In Windows 10, more and more attention is paid to security measures to protect the user from various threats and from the failure of installed programs. One of these innovations was the Secure Boot function of UEFI systems, which prohibits the installation of unsigned drivers in the operating system in such a way that only those that were previously approved by the company could be installed. Luckily for users who need to install a specific, unsigned driver for specific reasons, there is a Windows 10 Test Mode .
Windows 10 Test Mode is a special operating mode that allows users to install unsigned drivers and run software without a digital signature from Microsoft. This mode is good because you can run this or that driver and see the consequences on the system without any risks. When you turn on Test Mode, you will see a watermark on the screen, but what if it turns on by itself? And how to disable test mode in Windows 10.
Remove the “Test mode” sign
Some users (for example, enthusiastic developers) need “Test Mode” to be active at all times. The corresponding inscription can be annoying, so many would like to get rid of it. There is such an opportunity, but for this you will need to use third-party software. We will describe the hiding procedure using the example of Universal Watermark Disabler.
- Download the utility executable from the link above.
After downloading, launch it. In the program window, click “Install”.
A warning window may appear indicating that the tool has not been tested on your build. Click “Yes” on it.
After a short time, a new window will appear warning you that you will be automatically logged out - this is required to accept the changes. Close all open programs, then click OK.
Log in to your account and wait for the Desktop items to load. Next, look at the lower right corner - the inscription should disappear.
In this simple way you can remove almost any system inscriptions. However, it is worth keeping in mind that on some specific versions of the “tens” (for example, with changes made at the assembly level), the application in question may not work.
Alternative options
There are other options to accomplish this task. For example, press W + S to open a window like this:
You must enter “ Command Prompt ” in the line below; the same window will open as when using the first option.
Another way to find the command window is to press W + R. In the input line you need to type “ cmd ” and click on OK. And in this case, a command window insert will open.
A rare user knows that in order to open Command Prompt , just go to any Explorer and right-click while holding Shift. In the menu you need to click on “ Open command window ”.
Next, the previous command is copied.
But this method does not always allow you to turn off Test. the Command Prompt again (by any method) and paste the same text bcdedit.exe -set TESTSIGNING OFF adding one more: bcdedit.exe -set loadoptions ENABLE_INTEGRITY_CHECKS
What to do if “Test Mode” does not turn on
Sometimes a failure occurs and the mode in question refuses to activate. In such a situation, you must act as follows:
- Owners of the latest computers and laptops may need to disable the Secure Boot feature in the board firmware.
Lesson: How to disable UEFI in BIOS If Secure Boot is disabled, but “Test Mode” still does not turn on, repeat step 1 of the main instructions, but enter the following command first:
bcdedit.exe -set loadoptions DISABLE_INTEGRITY_CHECKS
Then enter the “Test Mode” enable code, then restart the computer - the problem should be resolved.
Thus, we told you about how to enable “Test Mode” in Windows 10, and also looked at a method for hiding the corresponding inscription and a solution when this mode is not activated.
Source
Return to original state
Despite the vulnerability of the operating system, some components and devices cannot work properly without unsigned drivers. This applies to products from Chinese little-known manufacturers and outdated models that are not supported by modern editions of the OS. Therefore, we have to remove the restrictions originally set by Microsoft developers. After looking at how to disable Test Mode in Windows 10, you need to know a way to get it back. The testing mode is started in the following order:
- Open the command console in the already known way and enter: “bcdedit.exe -set TESTSIGNING ON”;
- By pressing the “Enter” key, restart the computer. Now the corresponding message will be fixed at the bottom of the desktop again.
Windows testing mode is necessary to check the functioning of programs in the early stages of development, as well as in cases where devices simply cannot function under normal conditions. But you should not abuse the advanced capabilities of the system - this can lead to irreversible damage to OS system files due to infection with malicious files, often disguised as safe software.
Some users are faced with the fact that “Test mode” appears in the lower right corner of the Windows 10 desktop, further containing information about the edition and build of the installed system.
This instruction provides details about why such an inscription appears and how to remove Windows 10 test mode in two ways - either by actually disabling it, or by removing only the inscription and leaving test mode enabled.
