Secure Boot on HP h8-1260t with Windows 10 Pro

[Nyquist]

Upgraded from Windows 7 Pro to Windows 10 Pro in September 2015.  PC contained factory-installed AMI BIOS v7.12 (10/12/2011) at the time of upgrade.  A month later I successfully performed a 'clean install' of Windows 10 Pro using the .ISO image file downloaded from Microsoft.  Clean install was placed on an Intel 535 Series 240 GB SSD using a MBR configuration.  System runs fine in this configuration; however, in the MBR configuration, UEFI capabilities (and Secure Boot) are not available.

From what I've read on MS TechNet and other places, Secure Boot cannot be enabled unless my SSD is formatted as a GPT drive during the Windows 10 installation process.

My question is will the factory-installed BIOS version listed above allow me to format my SSD as a GPT drive during a clean install of Windows 10 and, if so, will the UEFI features of the BIOS and the Secure Boot feature in Windows 10 become available for use after the clean install has been completed?

[old_geekster]

@Nyquist, welcome to the forum.

I don't believe that your motherboard has Secure Boot because the computer came with Win 7.  HP normally doesn't make Secure Boot available in Win 7.  They didn't begin using UEFI in their motherboards until mid-October, 2012 with Win 8.

Please click the Thumbs up + button if I have helped you and click Accept as Solution if your problem is solved.

[Nyquist]

On the Boot Options tab of the BIOS screen, UEFI is listed in the menu; however, it is not accesible.   My curiosity is whether or not a UEFI menu would become accessible in the event the SSD was formatted as a GPT drive vs. MBR.

Is there a way to verify with HP whether the AMI v7.12 BIOS that came with the IPISB-CH2 (aka, Chicago) motherboard has the ability to support UEFI as long as the boot drive containing the Windows 10 OS is formatted as a GPT drive prior to the installation of Windows?

[old_geekster · Accepted solution]

Thank you for the additional information, @Nyquist.

The partitions on the SSD have nothing to do with UEFI.  It is in the motherboard and it takes the place of the Legacy/standard BIOS.  A Legacy BIOS can't be upgraded to UEFI.  As I said, HP didn't begin using UEFI in their motherboards until mid-October, 2012.