If you ever suddenly need to connect to a computer running Windows 8.x or 10 any old device, most likely, you will not be able to find a driver officially signed by the device manufacturer. In other words, you will encounter problems when trying to install the device in latest versions operating system from Microsoft. For this reason, in this article we will show you step by step how to install unsigned drivers in Win 8.x or 10.
Before we jump into the installation process itself, let's know what a signed driver is. A signed driver is digitally signed, and this is a security measure that allows you to verify the authenticity of the driver package. It also helps ensure that no one has modified the contents of the driver other than the manufacturer. If a driver is digitally signed, it means it is trusted and you can safely install it on your system.
Instructions
In Windows 8, use the Win + i keyboard shortcut to open the Chrams panel. Next, click "Shutdown" and then, while holding down the Shift key, click "Restart." There is no Chrams panel in Windows 10, so use the Start menu to do the same.
The operating system will restart and load a menu with additional options. In this menu, select the “Diagnostics” section.
Now click " Extra options».
The Boot Options section allows you to change various configuration options Windows startup, but we need to reboot the system so that mandatory driver signature verification is disabled. On this screen, simply click the Reboot button.
The operating system will restart, but instead of the desktop you will be taken to the Boot Options screen. Here, press the F7 key on your keyboard. This will cause Windows 8.x to start in a mode that allows you to install unsigned device drivers.
The last thing you have to do is install the driver without a digital signature. I hope this process goes smoothly and without problems.
Have a great day!
PC users know that it is highly undesirable to install programs that are unsigned or do not have a security certificate on their system. The same goes for drivers. Unsigned drivers are even more dangerous than programs; for this reason, for security reasons, Microsoft developers have completely blocked the ability to install them in Windows 8. But what should the user do in this situation, if he needs to connect, for example, an outdated printer or scanner to a PC, and not just connect it, but also work with the device? The developers left the option to install unsigned drivers in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1, but hid it in the very depths of the system.
To allow installation of unsigned drivers, you must log into Windows with driver signature verification disabled. To do this, reboot your PC with advanced boot options. This is done as follows.
Close everything open source software and only after that, move the mouse cursor to the lower right corner so that side panel Charms Bar (this “Miracle Bar” can also be called up by pressing the “Win + C” key combination on your keyboard). Go to the “Options” section.
In the window that opens, click on the “Update and Recovery” menu section (on the left). Next, click “Recovery”. After the last click, a list with partitions and recovery options will appear on the right; click on the “Restart now” button in the “ section Special options downloads".
The computer will begin to reboot the system, wait until a special advanced boot menu appears on the screen. Click on the “Diagnostics” item in it, then on “Advanced options” and then select the “Boot options” tile.
In the newly opened window you will see a list listing the reasons for restarting the PC in non-standard mode, in it you will find the item you need “Disable mandatory driver signature verification”. Click on the only “Reboot” button in this window.
After the computer restarts, a dialog box will appear on your monitor screen offering various options for continuing. You need to select the seventh option “Disable mandatory driver signature verification”. Press the number seven on your keyboard to have the PC continue booting with the selected options.
That's it, now blocking unsigned drivers in Windows 8 is disabled, and you can safely start installing them on the system. However, the blocking is not disabled forever; after you restart the computer again, it will log into the system in normal mode, but all the drivers you installed will not be blocked, but will continue to work, and you will be able to use an outdated or non-standard one connected to the PC device.
The requirement for a driver to be digitally signed in Windows 8 (Device Driver Signing) is a system requirement Windows security, which allows the installation of only drivers that are digitally signed by the manufacturer. Microsft needs a driver certification and signing system in order to maximally protect the system from the installation of incorrect or dangerous software that can destabilize the system.
When you try to install a driver in Windows 8 that does not have a digital signature, a warning window appears:
“Windows encountered a problem installing the driver software for your device. Windows found driver software for your device but encoutered an error while attempting to install it. The hash for the file is not present in the specified catalog file. The file is likely corrupt or the victim of tampering.”
(The hash of this file is not in the given directory file. The file may be corrupted or tampered with)
In this article, we propose to get acquainted with the procedure for installing an unsigned device driver in Windows 8 by disabling the system's digital signature verification of the driver. It is important to note the fact that You install unsigned versions of drivers at your own peril and risk, and you clearly understand that by your actions you risk the stability and security of your OS.
Let us recall that the requirement for mandatory signing of drivers running in kernel mode appeared for the first time in 64-bit Windows Vista. However, if in Windows 7 (we previously described how it is possible in Windows 7) and Vista, the system still offered the ability to install an unsigned driver (which did not always work), then in Windows 8, installation of a driver without a digital signature simply ends with an appropriate warning.
