Unified Extensible Firmware Interface also known as UEFI has a feature called as Secure Boot which makes sure that the device will only use the startup software made by Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). This process ensures that any malicious program or malware will not be able to take control over the device in the boot procedure and protect it from intruders.

During the boot process when we turn ON our computer, the firmware placed authenticates the signature of the software and if it passes the verification the firmware pass over the control to operating system. Legacy BIOS does not have secure boot available but UEFI had. Similarly secure boot also depends upon partition type of your hard drive storage system.

Mainly there are two types of partition, MBR and GPT which is used to store information at the start and the end of the physical disk drive partition. This makes sure that Operating system has the correct information of which partition is bootable. In the same way some users have reported of Windows computer won’t boot after enabling secure boot issue. For that reason, we have listed all the solution in the article below.

Solution 1: Remove External Hard Disk Drive and Other Storage Devices

If you have multiple external drives or other storage device connected through USB on your computer system then it is known to create problem like this or similar to this. This issue arises when your PSU (Power Supply Unit) is unable to provide enough power to run all the USB connected devices.

Therefore the best course of action should be to remove all the connected devices such as external hard disk drive or flash drive temporarily from the computer and then boot normally to check if the issue persists. And if you don’t want to sacrifice the functionality then upgrade your PSU or buy a USB hub with external power source.

Solution 2: Remove CMOS Battery

CMOS is responsible for containing important information such as date and time to maintain the hardware configuration. In some case when you disable secure boot and enable it again but CMOS remember the older configuration that secure boot is not enabled therefore causing the error.

To solve the issue all you need to do is complete switch off your computer then remove the plug from the power supply. After that, remove the side lid from your CPU cabinet and remove the CMOS batter from the motherboard. Let it sit idle for 10 minutes more or less, then clean both the battery and socket and replace the battery again. Close the CPU cabinet and put the plug back in, after that boot your computer normally.

Removing CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) battery will also reset your BIOS to default which can also help you to resolve the issue.

Solution 3: Update BIOS Version

Outdated BIOS version tends to create disparities between the configuration files and the operating system causing error like windows computer won’t boot after enabling secure boot and also system instabilities. Some users also reported that their issue was resolved after updating their BIOS to the latest version.

For updating your BIOS to latest version move to your motherboard official website through a web browser and then navigate to the BIOS section. Look for your specific model and download the latest version available on the website. Now copy the downloaded file to a flash drive and move to your computer and install it by following the on-screen instructions.

Make sure you have read the instructions properly as improper installation might permanently damage or brick your motherboard. If not take your computer system to a professional and let him update your BIOS.

Solution 4: Manually Boot From bootx46.efi or bootia32.efi

One of the best solutions to resolve the issue is by manually booting the computer system through bootx64.efi file. These files are the device boot loaders and are located in specific system partition. If you are using UEFI based system then these boot loaders can be located under these location of Windows Boot Manager.

\EFI\boot\bootx64.efi

\EFI\boot\bootia32.efi

If your Windows Operating system is based on 64 bit then it will be bootx64.efi and in 32 bit its bootia32.efi on the firmware.

To manually boot shut down your computer completely then boot into BIOS mode, then move to boot options and choose the option accordingly by using the navigation key on the Keyboard. Check if the issue persists after this.

Conclusion

Secure Boot is an essential part of the working computer system as well as it provides the security to protect your system from being attacked by malware or other malicious process. If you are one of those users who faced Windows computer won’t boot after enabling secure boot then refer to the solutions and methods listed above.