I'm troubleshooting a Secure Boot problem on an MSI Z370 Gaming Pro Carbon system with an Intel Core i7-8700K, RTX 2080 SUPER, and Windows 11. Windows is installed on a GPT disk in UEFI mode, TPM is present and ready, and Secure Boot keys are installed. With Secure Boot disabled, Windows starts and runs normally, but enabling it shows the MSI logo followed by a completely black screen. I can still return to the BIOS and disable Secure Boot again.
I've checked the UEFI and BCD configuration, confirmed that bootmgfw.efi and winload.efi have valid Microsoft signatures, verified that Secure Boot databases are populated, updated the BIOS, Windows, chipset, and graphics drivers, tested every GPU output, and also tested the motherboard's Intel graphics output. Safe Mode produces the same black screen.
I've also run SFC and DISM, installed Windows updates, attempted a Windows repair reinstall, checked the EFI System Partition, and confirmed there are no unusual BCD options such as testsigning or nointegritychecks. DISM still reports component-store corruption despite RestoreHealth completing successfully.
The interesting part is that a Windows 11 installation USB boots normally with Secure Boot enabled, so the motherboard and graphics hardware appear capable of displaying a Secure Boot environment. Before I erase the system and perform a clean installation, is there anything else worth checking?
1 Answer
If the standard firmware settings do not help, recreate the Secure Boot environment from scratch: clear the existing Secure Boot variables so the firmware enters Setup Mode, then restore the default Microsoft keys and return to User Mode before enabling Secure Boot. This can be done with a trusted bootable UEFI utility, but it is an advanced step, so document the current settings and keep recovery media available. If that still produces a black screen, back up your data and perform a clean Windows installation.
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