Enable test mode in the Windows command line
In order for the transition to test mode to be successful, you must first disable the “Secure Boot” mode in the BIOS, so before you begin, you must go into the BIOS (UEFI) settings of your computer. For different motherboard manufacturers, the settings will be slightly different, but we will figure out how to disable “Secure Boot” using the example of a computer we have with an Asus motherboard.
So: launch the BIOS (UEFI) and go to the “Boot” section. In it, go to the “Secure Boot” item and click on it.
A small “OS Type” menu appears, in which we select the “Other OS” item.
We save the parameters and reboot. If there is no “Secure Boot” item in your BIOS menu, then it is already disabled at the hardware level and there is no need to perform the above steps.
Now you can run the “ten” in test mode to remove some OS restrictions, in particular those that are imposed when installing unsigned drivers. Launch the command line (with administrator rights), enter the command:
bcdedit.exe -set loadoptions DISABLE_INTEGRITY_CHECKS
bcdedit . exe - set TESTSIGNING ON
We wait for the completion of each command, after which the system will issue a corresponding notification.
Close the window and reboot. After the reboot, next to the notification panel we will see an inscription reminding you of the mode in which the operating system is now running.
You can disable test mode in a similar way, only the command syntax will be slightly different:
bcdedit . exe - set TESTSIGNING OFF
If the command gives an error, turn off Secure Boot mode in the BIOS.
Windows 8.1
Separately, we should discuss how to disable Windows 8.1 test mode. Most often, this problem is encountered by owners of laptops on which such an operating system was initially installed. If you intend to use unsigned drivers, you can activate this feature through the boot options menu. To get there we use the key combination Win+I. Next, while holding down the Shift key, we successively use the “Shutdown” and “Reboot” functions. You can disable test mode via the command line, as shown above.
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How to disable Test Mode in Windows 10
Initially, installing unofficial drivers in Windows is impossible due to the high chance of the program being incompatible with the hardware. A mismatch between the driver and the device leads to unstable operation, crashes, or sudden restart of the OS. Test mode allows you to bypass restrictions and install unauthenticated drivers. Its activation is indicated by a mark on the desktop.
Let's look at ways to disable and enable test mode in Windows 10 using standard and third-party tools.
Instead of an afterword
Be careful when performing actions on the command line. And remember - running Windows 10 in test mode reduces the security of the operating system significantly.
Microsoft is committed to meeting the needs of a diverse group of Windows users. Starting from ordinary users, who only need to have a standard set of OS tools at their disposal. And ending with advanced “geeks”, for whom the most important thing is to constantly be in the trend of the latest software innovations and electronic devices. It is for such “fans of digital progress” that in Windows 10 the developers have improved a special function - “Test Mode”.
Use the command line to disable test mode
As mentioned above, Test Mode Windows is accompanied by a permanently pinned notification at the bottom of the screen near the taskbar. It contains information about the current OS version and service pack. The easiest way to return the system to its previous state and erase the inscription that is unpleasant to the eye is to use the command line.
Important!
The above methods for managing the testing mode apply similarly to all modern Windows releases, including the 7th and 8th generation. To do this you need:
- Right-click on the Start menu symbol and open “Windows PowerShell (Administrator)” or “Command Prompt” (depending on the OS version);
In the input area, type: “bcdedit.exe –set TESTSIGNING OFF”, confirming the action with the Enter key;
Reboot the system - the computer should now start normally.
- If entering the command and restarting the system does not produce results, and the watermark does not disappear from the screen, you need to restart the PC again and go into the BIOS (UEFI) of the motherboard. In it you need to find the “Secure Boot” parameter, set it to “Disable”, save the changes and restart Windows. Next, go to PowerShell and repeat the steps from the first and second steps.
If the previous paragraph did not help resolve the problem, write sequentially in the console
: "
bcdedit.exe -set TESTSIGNING OFF
" "
bcdedit.exe -set loadoptions ENABLE_INTEGRITY_CHECKS
" "
bcdedit.exe -set TESTSIGNING OFF
"
After completing operations with the console (or PowerShell), do not forget to restart the computer.
