. Yes, I saw it also changes the machine license, which might be what you are talking about. You had said you had gone back to Win 8 and did not even need to put in the key, it just picked it up. But I feel safer knowing the new key -- just in case. Now I do.
Yes, I saw those other places identifying the OS as Win 10. It just was interesting that Belarc found something to identify it as Win 8.1 -- there must be something in there saying that someplace. That's just academic, I know I have Win 10.
Just something else I found -- not really any issue. I was trying to Install Office 2013 on the Win 7 machine that now is Win 10. It was nearly done installing, but stopped, saying it could not finish the install because it could not do something with two files, and it identified them and where they "are." I went there, and those two files are not in Win10! I find that odd since I had Office 2010 on my Win 8.1 machine, and it carried over fine and works fine -- if Office 2010 is still compatible with Win 10, surely Office 2013 is. So why can't Office 2013 install for lack of those two files in Win 10?! Odd. But not too important. Oh, cone to think of it, the files seems to have something to do with the installer -- maybe the applications are compatible, but the installer is not -- that's what it sounded like. Too bad I didn't know before I went up -- I could have installed it first, then gone up. (BTW, I'm giving that laptop back to the Thai watchmaker tomorrow.)
