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July 5th, 2025 01:14
Optiplex 3070 will not boot with Secure Boot enabled
I am preparing for the end of Windows 10. I purchased a refurbished Optiplex 3070 and tried moving the SSD from my old PC to it, but it would not boot. That SSD was MBR, so I put it back in the old machine and converted the disk from MBR to GPT. After rebooting and verifying the disk was GPT and the boot type was UEFI, I moved the disk to the Optiplex again. I was able to get it to boot, but only with SecureBoot disabled. After installing all of the drivers from Dell, I tried turning on SecureBoot again, but it fails to boot until I turn it off. How do I get SecureBoot enabled so I can upgrade to Windows 11?
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bradthetechnut
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July 5th, 2025 01:34
Boot drive probably has to be loaded with Secure Boot on. Changing setting may cause it to not boot. I'm sure you know, the same with UEFI and Legacy (if the 3070 has Legacy).
I think best bet is download Win11 ISO from the Microsoft site. Use 8GB or bigger flash drive with FAT32 format.
Whether you load Win10 or 11 on an SSD, when the window opens asking what partition you want to load on, delete all previous partitions. Win will then automatically create necessary partitions.
Also, test or replace 2032 CMOS battery. I've had to replace the battery on almost every refurb I ever bought. Bad batteries affect BIOS and therefore PC operation.
DEKTECH
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July 5th, 2025 16:33
@bradthetechnut Thanks for your quick response. My intent was to upgrade to Windows 11 after the disk was moved. The machine is fully operational under Windows 10, I just cannot enable Secure Boot. When I do, it fails to boot. I did attempt to upgrade to Windows 11 using the MS upgrade link. It downloads the upgrade and launches the install, but it locks up on the first reboot, saying "cannot find boot media." My guess is that this is where it is enabling Secure Boot. After several recovery attempts, it finally booted up as Windows 10. I would prefer not having to scratch the machine and re-install all of the software, is there any way to do this?
bradthetechnut
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July 9th, 2025 22:24
Though not as recommended, allow the upgrade to Win11 from Win10. Probably in Windows Updates. An option should show that allows you to keep files/software. I'm in Win11 now on a PC that came with it. So in not having done the upgrade from Win10 to 11 myself, I don't have too many details.
Please pardon delayed response. I wasn't on the forum for a few days.