The easiest way to turn off
If the question arises: how to remove Windows 10 test mode, then you need to take into account that this program does not have a command line in the “ All programs ” section. Therefore, the easiest option is to click on “ Start ” with the right mouse button or simultaneously press W + X on the keyboard. A window will open in which you need to pay attention to 2 positions:
- command line;
- command line (administrator).
You must click on any of them to open a black window. The command bcdedit.exe -set TESTSIGNING OFF is copied into it
Then you need to press the Enter button on the keyboard to determine whether the operation has completed. If everything is in order, the picture will look like this:
The final stage is to reboot the device.
Via Universal Watermark Disabler
In addition to the classic “console” option, system owners have a second option - through the Universal Watermark Disabler software. It is useful for people who intend to continue using the test mode, but want to remove the annoying notification. Thus, this software does not turn it off, but only masks it.
To use the utility, you need:
- Download the file from the official website, we provided the link above;
How to delete text from your desktop
If for some reason Test cannot be disabled, but the text is in the way. I need to solve the question: how to disable the “Windows 10 Test Mode” message on the screen. You won't be able to do this using the settings. You will have to download a free application to your computer, for example, Universal Watermark Disabler (https://www.softportal.com/software-41127-universal-watermark-disabler.html).
You need to download and run the program.
After clicking Install, a window will appear.
You should click on Yes and restart your computer. This will remove the inscription and the device will continue to operate as before.
Download Signed Code Test - Windows Drivers
- 20.04.2017
- 2 minutes to read
In this article
By default, Windows does not load test-signed kernel-mode drivers. To change this behavior and allow test-signed drivers to be loaded, use the boot configuration data editor BCDEdit.exe to enable or disable TESTSIGNING, a boot configuration option. You must have administrator rights to enable this option.
Note
For 64-bit versions of Windows Vista and later versions of Windows, the kernel mode code signing policy requires that all kernel mode code be digitally signed. However, in most cases, an unsigned driver can be installed and loaded on 32-bit versions of Windows Vista and later versions of Windows. For more information, see Driver Signing Policy.
Administrator rights required
To use BCDEdit, you must be a member of the System Administrators group and run the command from an elevated command prompt. To open an elevated Command Prompt window, type cmd into the search box on the Windows taskbar, right-click Command Prompt in the search results, and select Run as administrator .
Warning
Administrative rights are required to use BCDEdit to change boot configuration data. Changing some boot options using BCDEdit /set may cause your computer to malfunction. Alternatively, use the System Configuration Utility (MSConfig.exe) to change boot options.
Enable or disable the use of signed test code
Run BCDEdit command lines to enable or disable loading test-signed code. For changes to take effect, whether this option is enabled or not, you must restart your computer after changing the configuration.
Note
Before you configure BCDEdit settings, you may need to disable or pause BitLocker and Secure Boot on your computer.
To enable test signed code, use the following BCDEdit command line:
Bcdedit.exe -set TESTSIGNING ON
To disable the use of test signed code, use the following BCDEdit command line:
Bcdedit.exe -set DESTINATION DISABLED
The following figure shows the result of using the BCDEdit command line to enable test signing.
Windows behavior when loading test signed code is enabled
When downloading signed test code is enabled, Windows does the following:
- Displays a watermark with the text "Test Mode" in all four corners of the desktop to remind users that the system has signature verification enabled. Note Beginning with Windows 7, Windows displays this watermark only in the lower right corner of the desktop.
- Displays a watermark with the text "Test Mode" in the lower left corner of the desktop to remind users that signature verification is enabled on the system.
- Operating system loader and kernel boot drivers signed by any certificate. Certificate verification is not required for the Trusted Root Certification Authority chain. However, each driver image file must be digitally signed.
What is Test Mode and How to Remove Test Mode Watermark in Windows Windows 10/8/7 has several watermarks that appear when certain situations require it. Test Mode watermark . This watermark may appear at the bottom right of the Windows desktop if you install an application whose drivers are not digitally signed by Microsoft and if they are still in the testing phase.
