Activate Secure Boot in BIOS while turning it off in Windows.
Activate Secure Boot in BIOS while turning it off in Windows.
Hello, I'm facing issues with the secure boot on Windows. It's enabled in the BIOS but Windows still reports it as inactive. I've tried changing its status in the BIOS and deactivating/reactivating it, but it hasn't resolved the problem. I'm using Windows 11 Professional 21H2 and everything appears to be up to date. I've checked various solutions and none worked. I'm considering reverting back to Windows or reinstalling if necessary. Appreciate your assistance in advance.
Windows 11 remains somewhat chaotic. Microsoft tends to release their operating systems too soon, leading to widespread criticism before issues are resolved. WinXP wasn’t seen as practical for most users until Service Pack 3. My perception is that Windows 11 is still aimed mainly at early adopters. This might shift based on past trends, but it hasn’t happened yet. I anticipate needing another year or two with Windows 10 myself. While the visual design improved, overall functionality deteriorated—especially in terms of usability and accessibility, with more intrusive data collection.
Just in case, here’s the process I followed (using Windows 10):
1. Ensure all SATA and USB devices are unplugged; only the M.2 drive should be active.
2. Navigate to BIOS settings, locate the boot section, and disable CSM.
3. Select the secure boot option below and choose another OS—avoid Windows UEFI.
4. Under key management, remove any secure boot credentials.
5. Insert a USB stick containing a UEFI bootable ISO of Windows 10.
6. Press F10 to save changes, exit, and restart the system.
7. Windows will begin installation on your NVME drive since it has its own built-in driver.
8. Upon rebooting, press F2 to return to BIOS; under boot priority, Windows should appear next.
9. Revisit secure boot settings and set it to Windows UEFI mode.
10. In key management, install the default secure boot keys.
11. Press F10 again to finalize installation and close the process.
12. Power off the PC and reconnect any remaining SATA drives.
Wow, an 11-step guide involving drive removal. This wasn’t typical in Windows 10. Who designed this idea to intentionally complicate admin tasks so users might make mistakes? Now it’s just about making the OS difficult to manage. Edited June 8, 2022 by Bombastinator