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,
My phone company, Frontier Communications... which used to be Verizon, recently gave me an offer I couldn't refuse...
First they increased my speed from 3 to 6mbps for only $3 a month more... Then more recently they contacted me and said that if I were to get better phone service... they would reduce my internet service from $35 to $15.... as part of the package...
Because of the higher total cost I only saved about $7 a month, but got unlimited long distance, Caller ID, Voice mail, and some other stuff I didn't have before...
Not everyone can get that price... They explained to me that the reason for the offer was that I was located in something they call a "Competition Zone"...
The service hasn't always been the greatest, but Frontier had to do a lot of equipment upgrading after they bought out Verizon... When they finally got a handle on that, things have been much better, and more reliable...
Just try to keep in mind that during certain times of day, everybody and their brother is trying to use the internet at the same time... Like when work and school lets out around dinner time for a lot of people... 5pm or so... Then by 10-11pm, they are all going to bed, and you can get more bandwidth..
OK that was simply to make it easier to find.
Yes, that' s the problem with Internet service,not enough competition. Even the alternate providers of DSL, such as DSL Extreme, have to go through your local phone company, and that phone company makes sure it charges them enough in fees that they can't offer a price lower than the phone company.
Yes, satellite is available too -- if you want to pay for the basic satellite service as well. You also can get a WiFi hotspot, but getting it independently with enough data to handle all your internetting for the month -- including huge downloads from MS -- will cost up around $60 a month. Sure, it might be cheaper if simply added onto your cell phone service, but no cheaper than the other options out there, probably still more to handle all your internetting.
Yes, I will keep my eyes out for an easier way to handle this that that Win 10 update.Your heads up is nice to keep my eyes open.
Hi,
The Small Icon thing is just for the Control Panel... It is much easier to find what you are looking for with 30-40 Small Icons than with Five categories you have to guess which one to use...
It has nothing to do with stopping the Download all in itself...
That is simply the easiest way to get to SERVICES... where you can disable Windows Update... Administrative Tools... Services...
I have two choices for internet if you don't count satellite...
The phone company and cable... I can get faster service through cable, but the phone companies basic Service is Faster and Cheaper than the cable...
I think I would pick an evening like maybe a Tuesday or Thursday... start your download around 10-11pm, and go to bed...
There may have been issues with Microsoft the last time, or even your local service...
It also could have been your neighbors watching movies over the internet...
Things like that are why the speed fluctuates over the course of the day...
At least you have 3-4 months to think about it
I'm not clear. Why would I want to switch to small icons? How does that help any? How is that going to stop the update from starting to download?
All you say on the Internet bit is so, yes. But an additional problem I have it is glithes, it cuts out one and off, and if it were to do so in the middle of an install, it could foul up the whole OS.
I guess technically, MS downloads all first, and only then starts the install. But I just can't have that download running for who knows how long -- the similar size Win 10 update took me 13 hours to download! Clearly, while I was sleeping and it was running, it was glitching all to ****, although the MS side might have been overloaded and slow too. But I did check it in the middle of the night and saw it was stopped and had to start it again.
Even if I simply used the laptop to download Win 10, they whole time it would have my Internetting so slowed it would be driving me crazy even on my Mac.
Yes to the cost of getting faster speeds. And a big problem with that is not enough competition. Between many cities giving monopolies to cable companies and states to phone companies, there is not a lot else out there offering it, and with not a lot else, there is not enough competition to bring prices down. In reality, ISP service really can't be justified at more than about $5 a month for a good speed, but of course, it has never been priced like that. The Internet itself is fee, pretty much all your ISP is giving is a cable that links to it -- they're charging you as if they created and manage the Internet.
In NYC, they're putting in free Internet all over the city. First starts to open this June. They realized all the infrastructure was already in, all they had to do was add a modem! All the old wiring for all the old pay phones that were on all the streets is already installed!
I suppose it will be so low powered, though, that you might not be able to get it on WiFi a half a block away, only by walking over to that location. Still, its free, all over the city. Goolge has put it in at super high speed in some cities for free too.