What is test mode in Windows
Most are familiar with For testing purposes only, evaluation copy, safe mode, etc. watermarks. However, Test Mode is a not so familiar watermark!
TESTSIGNING boot configuration parameter determines whether Windows 7 or Vista will load any kernel mode test-signed code. This option is not set by default, which means that test-signed kernel mode drivers will not load by default on 64-bit versions of Windows Vista and later versions of Windows.
For 64-bit versions of Windows 10/8/7/Vista, the kernel mode code signing policy requires that all kernel mode code be digitally signed. However, in most cases, an unsigned driver can be installed and loaded on 32-bit versions of Windows Vista and above later versions of Windows, explained in MSDN.
The TESTSIGNING boot configuration option is enabled or disabled using the BCDEdit command.
To enable test signature, use the following BCDEdit command:
Bcdedit.exe -set TESTSIGNING ON
To disable test signature, use the following BCDEdit command:
Bcdedit.exe -set TESTSIGNING OFF
To use BCDEdit, you must be a member of the System Administrators group and run the command from an elevated Command Prompt. To open an elevated Command Prompt window, create a shortcut for Cmd.exe on your desktop, right-click the Cmd.exe shortcut, and select Run on behalf of the administrator.
If the BCDEdit test signing option is enabled, Windows does the following:
- Displays a watermark with the text "Test Mode" in all four corners of the desktop to remind users that the system has test signing enabled. However, starting with Windows 7, Windows only displays this watermark in the lower left corner of the desktop.
- Operating system loader and kernel boot drivers that are signed by any certificate. Certificate verification is not required for the Trusted Root Certification Authority chain. However, each driver image file must be digitally signed.
As mentioned earlier, this watermark may appear if you install an application whose drivers are not digitally signed by Microsoft and they are still in the testing stage. Of course, you can use the sigverif command to check if there are unsigned drivers and what application/device they are associated with.
Remove Test Mode Watermark in Windows
If on rare occasions you see Test Mode | Windows 7 | Create a 7600 watermark at the bottom right of your Windows desktop. For reasons unknown to you, you may have to enable driver verification first. Open a command prompt as an administrator and enter the following commands: bcdedit.exe -set loadoptions ENABLE_INTEGRITY_CHECKS
Press Enter. Now enter:
bcdedit.exe -set TESTSIGNING OFF
Press Enter
Additionally, you can also use Microsoft Fix it 50756 from KB2509241 to remove the test mode watermark easily.
This should help!
. 5 Ways to Load Unsigned Drivers on Windows 7, 8 and Vista 64-bit (x64) • Raymond.CC
Option 3
However, if you don't like the idea of changing the bootloader, you can use Driver Signature Enforcement Overrider . This way you can use DSEO to sign and download unverified drivers. Launch DSEO, click Next, click Yes, select Enable Test Mode and click Next.
You should receive a confirmation window indicating that Test Mode is enabled. Click OK to return to the DSEO window. Now select “Sign system file” and click “Next”. Now you need to enter a specific file name including the full path and click OK. For PeerGuardian it is "C:\Program Files\PeerGuardian2\pgfilter.sys". Restart your computer and the driver is now loaded and the program should work.
Option 4
This method is a different command that uses the BCDEdit utility, similar to the now redundant DDISABLE_INTEGRITY_CHECKS, but is known to be more reliable. Open a Command Prompt in Administrator mode and enter the following command.
bcdedit /set TESTSIGNING ON
Then reboot the system. After reboot, you will notice the presence of a watermark in test mode, so follow the instructions below to remove it. This command is very similar to the Driver Signature Enforcement Overrider program described above by enabling the Windows driver test mode.
Option 5
The Nirsoft OpenedFilesView utility is not actually designed to enable Windows driver test mode and is used to view all open files running on the system, but the 64-bit version of the tool requires test mode to be enabled so that it can work with an unsigned driver. The program will ask if you want You will enable test mode on startup, so simply download OpenedFilesView 64-bit and run the portable executable, then click Yes when you see the dialog box below. Restart your computer.
