Secure boot, please clarify!
Secure boot, please clarify!
Feeling confused about the setup? It sounds like you're trying to set up Windows 11 but ran into some issues with Secure Boot. The BIOS seems to be handling it differently than what you expect.
Attempt to reinstall factory keys occasionally to assist activation.
The issue appears to be related to the active status in your screenshot. It seems CSM might be turned on. Your drive likely needs conversion from MBR to GPT format. When CSM is enabled, the UEFI mimics an older BIOS setup and requires an MBR-formatted drive. If your motherboard BIOS can't read the SSD or HDD, it won't load the OS properly. UEFI systems now use a new format called GPT, removing the need for MBR. Windows 10 and 11 include a built-in tool (mbr2gpt.exe) to perform this conversion. For older hardware without UEFI support, CSM should only be activated. Generally, devices before 2012 don't support these changes.
You're missing CSM and secure boot during installation, which might be causing the problem.
GPT is used instead of MBR, which causes UEFI to fail during startup. Each time you need to restart, it reverts to the old BIOS mode.
You switched to GPT format successfully. The UEFI boot works fine, and the system shows UEFI as the BIOS mode. This confirms your choice is correct. Regarding the reset—this typically clears certain BIOS settings or restarts the system, depending on the configuration.
I was still working through the EFI Key settings, attempting to "enroll keys," and eventually located a few (on the UEFI partition, third on the messy list). But I'm not sure which one to pick—or if all of them should be selected? It's a really confusing feature.
Ok sounds the reasonable answer, I'm still pretty hesitating to pull the trigger, fearing my PC won't ever boot anymore due to some "security" feature preventing me to access anything !! I'm however usually not that paranoid ...