Windows 8.1: Turn off driver signing - how it works

We will show you how to disable the driver signing on Windows 8 and Windows 8.1. This allows you to use software for devices that Microsoft has not digitally signed. You may be looking forward to more features of your new or a revival of your old hardware under Windows 8.1. The shutdown function is not hidden behind the boot menu, which you could access before the Windows 8 era with F8, as in Windows 7, in the Control Panel.


Important note


Instead, further steps are required, which are explained below. In this guide, we will show you two ways to easily set the driver signing on Windows 8.1 or Windows 8: "Walk" via the tile interface or the desktop and via the "Run" menu


Windows 8 & Windows 8.1: Turn off driver signing


Your warranty may be void if you do not operate the equipment with the software provided for it. Also malfunctions and thus permanent damage up to the complete failure are possible if you force the use of alternative drivers for your hardware. Follow our tips only if you are aware of the dangers and did research on new software offers for your individual computer hardware.


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1. Option: On the Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 interface, press "Windows" + "I" (i like Ida). This will bring you to the settings of the charm menu. Click Turn Off. Now hold down the Shift key and select "Restart". After this, a new menu appears, in which you can enter


Reboot the system to the startup settings.


After the boot process, a new menu is displayed, in which you can deactivate the driver signing by pressing the key 7.


2. Possibility (with immediate restart): Press "Windows key" + "R" to start the command line ("Run"). Then enter "shutdown.exe / r / o / f / t 00". The computer restarts immediately, and you can proceed as described above to disable enforcing driver signing. Here is a list of parameters, which we use with the Windows-own tool shutdown.exe


Troubleshooting, Advanced Options, Startup Settings, Restart


/ R "means restarting (from English: restart); / o" takes us to the option menu, f "restarts and closes all active programs, t / 00" determines the time to reboot