How do I disable Secure Boot?

Q I bought a Windows 8.1 laptop, subsequently upgrading it to 10. Windows 10 gave me loads of problems so I gave up on it, deciding not to waste cash on repairs or remedies. Instead, I bought another laptop on which I installed Windows 7. This works well so I thought I’d do the same on my abandoned Windows 10 laptop. However, thanks to a ‘Secure Boot Policy’, it seems impossible to install a different operating system — I’ve tried several times. What’s the problem here? A techie I spoke to said I’d have to alter the BIOS. What should I do from here? Beverly Smith A The problem is a feature called Secure Boot, which is part of a new generation of BIOS design known as the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface, or UEFI. When Secure Boot is enabled it prevents all sorts of low-level tampering — and that includes attempts to replace the operating system. Additionally, Microsoft made it a requirement for system builders installing Windows to do so with Secure Boot enabled, so it’s become the default setting for all new Windows 8/8.1 and 10 machines.

The solution is to disable Secure Boot in your PC’S UEFI. Open the Start menu, click the Settings cog, then ‘Update and recovery’ followed by Recovery. Click ‘Restart now’ under ‘Advanced startup’, then Troubleshoot and ‘Advanced options’. Click UEFI Firmware Settings (see screenshot left),followed by Restart. Use the cursor (arrow) keys and Enter to navigate the UEFI to find the Secure Boot option, typically within the Security tab. Press Enter to select it, choose Disabled and press Enter. Press Escape (Esc), select Save or ‘Save changes’ and press Enter. You can now install Windows 7.