Secure boot off on my Pavilion gaming desktop

[hpinvegas]

Hi group,

I bought an HP Pavilion gaming desktop earlier this year from Amazon and recently discovered secure boot is not enabled.

From what I can tell, it's recommended that secure boot be turned on for security.

I went into the BIOS setup, and under boot options there is a listing for "Load HP Factory Default Keys."  According to the page, it "restores the default shipping keys and certificates to secure boot databases. All custom-set keys and certificates will be erased."

Is this the option I choose?

Also, is there a legitimate reason why secure boot would not be enabled? I want to be cautious before I proceed; the last thing I want to do is cripple my PC.

Thanks in advance for your expertise.

[VikramTheGreat]

Hi @hpinvegas,

Welcome to the HP Support Community.
 

Thank you for posting your query. I will be glad to help you.

You're asking a smart and important question — enabling Secure Boot does help protect your system, but it must be done carefully to avoid startup issues. Here's a clear breakdown to help you proceed confidently.

Why Secure Boot Might Be Disabled

• Default for flexibility: Some systems ship with Secure Boot disabled to allow OS installs (like Linux) or certain drivers/tools that don’t support it.
• Custom GPU drivers or unsigned software might require it off.
• Upgrading from Windows 10 to 11 doesn't always enable Secure Boot automatically.

Yes — if Secure Boot is currently disabled and you want to enable it, you should first load the HP Factory Default Keys. This restores the original trusted certificates that Secure Boot uses to verify boot components.

Steps:

1. Restart your PC and press Esc repeatedly to enter the Startup Menu.
2. Press F10 to enter BIOS Setup.
3. Navigate to Boot Options.
4. Select Load HP Factory Default Keys and confirm.
5. Then, enable Secure Boot.
6. Save changes and exit BIOS.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have a good day.

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, as it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

VikramTheGreat

HP Support

[hpinvegas]

Vikram,

Thank you for your response. I will try this solution and report back if I have any problems.

Much appreciated. 

[VikramTheGreat]

Hi @hpinvegas,

You're very welcome! 😊 I'm glad I could help.
 

Take your time trying out the solution, and feel free to report back here if you run into any issues or have further questions. We're always here to assist you.
 

Wishing you smooth computing ahead.

Take care, and have an amazing day!
 

Did we resolve the issue? If yes, please consider marking this post as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" to give us a helpful vote - your feedback keeps us going!

Regards,

VikramTheGreat