Windows Refund - Boot Locking Concerns

Boot Locking Concerns

See also: Windows 8#Secure boot

Microsoft requires that OEMs support UEFI secure boot on their products to qualify for the Windows 8 Logo Program. Concerns have been raised that OEMs might ship systems that do not to allow users to disable secure boot or install signing keys for alternative operating systems. Such computers would be unable to boot any non-Windows operating system (unless that operating system was signed and its keys included with the computer), further complicating the issue of Windows refunds. While Microsoft claims the OEMs would be free to decide which keys to include and how to manage them, competing OS vendors' relative lack of influence on the desktop OS market compared to Microsoft might mean that, even if signed versions of their operating systems were available, they might face difficulties getting hardware vendors to include their keys, especially if end users won't be able to manage those keys themselves. Boot locking is now required for ARM devices.

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