logo
Resources Windows 8 How to Disable/Enable Driver Signature Enforcement in Windows 8 and 8.1

How to Disable/Enable Driver Signature Enforcement in Windows 8 and 8.1

By Achilles Hill | Last Updated

As we know, the price of computer hardwares is getting lower and lower. In order to use the more advanced configurations, an increasing number of people apply 4GB or 8GB RAM in their computers. Moreover, most people change their operating system to Windows 8.1 (64 bit), because 32 bit system cannot support memory which is more than 4GB. However, taking system security into consideration, the 64-bit version of Windows 8.1 limits the installation of uncertified drivers. Whereas, most small programs which use driver files do not have digital signature authentication, including phone drivers. Does it mean that we cannot use the drivers we applied before on the Windows 8.1 of 64 bit? No, we can solve the problem by disabling driver signature enforcement in Windows 8 and 8.1.

Video guide on how to disable/enable driver signature enforcement in Win 8:

Steps to disable driver signature enforcement in Windows 8 and 8.1:

Step 1: Enter PC settings.

You can enter PC settings according to the following two procedures.

1. Open Charms Menu by simultaneously pressing WIN key (also referred to Windows logo key) and C key, and select Settings in it.

open Charms menu

2. Click Change PC settings on the bottom.

click Change PC settings

Step 2: In PC settings, choose General on the left and click Restart now under Advanced startup, as shown in the following screen shot.

click Restart now

Step 3: Click Troubleshoot in the next interface.

click troubleshoot

Step 4: After entering Troubleshoot interface, tap Advanced options to enter it.

select advanced options

Step 5: Select Startup Settings. Please refer to the picture below.

tap Startup settings

Step 6: Click Restart button in Startup Settings interface.

click restart

Step 7: Press 7 or F7 to choose Disable driver signature enforcement.

choose disable driver signature enforcement

Note: This solution is easy, but it can only be set when the computer is booted. In addition, the setting will return to its original state after restarting.

For your information, the command to close Disable driver signature enforcement (or enable driver signature enforcement) is:

bcdedit.exe -set loadoptions DDISABLE_INTEGRITY_CHECKS

And you can use it through the following 4 steps.

Step 1: Open Command Prompt (Admin).

Press WIN key and X key at the same time to open the Quick Access Menu, and then select Command Prompt (Admin) in it.

select command prompt

Step 2: In User Account Control window, click Yes to allow the program to make changes in the computer.

click Yes

Step 3: Type the command in the Administer Command Prompt and press Enter, as the following screen shot exhibits.

input command

Step 4: Restart the computer.

After these 4 steps, you can use uncertified drivers on Windows 8 and 8.1 (64 bit) whenever you want.

Tips: This operation reduces the security factor of the system. Therefore, it is not recommended to close Disable driver signature enforcement all the time. Meanwhile, it is not suggested for inexperienced users to use this operation.

Related Articles: