I've built my own PC and it's been running fine for about 4 years. Recently, I ran a compatibility check for Windows 11, and the only issue was with Secure Boot. After watching a tutorial, I tried enabling it, but now my PC only boots to the "Automatic Repair" screen. I've tried various repair methods but just keep getting stuck in a loop. I've backed up my important files using a Linux boot USB, but I'd really like to get my Windows 10 installation back to normal or upgrade to Windows 11. Any tips on repairing the boot or getting Secure Boot to work without causing more problems? Thanks!
4 Answers
When you turn on Secure Boot, your BIOS might only recognize drives with GPT partition tables. If your drive is still MBR, you'll need to convert it. However, since you've already backed up your files, the easiest route might be to do a clean install of Windows 11 using a USB drive. This can help avoid potential issues that come from an upgrade. If you really want to stick with Windows 10 for now, try changing your BIOS settings back to Legacy mode or enabling CSM to see if that gets your PC booting again!
Did you check if you used MBR2GPT? It's important because enabling Secure Boot often requires your drives to be in GPT format. If it’s not, that could be your issue.
So just to clarify, after enabling Secure Boot, it won't boot at all? If it works with Secure Boot off, you might need to enroll keys in the BIOS. Also, removing or resetting the CMOS to default can help sometimes.
You mentioned trying multiple repair commands; sometimes, it helps to run those from Windows recovery. Just boot into recovery mode from the installation USB and try some repairs like Startup Repair or even rebuilding the BCD.
Yeah, it definitely doesn't boot with Secure Boot on. I'll try resetting the CMOS and see if it helps! Thanks!