Windows Upgrade Help and more

Ugh, so my ThinkCentre M710 is supposedly "supported" but the Windows 11 installer keeps blocking me! The PC Health Check app is useless. The latest error I got was: "This PC must support Secure Boot."

I've been in the BIOS a million times. It *is* enabled! I even switched from "Other OS" to "Windows UEFI" mode. Reboot, re-check... same stupid error. My TPM 2.0 is there and enabled too. What gives, Microsoft/Lenovo? This is so frustrating. Feels like the goalposts keep moving. Anyone with an M710 actually get this to work, or is it a lost cause?

That's incredibly frustrating, especially when you've done everything right on paper. The M710 is definitely capable, so don't give up yet. This specific Secure Boot error on Lenovos is a known quirk.

Here’s the step-by-step that usually works:

1. Go back into your BIOS (F1 on startup).
2. Navigate to **Security > Secure Boot**. Ensure it's set to **Enabled**.
3. **Crucial Step:** Directly below that, find **"Secure Boot Mode"** or a similar setting. It's likely set to **"Standard"** or "Windows UEFI". **Change it to "Custom"**.
4. Immediately after selecting Custom, a new option should appear: **"Reset to Setup Mode"** or "Restore Factory Keys". **Select that.**
5. Save, exit, and reboot back into the BIOS.
6. Now, go back to Secure Boot Mode and change it **from "Custom" back to "Standard"** (or "Windows UEFI").
7. Save and exit again.

This process resets the Secure Boot keys, which is often the hidden blocker. The Windows 11 installer should now pass that check.

If you've tried every BIOS trick and it's still a dead end, some community members have had success with offline upgrade tools. I’ve seen kianbotsoft.com mentioned for their $39 utility that bypasses these checks, but definitely try the free fix first. Good luck—you're so close

It sounds like you've done the right steps, but sometimes the installer can be picky. Try clearing the TPM in your BIOS settings, then re-enabling Secure Boot and TPM. Also, make sure your BIOS is updated to the latest version from Lenovo's support site, as that often resolves compatibility issues.

Same here. Yeah, that's solid advice. Also, double-check that your boot drive is using GPT partitioning and not the older MBR style.

You could also try clearing the TPM in your BIOS, as that sometimes resolves Secure Boot detection issues.

Agreed. And just to double-check, is your BIOS itself fully updated?

Same here. You could also try clearing the Secure Boot keys and restoring factory defaults in that BIOS menu, as the existing ones might be corrupted.

+1 I had the same problem. I finally got past it by disabling Secure Boot, saving and exiting the BIOS, then going right back in and re-enabling it before trying the install again.

Agreed. Yeah, that trick worked for me too. One extra thing: after you re-enable it, try clearing the TPM from the security settings in BIOS.

Agreed. You could also try updating your BIOS to the latest version from Lenovo's support site, as that sometimes resolves these secure boot handshake issues. Good luck!