Symptoms
What is Secure Boot?
Secure boot is a feature of Windows 8 which uses a public-key infrastructure to verify the integrity of the Operating System and prevent unauthorized programs such as boot kits from infecting the device.
Secure Boot is a
security standard developed by members of the PC industry to help make sure that your PC boots using only software that is trusted by the PC manufacturer. Support for
Secure Boot was introduced in
Windows 8, and also supported by
Windows 10
What is UEFI and why is it important?
BIOS and UEFI are two firmware interfaces for computers to start the operating system.
BIOS uses the Master Boot Record (MBR) to save information about the hard drive data while
UEFI uses the GUID partition table (GPT). Compared with
BIOS,
UEFI is more powerful and has more advanced features.
How can I disable Secure Boot on a Dell Computer?
To disable Secure Boot, you should follow the steps below:
Step 1: Tap F2 or F12 key on the Dell logo or hold down F2 or F12 after you start up your Dell laptop (At this point the screen is still black.) You will now see the BIOS screen.
Step 2: Highlight the Boot tab with arrow keys, change the Secure Boot item to "Disabled".
Step 3: Afterwards, ensure that the Load Legacy Option Rom is "Enabled" and the Boot List Option is "Legacy"
Step 4: Switch to Exit tab, highlight Exit Saving Changes, and highlight Yes to save the BIOS settings.
Note: You can also press F10, select Yes, press Enter to save the settings.
The system will restart. At this time, you have disabled the Secure Boot function on your system successfully and you will be able to boot your PC from CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, USB flash drive, etc.