Disable driver digital signature verification in Windows 8 boot options
You can disable signature verification from the options menu Windows boot 8. To get into it, you need to press a key combination in the system Win+I, select item ChangePCSettings, then on the tab General select option RestartNow(will reboot now). As a result, the computer will restart and automatically enter advanced boot options mode.
The same effect (getting into the system boot settings configuration mode) can be achieved by restarting the computer from the command line ():
Shutdown.exe /r /o /f /t 00
Then select the option Advanced Startup
And finally click the Restart button
The computer will reboot again and a menu for selecting boot options will appear in front of you. We are interested in the item Disabledriversignatureenforcement(disable driver verification), select it by pressing the F7 key on the keyboard or 7
As a result, Windows 8 will boot into a mode in which signed drivers can be installed. Now, when installing such a driver (via Device Manager or using a wizard), a window with a Windows security warning will appear in Windows 8:
Select an item : Installthisdriversoftwareanyway, after which the driver should be installed. All that remains is to reboot in normal mode and check the functionality installed driver and devices.
Installing an unsigned driver in Windows 8 Test Mode
If the above method did not work for you, there is another way to install unsigned drivers. In Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 there is a so-called “test mode of operation” ( TestMode), in which it is possible to install any (including unsigned drivers).
What are the dangers of operating the system in “test mode”? Technically, you are working with the same full-fledged OS, but there are a few nuances. Firstly, this configuration is not formally supported by the vendor (Microsoft). Secondly, by switching the system to debug mode, you significantly reduce its security and stability of the OS, so the risk of various errors, BSODs and infection increases significantly.
So, on a 64-bit OS you need to run command line with administrator rights and sequentially execute the commands:
Bcdedit.exe /set nointegritychecks ON bcdedit.exe /set TESTSIGNING ON
The first command can be replaced with
Bcdedit.exe /set loadoptions DDISABLE_INTEGRITY_CHECKS
After each command, a message indicating its successful execution should appear.
Then reboot your system and try installing an unsigned driver.
Fact Windows operation 8 in test (debug) mode is manifested by the presence in the lower right corner of the desktop: Test mode(Test Mode), OS version and Windows build number.
To disable Test Mode, you must run the following commands with administrator rights:
Bcdedit.exe /set nointegritychecks OFF bcdedit.exe /set TESTSIGNING OFF
Instead of the first command you can use:
Bcdedit /set loadoptions ENABLE_INTEGRITY_CHECKS
So, we looked at ways to disable digital signature verification in 64-bit Windows versions 8.
It is worth noting that this problem most often occurs among owners of all kinds of old devices (the drivers for which are also significantly outdated). These “lucky ones” need to be prepared for the fact that old drivers without a digital signature from the manufacturer, installed according to this article, bypassing the Windows security system, will not always work correctly. Therefore, first of all, it is recommended to check the availability of a recent signed version of the driver for Windows 8 (Windows 7) on the manufacturer’s website.
Some printers have multiple driver options to use depending on your environment, printer connection type, and availability:
When using a PostScript-enabled printer.
When printing from Adobe or other graphics-intensive applications.
When printing documents that contain a significant number of graphics or macros.
When printing in non-uniform environments, for example when printing as in Windows applications, and Macintosh.
HP ePrint Software Provides wireless printing capabilities desktop computers and laptops for Windows control or Mac on any wireless ePrint-enabled printer connected to the HP network or cloud, from applications using the standard File > Print method. Contains driver for Windows and workflow.pdf for Mac. ePrint software is used to print documents or photos over the Internet by sending emails from anywhere from the appropriate device to the address assigned to the HP printer connected to the Internet. Use the HP ePrint App to capture, edit, and wirelessly print photos and other images from your iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Android smartphones or other smartphones on an HP wireless printer.
Complete solution - these are drivers and/or software, specially created for specific products. The HP Full Feature Driver or HP Complete Driver and Software Suite provides a complete solution that includes a comprehensive set of printer software, plus most additional functions print. No other HP software is required. The complete solution is recommended for use wherever applicable and is included on the HP Windows 8/8.1 CD/DVD that came with your new printer or is available for download at www.hp.com/go/support. Installs over the network or via USB.
Basic PCL6 driver- PCL6 drivers use printer resources (internal processor and memory) to process print commands. This is a driver that is designed specifically for some printers that support PCL 6. It should not be confused with the PCL 6 UPD. This driver can only be downloaded from www.hp.com/go/support and can be used to provide basic software printing or print/ scanning. Activates more complex software functions than drivers included in the OS or Center Windows updates. Installs over the network or via USB.
