One of my main annoyances with Vista (and I'm sure I'm not the only one here) is that driver signature checks are enforced by default and difficult to work around. Vista requires that all drivers installed on the system be tested and approved by Microsoft, at the expense of the driver author. This is a problem for those of us that run programs such as ATITool or custom drivers for our video cards such as WarCats because driver signature enforcement blocks the use of third party drivers which limits their functionality.
There are 2 known ways to work around Vista's driver signature enforcement.. The first must be done every time you boot the PC, the second is permanent. Neither of these methods works 100% for every program, and both do technically open your PC to potential stability/security risks although the chances are slim. Use of either of these methods is at your own risk.
Method 1:
Single OS - begin pressing the F8 key when you see IRQ and resource information while booting (immediately after POST). You will be presented with several options for booting Vista. One of the options will be to disable driver signature enforcement. Select it and allow the PC to boot. You will now be able to install software such as ATITool, ATI Tray Tools, or PowerStrip which install their own drivers. In order for these third party drivers to load, you must repeat this process every time you boot the PC.
Dual/Multi OS with Vista boot selection - When the list of operating systems is displayed, select Vista and press F8. You will be presented with several options for booting Vista. One of the options will be to disable driver signature enforcement. Select it and allow the PC to boot. You will now be able to install software such as ATITool, ATI Tray Tools, or PowerStrip which install their own drivers. In order for these third party drivers to load, you must repeat this process every time you boot the PC.
Method 2:
This method works from within Vista so the instructions are the same whether single or multiple operating systems are present.
Click Start, then in the Search box type "cmd". You will see an icon for the command prompt appear in the Programs section. Move your cursor over this icon, click and hold down your right mouse button on it, drag it off onto the desktop, release the right mouse button, and select "Create Shortcut Here". Now right click this new shortcut and click "Run as administrator". You will now be presented with a DOS window and command prompt. At the prompt, type the following: "bcdedit -set loadoptions \\”DDISABLE_INTEGRITY_CHECKS” and press enter. Notice there are 2 D's for disable, this is intentional. Now reboot the PC and attempt to install the driver.
There are 2 known ways to work around Vista's driver signature enforcement.. The first must be done every time you boot the PC, the second is permanent. Neither of these methods works 100% for every program, and both do technically open your PC to potential stability/security risks although the chances are slim. Use of either of these methods is at your own risk.
Method 1:
Single OS - begin pressing the F8 key when you see IRQ and resource information while booting (immediately after POST). You will be presented with several options for booting Vista. One of the options will be to disable driver signature enforcement. Select it and allow the PC to boot. You will now be able to install software such as ATITool, ATI Tray Tools, or PowerStrip which install their own drivers. In order for these third party drivers to load, you must repeat this process every time you boot the PC.
Dual/Multi OS with Vista boot selection - When the list of operating systems is displayed, select Vista and press F8. You will be presented with several options for booting Vista. One of the options will be to disable driver signature enforcement. Select it and allow the PC to boot. You will now be able to install software such as ATITool, ATI Tray Tools, or PowerStrip which install their own drivers. In order for these third party drivers to load, you must repeat this process every time you boot the PC.
Method 2:
This method works from within Vista so the instructions are the same whether single or multiple operating systems are present.
Click Start, then in the Search box type "cmd". You will see an icon for the command prompt appear in the Programs section. Move your cursor over this icon, click and hold down your right mouse button on it, drag it off onto the desktop, release the right mouse button, and select "Create Shortcut Here". Now right click this new shortcut and click "Run as administrator". You will now be presented with a DOS window and command prompt. At the prompt, type the following: "bcdedit -set loadoptions \\”DDISABLE_INTEGRITY_CHECKS” and press enter. Notice there are 2 D's for disable, this is intentional. Now reboot the PC and attempt to install the driver.
