Unable to Enable Memory Integrity in Windows 11 on EliteDesk G5

[sayremr]

Last week, I had to reinstall Windows 11 on my PC. I chose to not save the original files and used the Recovery partition to reinstall Windows 11 22H2. Now I am getting a message from Windows Security indicating that my computer is at risk because the Memory Integrity is not enabled.

When I select the option to enable the Memory Integrity, I do NOT see any messages about incompatible drivers. The computer is then restarted. However, it appears to hang with the HP logo showing for about a minute. Then it reboots again on its own and Windows 11 loads. However the Memory Integrity is still turned off.

I am unable to find any clear directions or suggestions on what to try next. I thought about just doing a clean installation of Windows 10 and then upgrading again to Windows 11. But I am unsure how to wipe the hard drive and start over with a clean installation.

What should.I try next?

M

[sayremr]

I downloaded Windows 10 from Microsoft and reinstalled it. Now I have the Memory Integrity working just fine, but it Windows 10. I did have to reset the TPM module to get it to work.

However, when I attempted to update Windows 10 to Windows 11, the installation failed when the computer rebooted. The screen had the HP logo and after a minute or two, the spinning circle stopped spinning. The computer was unresponsive and I had to cycle the power off and on. 

Then the machine proceeded to back out the entire upgrade back to Windows 10.

I am using BIOS 02.16.00 Rev. A. I am unsure what to try next to get back to a working copy of Windows 11 since there are no error messages displayed. This is quite frustrating. I was considering rolling back to BIOS 02.15.00, but that is a shot in the dark.

Thanks for any suggestions you may have about what to try next.

[sayremr · Accepted solution]

I found another post suggesting that the Virtualization for Directed I/O settings in the BIOS might have something to do with the issue I am experiencing. So I unchecked it in the BIOS here:

Advanced -> System Options

When the Virtualization for Directed I/O is turned off, the setting for DMA is also turned off.

I was then able to upgrade to Windows 11 successfully and, importantly, the original issue of enabling memory integrity is also fixed.

I went back to the BIOS and enabled Virtualization for Directed I/O and left the DMA box unchecked. The machine booted normally and Memory Integrity protection remains on.

Finally, I restarted and hit F10 to enter the BIOS setup. Then I enabled DMA via Advanced -> System Options and saved the settings. This time the computer did not boot successfully and remained stuck on the HP Sure Start screen. I had to manually shut down the computer with the Power button. Then I went back into the BIOS setup and unchecked only the DMA and all is well.

Something in the DMA setting is interacting with Windows 11 in a bad way. For now, I am leaving the DMA unchecked in the BIOS.

I hope this post will help someone else.

M