Posts Tagged ‘Secure Boot’

How to Know If Your Computer Supports UEFI

July 1st, 2013 by Admin

One of the largest underlying changes to Windows 8 is the long-overdue shift from BIOS to UEFI. Secure Boot is one of the new features introduced by UEFI and it has received by far the most attention, as it prevents Linux distributions from being installed on Windows 8 machines. In this article we’re going to tell you a few methods to know if your computer supports UEFI.

The simple way to tell if you have UEFI boot mode or not is to watch Windows starting up. If you see the Windows logo when it boots, you are in old fashioned BIOS boot mode. However if you see your manufacturer or custom BIOS logo remaining whilst Windows starts you are in UEFI mode! In my Windows 8 Dell computer which comes with UEFI BIOS, every time I turn on the machine, it will display a Dell logo with the looping circles at the bottom.

dell-boot-screen

Another method is to use the MSInfo command. Press Windows + R key combination to bring up the Run box in Windows 8. Type the “MSInfo” command and press Enter. It will display all your system information and hardware configuration in detail. From the System Information window, you’ll see BIOS Mode listed as UEFI if your computer supports UEFI.

msinfo

If you’re still uncertain if your computer comes with UEFI BIOS, you can check out the Secure Boot option by booting your computer into BIOS. Try to go through all your BIOS settings to look for an option such as “Secure Boot”, “Secure Boot Control”, “Attempt Secure Boot”, etc. If you can find that option, your computer is using the latest UEFI BIOS.

How to Know If Your UEFI is 32-bit or 64-bit?

If your UEFI computer comes with Windows 8 64-bit pre-installed, it uses 64-bit UEFI firmware. If your UEFI computer comes with Windows 8 32-bit pre-installed, it uses 32-bit UEFI firmware.

While in UEFI mode, the Windows version must match the PC architecture. A 64-bit UEFI PC can only boot 64-bit versions of Windows. A 32-bit PC can only boot 32-bit versions of Windows. If you want to run a 32-bit Windows on a 64-bit UEFI PC, you need to change the boot mode from UEFI to Legacy/CSM and disable the Secure Boot option in BIOS. However, not all UEFI computers provide with the compatibility support module (CSM) that enables UEFI firmware to emulate a legacy BIOS.

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Forgot Admin Password for Your HP PC with Windows 8 Pre-installed in UEFI Boot Mode

June 5th, 2013 by Admin

Forgot Windows 8 admin password on your HP laptop? How to reset HP login password to your Windows 8 system running in UEFI mode? If your HP computer comes with the new type of firmware UEFI instead of traditional PC BIOS, you will soon find out that most of boot CDs don’t support UEFI boot. However, there is a quick fix to this problem. In this tutorial we’ll walk you through how to reset forgotten administrator password on any HP computers with Windows 8 pre-installed in UEFI boot mode.

How to Reset Forgotten Windows 8 Admin Password on HP Computer with UEFI BIOS?

First of all, you need to create a Live CD (or USB flash drive) on another PC that you can access. Download the ZIP archive of Reset Windows Password utility and save it on your desktop. Open the ZIP file and extract it to a folder on your desktop. Within that folder, you’ll find a file called ResetWindowsPwd.iso. Burn the ISO image onto an empty CD using ISO2Disc, BurnCDCC or other ISO burning software.

Place the Live CD into the CD drive of your locked Windows 8 HP computer. Now we need to make some changes with the computer in order to get it to boot from the Live CD. Power off the computer. As soon as the HP welcome screen appears, immediately press F10 key to enter the BIOS. Use the arrow key to select Security tab and then choose Secure Boot Configuration.

hp-bios

When the Secure Boot Configuration warning displays, press F10 to continue. Enable the Legacy Support option if it is disabled, and then disable the Secure Boot option. change the boot order to CD/DVD-ROM and press F10 to save your changes.

secure-boot

Note: If you are using a HP notebook computer with UEFI BIOS, turn on your PC and repeatedly press Esc key until the Startup Menu opens. Choose the System Configuration menu, use the down arrow key to select Boot Options, then press Enter. Next disable the Secure Boot option.

After successfully booting from the Live CD, the computer will open up the Reset Windows Password program after a few minutes. The program automatically searches the Windows SAM registry hive for your Windows 8 installation, and then display all of local user accounts on your HP PC.

Choose the administrator account and then click on “Reset Password” button. It will reset your forgotten Windows 8 administrator password instantly.

Restart the computer and take out the Live CD from the CD drive. Remember to change your computer’s boot mode from Legacy back to UEFI, otherwise Windows 8 will fail to boot. When the HP computer boots into the Windows 8 login screen, you can then log in to the administrator account with a blank/empty password. It’s that easy!

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Forgot Admin Password for Your Acer PC with Windows 8 Pre-installed in UEFI Boot Mode

June 3rd, 2013 by Admin

I have an Acer Aspire V5 laptop running Windows 8 with Phoenix BIOS running UEFI boot. I forgot the administrator password and now I am locked out. I’ve searched the web for how to reset Windows 8 password for computer which comes with UEFI BIOS, but there is no Live CD that supports UEFI-mode booting. So how do I reset my forgotten admin password?

If you’ve purchased an Acer computer with Windows 8 pre-installed, you’ll find that you are unable to boot up your PC using the Live CDs that you have ever used. This is because almost all Windows 8 PCs are shipped with UEFI BIOS, which replaces the traditional PC BIOS. The Secure Boot feature included in UEFI will prevent you from running operating systems other than Windows 8. So what to do if you’ve forgotten the Windows 8 administrator password on your Acer computer? In this tutorial we’ll walk you through how to reset lost administrator password on an Acer computer which comes with Windows 8 pre-installed in UEFI boot mode.

How to Reset Forgotten Windows 8 Administrator Password on Acer Computer with UEFI BIOS?

To get started, you need to create a Live CD (or USB flash drive) on another PC that you can access. Download the Reset Windows Password utility and save it on your desktop. Unzip the download file and you’ll get a bootable ISO image. Burn it onto an empty CD using ISO2Disc, BurnCDCC or other ISO burning software.

Place the Live CD into the CD drive of your locked Windows 8 Acer computer. Now we need to make some changes with the computer in order to get it to boot from the Live CD. Power off the computer. As soon as the Acer logo screen appears, immediately press F2 or Del key to enter the BIOS. Use the arrow key to select Boot tab. Choose the Boot Mode and press Enter to change the setting from UEFI to Legacy BIOS. Move to the Secure Boot option and disable it. Next change the boot order to CD/DVD-ROM and press F10 to save your changes.

Note: If you can’t find the UEFI boot mode in BIOS, try to switch to the Boot Options tab. With Launch CSM highlighted, press Enter and use the down arrow to select Always. Then switch to the Authentication tab, choose the Secure Boot option and press Enter to select Disabled.

After successfully booting from the Live CD, the computer will open up the Reset Windows Password program after a few minutes. The program automatically searches the Windows SAM registry hive for your Windows 8 installation, and then display all of local user accounts on your Acer PC.

Choose the administrator account and then click on “Reset Password” button. It will reset your forgotten Windows 8 administrator password instantly.

Restart the computer and take out the Live CD from the CD drive. Remember to change your computer’s boot mode from Legacy BIOS back to UEFI, otherwise Windows 8 will fail to boot. When the Acer computer boots into the Windows 8 login screen, you can then log in to the administrator account with a blank/empty password. It’s that easy!

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