How to Fix Highguard’s Secure Boot Nightmare

Guide
Written By NLM Team

I have seen the forums, and they are a bloodbath of players who just want to shoot things but are instead staring at "Secure Boot" error messages.

Highguard screenshot showing a horned, masked character in red holding a potion near a large, vine-covered bell-monster in a golden field.

It is 2026, yet we are still fighting with BIOS settings just to launch a free-to-play shooter. Highguard uses some aggressive anti-cheat measures that require your PC to be locked down tighter than a vault, which means if you haven't touched your BIOS since you built your rig, you are probably locked out. I have spent the evening digging through the technical weeds to figure out exactly why the game is rejecting so many systems. If you are getting a "Secure Boot Not Enabled" error despite being sure you turned it on, you are likely stuck in "Setup Mode" or running on an ancient partition style. Here is the direct path to fixing it so you can actually go get steamrolled in a 3v3 match.

Step 1: Check Your Partition Style

You cannot enable Secure Boot if your Windows drive is formatted using MBR (Master Boot Record). It is an old standard, and Secure Boot requires GPT (GUID Partition Table).

  • How to check: Right-click your Start button and open Disk Management.

  • The Reveal: Right-click Disk 0 (your Windows drive), hit Properties, and check the Volumes tab.

  • The Verdict: If it says MBR, you are out of luck until you convert the drive. If it says GPT, you are ready for the BIOS.

Step 2: The BIOS Shuffle

This is where most people get stuck. Your BIOS might say Secure Boot is "Enabled," but Windows will still report it as "Disabled" because it isn't actually active.

BIOS FIX CHECKLIST

Follow these steps precisely to force Secure Boot into "Active" mode.

Step Action Required
CSM Support Set this to Disabled. Secure Boot will not work if CSM is on.
Secure Boot Mode Switch from Standard to Custom, then back to Standard.
Factory Keys When prompted to "Install Factory Default Keys," select YES.

Step 3: Verification

Once you hit F10 and reboot, do not just hope for the best. Check the status in Windows before you try to launch Highguard again.

System Information Check

Press Win + R, type msinfo32, and hit Enter. You are looking for two specific lines. BIOS Mode must say UEFI, and Secure Boot State must say On. If it still says "Off" or "Unsupported," your motherboard might need a firmware update, or you missed a setting in the "Key Management" section of your BIOS.

Got a hot take on this? I know you do. Head over to r/neonlightsmedia to discuss it.

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