Basic Host-based- Host-based drivers use the resources of the computer (host) connected to the printer via USB cable, to process print commands. This is a specially designed driver for host-enabled printers that provides basic software printing or print and scan functions. Activates more complex software functions than drivers included in the OS or Windows Update. Like the Basic PCL6 driver, this driver is only available at www.hp.com/go/support. It is also known as driver Plug and Play because it can only be installed via USB.
Driver or Plug Package and Play - Host-based driver, which can only be installed via USB. Like the Basic Host-based feature, this driver is only available at www.hp.com/go/support.
Universal Print Driver (UPD)- The downloadable HP Universal Driver is designed for customers who only require print functionality, as well as system administrators, which use this file for deployment. Includes PCL 6 and PostScript versions (UPD PCL 5 is not supported on Windows 8/8.1 when using UPD PCL 5 version 5.7 and later; PCL5 version 5.6 and earlier is NOT supported on Windows 8/8.1). Not recommended for All-in-One series printers. Often used by administrators or IT professionals in corporate environments where the process is controlled by a print server running print jobs on different models printers hosted in desktop or mobile print environments. Can be installed via USB or over a network, but is usually installed remotely over a network.
Note.
The HP PCL6 Universal Print Driver for Windows is recommended for most printing needs. It is used for general office tasks such as word processing or spreadsheets and the like.
For use universal driver To print HP PostScript for Windows, the printer must have PostScript (PS) printing capabilities. The PostScript version is used in the following cases:
Windows Update is a driver from Windows Update for Windows 8/8.1. For most printers, this driver provides print functionality only (no scanning). Some printers also support WIA. From the Devices and Printers window, run Windows Update and get the latest drivers and updates. This driver is best used when you need to provide limited number of software printing functions in the absence of other solutions.
From the OS (In-OS) - basic driver printing (without scanning), included in the operating room Windows systems 8/8.1 to provide limited printer functionality. Some advanced features may not be available. For some printer models, only this driver version is available. This driver is best used in cases where there is no Internet connection or no other solutions are available. When using All-in-One series printers, this driver is preferable to UPD.
Point and Print Driver Kit Typically used by administrators or IT professionals to enable Point and Print functionality to enable interoperability between different operating systems. Can be used to install disk public access on network server print, and then point it to the print server as shared resource directly from the network client.
Note.
This option is available for corporate clients, but is not listed in this document. For more detailed information For the Point and Print Driver Kit, go to www.hp.com/go/upd.
Windows 8 has a special security module installed that is responsible for blocking the process of installing drivers on your computer without a digital signature. What's the point? In fact, such a firewall provides reliable protection for your PC from Trojans, spyware and other unwanted programs. It would seem that the advantages are obvious. However, such a precaution is unlikely to fit into the plans of users who need to update the software of outdated devices. In this case, the only thing left for them is to disable the verification of its signature in OS Windows 8 during driver installation.
You can perform a similar procedure in several ways. However, regardless of the method chosen, to disable driver digital signature detection, you must make sure that the software installed on your computer does not contain a virus or any other threat to the system, otherwise the consequences may be very unpredictable.
Method number 1: Disable via boot options
In order to disable digital signature verification for one specific driver in OS Windows 8 once, the easiest way is to reconfigure the system from the “Boot Options” menu. To do this, use the +I key combination to open the “Options” tab in the Charm Bar. After that, press Shift on the keyboard and, holding it down, click the “Shutdown” button and select “Restart” from the menu that appears:
Now open the “Diagnostics” section, find the “Advanced parameters” item in it and click on it with the mouse:
As a result, the “Download Options” window we need will appear. Now the only thing left is to press F7 or just the number 7 on the keyboard to disable checking the installed driver for a digital signature on our computer in Windows 8:
It is worth noting that disabling security mode is only valid for one PC session. This means that the next time the system is rebooted, the process of blocking unsigned drivers in Windows 8 while they are being updated will be automatically activated. In this case, all previously installed, working “firewood” that does not have a digital signature will not be affected.
Method number 2: Disable using the gpedit.msc command
In the event that you need to install several unsigned “firewood” in Windows 8 at different times, it is more logical to completely disable the digital signature detection function through the Local Editor group policy. In order to run it, press +R on the keyboard, set the command gpedit.msc for the “Run” utility that opens and click the OK button:
The next step is to open the “User Configuration” folder in the menu on the left in the system window that appears, select “Administrative Templates” in it and go to the “System” section. After that, go to the “Driver Installation” folder, find in it the parameter “ Digital signature..." and double-click on it with the mouse:
Now in the window that appears, check the box next to the “Enabled” option, select “Skip” as an option for Windows 8 when updating the “firewood” and click OK to save the settings.