Secure Boot and Windows 10 Installation

giobaxx · 04 Apr 2017

Hello Guys

We have a laptop with Install Our "Windows 10 PRO" in a new Laptop arrived with Version of Windows 10 Home.

I made a Usb key with RUFUS to perform a clean installation of Windows 10 but when i start the installation i had the error "secure boot violation".

Just to Understand how secure boot works, if i need to install Windows 10 form a USB KEY(or also DVD) i have to disable Secure Boot?

I can re-enable after the installation or not?

NavyLCDR · 04 Apr 2017

It's probably because you used RUFUS. A standard Windows 10 installation USB flash drive should boot with secure boot enabled. Is the flash drive you created formatted as NTFS or FAT32? Right click on the drive letter for the flash drive in Windows Explorer and select properties and look at the File system: entry.

Now, you say you want to move from Home to Pro - upgrading the existing Windows 10 Home installation to Windows 10 Pro will be a lot easier than clean installing Windows 10 from scratch. For one thing the clean install is going to detect the product key for Windows 10 Home stored in UEFI and just re-install Home anyway leaving you with upgrading it anyway. All you have to do is change the product key in the Activation screen to your Windows 10 Pro product key.

But - it is a very good idea to have a bootable WIndows 10 USB flash drive anyway as a backup.

giobaxx · 04 Apr 2017

At work we are still using Windows 7 but with two new laptop with Kaby Lake seems to be impossible to downgrade to Windows 7 and after we get ISO we try to deploy Windows 10 PRO. We need Windows 10 PRO because we have to join to domain and apply some GPO. I have Create a USB KEY with Rufus with GPT Partition Scheme for UEFI and Formatted NTFS.

I didn't disable Secure boot as i do when i install Windows 7 because i supposed that it was not necessary with Windows 10. But i'm wrong. I need to understand if once i disable Secure Boot and install Windows 10 i can re-enable later.
I'm tryng to perform a clean installation also to understand and learn how it works and also because we have a Microsoft Volume Licensing key.

Maybe i have to create the media installation with a Microsoft Tools.....i don't know....

NavyLCDR · 04 Apr 2017

The USB flash drive must be FAT32, not NTFS. That's why I recommend that no one use RUFUS to create it. A very large percentage of people who state that their flash drives won't boot is because RUFUS has too many out of order settings that don't make any sense.

Since you must already have the ISO file to use with RUFUS, this is how you reliably make a bootable USB flash drive from it:

With Windows running, insert the flash drive.
Open a Command Prompt (Admin) or Command Prompt as Administrator.
Run the following commands in the elevated Command Prompt:
diskpart
list disk
select disk # <make sure to place the number of the USB flash drive in place of #! Make sure it is correct!
clean <this will erase the selected disk. Make sure it is the USB flash drive!
create part pri
format fs=fat32 quick
active
exit
exit

Now mount the ISO file. Windows 8/8.1/10 will mount the ISO file from Windows Explorer. Windows 7 requires a program like WinCDEmu to mount ISO files.

Copy all the files and folders from the mounted ISO file to the USB flash drive. You now have a Windows 10 USB flash drive that will boot under legacy BIOS, UEFI firmware, and secure boot.

giobaxx · 04 Apr 2017

Tanks for the Information...you have some advice about the best software to use in order to create a windows 10 installation by a usb key?

I used NTFS Because when capture a Custom Windows Image is easier that the wim file become bigger the 4 Giga. I also have to take a look how to create and capture a Windows 10 custom installation...but later

NavyLCDR · 04 Apr 2017

giobaxx said:

Tanks for the Information...you have some advice about the best software to use in order to create a windows 10 installation by a usb key?

I used NTFS Because when capture a Custom Windows Image is easier that the wim file become bigger the 4 Giga. I also have to take a look how to create and capture a Windows 10 custom installation...but later

Just edited my previous post. See the instructions there

To make a custom image see here:
Windows 10 Image - Customize in Audit Mode with Sysprep - Windows 10 Installation Upgrade Tutorials

and

Create Windows 10 ISO image from Existing Installation - Windows 10 Installation Upgrade Tutorials

To upgrade your already installed Windows 10 Home to Pro, connect the computer to the internet and change the product key to the Windows 10 Pro generic product key: VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T

After the upgrade is complete, then activate it by either changing the product key to your volume license product key and join the domain - or join the domain first then change the product key. Not sure which order those go in. @Superfly will know, though!

alphanumeric · 04 Apr 2017

A PID.txt file with the VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T key in it will let you bypass the auto detect and install of 10 Home.

There are some PC's that will let you install in UEFI mode from an NTFS formatted thumb drive. Not many but there are some. My ASUS laptop will let me do it. I still recommend FAT32 though so you know for sure it will work. Not a big fan of RUFUS either, to many settings to get wrong. I also like doing it from diskpart. You just have to be careful and take your time so you don't select the wrong drive. The Media Creation Tool I believe will give you a UEFI compatible bootable thumb drive.

ArazelEternal · 04 Apr 2017

Ive never had any issues installing Windows 10 from a flash drive created with Rufus. I create it as a GPT for UEFI drive, formatted as NTFS. Ive done it so far on 3-4 different computers this way and havent had an issue.

alphanumeric · 04 Apr 2017

ArazelEternal said:

Ive never had any issues installing Windows 10 from a flash drive created with Rufus. I create it as a GPT for UEFI drive, formatted as NTFS. Ive done it so far on 3-4 different computers this way and havent had an issue.

Legacy or UEFI installs? NTFS is fine for Legacy installs, but a lot of PC's won't let you install in UEFI mode if its formatted in NTFS. My Wife's ACER laptop for one.

NavyLCDR · 04 Apr 2017

ArazelEternal said:

Ive never had any issues installing Windows 10 from a flash drive created with Rufus. I create it as a GPT for UEFI drive, formatted as NTFS. Ive done it so far on 3-4 different computers this way and havent had an issue.

Most UEFI computers will not boot from an NTFS formatted flash drive so it's bad advice to recommend created a flash drive that way when a FAT32 formatted flash drive will boot in both UEFI and legacy BIOS computers.