OpenedFilesView can also be disabled again in test mode because you shouldn't leave your computer in test mode all the time if you can avoid it. Open the program, go to the Help menu and click Turn Off Test Mode, then restart.
When you get a watermark on your desktop, use the tool below to remove it.
Removing Test Mode Watermark
After enabling Test Mode using one of the options above, you will notice that there is a watermark above the clock in the bottom right corner of the screen that says "Test Mode, Windows**, Build****".
This is normal after you have used Overrider Enforcement Signature Driver, BCDEdit, or OpenFilesView64 to enable test mode. If you disable test mode again, you will not be able to load unsigned drivers. In short, you will need to be in test mode to load unsigned drivers.
If you can't see the test mode watermark, you can use a small tool called Remove Watermark to get rid of it. Simply download it, extract the zip file and run RemoveWatermarkX64.exe, then enter the letter Y. Reboot your computer for the patch to take effect. If the watermark still remains after fixing it, run the tool again, and this time press the R key to restore the MUI cache. Relaunch and the watermark should disappear.
How to disable driver signature enforcement in Windows 10
This post shows you how to disable driver signature enforcement in Windows 10/8/7 permanently. Driver signing is the process of associating a digital signature with a driver package. When installing Windows devices, digital signatures are used to verify the integrity of driver packages and to verify the identity of the vendor that provided the driver packages.
The drivers that you typically install on your computer from Windows Update, OEMs, or some third-party driver download programs, etc. must be digitally signed by Microsoft. This is an electronic safety sign that identifies the issuer to the driver as well as all relevant information associated with it. If the driver is not certified by Microsoft, Window will not run them on a 32-bit or 64-bit system. This is called "driver signature enforcement."
Windows 10 will only load kernel mode drivers that are signed by the Digital Development Portal. However, the changes will only affect new installations of the operating system with Secure Boot enabled. Non-updated fresh installations would require Microsoft-signed drivers.
Sometimes you may receive a message - Windows requires a digitally signed driver . If you wish, you can disable driver signature enforcement. Let's see how to do this.
Disable driver signature enforcement in Windows 10
There are three options available to you,
- Use advanced boot menu
- Enable signature test mode
- Disable device driver signing.
1] Use advanced boot menu
Hold down the Shift key and select the Restart option in Windows. Your computer will restart with advanced settings. From the displayed list of options, select the Troubleshooting tile.
Next, select Advanced Options and click the Launch Options tile.
Then click the Restart button to restart your computer on the Startup Options screen.
When you reboot, you will see the following screen. Press the keyboard key 7 to activate the “ Disable driver signature enforcement ” option.
This will reboot your computer with driver signature control disabled and you will be able to install unsigned drivers.
Having said that, the next time you restart your computer, driver signing enforcement will be disabled.
2] Disable device driver signing
Launch Command Prompt as administrator and run the following command:
bcdedit.exe /set nointegritychecks to
This will automatically disable driver signature enforcement on your device.
If you want to enable this feature again, you need to run the following command in an elevated window:
bcdedit.exe /set nointegritychecks off
To do this, you must comply with the secure boot policy. disabled.
If you decide to exit this mode, run the following command:
bcdedit /set testsigning off
Hope this works for you.
3] Enable signature test mode
Enabling the first option will successfully disable the Enforce Driver Signing feature until you decide to exit Test Mode. To enable this option, you will need to open a Command Prompt with Administrator rights. To do this, type CMD in the search box, right-click Command Prompt, and select Run as Administrator.
Then paste the following command into the Command Prompt window and press Enter:
bcdedit / set testigning on
If the message "Value is protected by Secure Boot Policy" is displayed on your screen, it means that Secure Boot is enabled for your computer's UEFI firmware. Disable it in your computer's UEFI firmware settings to enable signature verification mode using Advanced Startup Options.
Reboot your computer to enter test mode. The "Test Mode" watermark should be visible in the lower right corner of your computer screen. When you see this, it indicates that there are no restrictions for installing unsigned or unverified drivers.
That's all!
You should be aware that Driver Signing is a security feature that protects your system and you should consider re-enabling it as soon as possible.
. Posted in Miscellaneous
