This browser is no longer supported.
Upgrade to Microsoft Edge to take advantage of the latest features, security updates, and technical support.
![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(128, 8%, 22%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3EA%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
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,
You had a ? mark after your statement concerning the 128MB partition...
Technically it is not a indexing log... it is more accurately a file table...
On a MBR drive this would be called a MFT, or Master File table...
As I said... the space that was moved from #5 to #3 is still PHYSICALLY on #5...
That is why I first mentioned sliding #4 into #5 to make #4 larger and #5 smaller...
Then slide #3 over into #4 to make #3 larger.... So that all of the added space would be physically part of #3... but you did it differently...
It doesn't matter that something SEES the space... The sectors on a HDD are numbered... The fact that Partition Wizard used some trickery to LINK two different partitions doesn't change the fact that the sector number sequence is out of whack...
It is like expecting Acronis to automatically put part of the image on one HDD, and the rest on another HDD... It doesn't work that way, and that is what you are not understanding... I don't know why the smaller 71GB image won't fit...
You are also misconstruing what I am talking about when I say the 128MB type partitions are normally put first and last... That comment can be interpreted two ways...
I intended one meaning, and you are thinking of the second...
My point was that it is usually\best at the very beginning of the HDD space or the very end of the HDD space... By your interpretation, it can be made #1... which is true, but it is not at the beginning of the HDD...
As a result of this, the 1GB space between the beginning of the HDD and the 128MB partition can't be used as part of the #3...
I should point out that everything I am describing concerning partitions, is the way MBR Drives work... and I know GPT Drives work a bit differently...
So I can't say 100% for sure that trying to combine #3 with the 1GB of free space would cause a problem... I don't know for sure...
I am trying to prevent you from causing your 88GB Win 8.1 image to become useless.. I don't think trashing 1GB is a big deal as compared to the possibility of your 8.1 image being useless... Better safe than sorry...
I think we need to take break from this for a bit. You are missing about 60% of everything I say and keep thinking I'm saying the opposite. For instance, I already identified by name what the hidden partition is and is doing as the indexing volume. I never said I didn't understand that, I specifically identified it by the name used for it: Indexing. I never said to kill it, I said it could be the first volume you are saying we need, if we killed out #1 and #2, not kill out the indexing volume, but you are mad that I want to kill the indexing volume. I didn't say to kill it.
And this is the first time you said that the space remains on #5, even the different applications and OS see i as moved. Even Acronis sees it as all on #3 in its chart.
And other things.
But its not a complaint. I think it is time to step back from this and let the tension of it settle down.
Hi,
Sorry for being so rude... It's just that your lack of understanding of what I am trying to explain is extremely frustrating...
But feel free to ask. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day...
Hi,
Like I said... Look at each partition as a separate hard drive...
You can not put half of a hard drive in one place, and the other half someplace else...
Therefore you can not create a proper partition with another partition in between...
Even though Partition Wizard LINKED part of a partition to #3, it is NOT PHYSICALLY CONNECTED...... #3 still needs to SKIP OVER, AROUND, BYPASS, whatever name works for you, #4... It has to physically skip sectors of the hard drive to get to it..
Partition #4 is physically in the way of a continuous, uninterrupted, section of the HDD...
It is beyond my comprehension what is so difficult to understand about that...
I said the 128MB partition contains the location\address of everything on the drive...
Every file on the drive has a address... If you delete the phone book, you are screwed...
Again... exactly what is it you don't understand about that ?
For this reason, you can not make one continuous, uninterrupted path from the beginning of the HDD to #3... It is simply not possible... you can not delete the 128MB...
If you do, your 88GB image is GONE... NO ADDRESS...
It is simply not possible to expand #3 to the beginning of the hard drive... There is another 128MB partition in the way...
I feel like I have been spending the majority of my time smashing my head against a wall trying to explain this to you, and for some reason it is not registering...
You seem bound and determined to force something to happen that is simply not possible, if you raise a big enough stink and through a temper tantrum...
I have no control over the physics of Hard Drive function, and you are unwilling to recognize that there are physical requirements and limitations as to what can be done...
Your desires and wishful thinking are not going to change that...
Do whatever you want... Don't blame me if you lose access to your 88GB image...
There is no particular order requirement, but I would do #5 first, then #4
BTW... At least one thing did partially register with you...
YES... If you delete #1 and #2, the Hidden 128MB would be partition #1.... BINGO...
Then you can make the rest of the drive into ONE CONTINOUS AREA....
But it is still not at the beginning of the drive, which is what I was describing when I said the BEGINNING or the END of the drive...
