Fix Windows Cannot Verify the Digital Signature for this File | Stop code 0xc0000428

Digital Signature is a very essential entity to run an application. Without it the software applications cannot be installed and run on operating systems. The main role of a digital signature is to verify the identity of software application so that it can prevent potential attacks. 

When this error '' Windows cannot verify the digital signature for this file '' appears, it will prevent a user from booting into the system. Since there is more than one reason for this error, we cannot point out a particular reason. The reason may be because of an outdated BOOTMGR or the usage of older boot disks. Whatever it is, the error comes with possible solutions to get rid of it.

In this article, I will be describing about Fix Windows Cannot Verify the Digital Signature for this File | Stop code 0xc0000428. You can try each of these methods one by one until you find a solution.

Let's get started,

1. Run CHKDSK

The files those which are present inside the drives may malfunction causing this error. So you need to manually scan all the drives for errors. For this there is a tool known as Check Disk Utility (CHKDSK).

To run CHKDSK,

1. Insert the installation media
2. Restart the PC
3. Boot from the installation media
4. Choose your language
5. Press Shift + F10
6. Type and press Enter after the command

                    CHKDSK x : / f / r  (x stands for the respective drive)

2. Perform SFC Scan

Another reason why this error Windows cannot verify the digital signature occurs is because of system file corruption. You can simply use the built in tool Windows, System File Checker (SFC) to scan and identify the corrupted files.

To run SFC Scan,

1. Insert the installation media
2. Restart the PC
3. Boot from the installation media
4. Choose your language
5. Press Shift + F10
6. Type and press Enter after the command

                        SFC/Scannow 

3. Update BOOTMGR

In some instances, the BOOTMGR file which the system uses could be outdated leading to this error. Especially, after a windows installation. Although a new version of windows is installed on the system, the computer could still use an old version of BOOTMGR. As a result, the boot process will have a problem completing. Due to this you need to update BOOTMGR to the correct version.

4. Update Drivers

Most at times a single specific driver may be the reason behind this error. If a driver is corrupted or downloaded from an untrustworthy site you may come across this error. Under this condition you need to download and install proper drivers from the manufacturers site.

5. Disable Driver Signature Enforcement

If you are unable to bypass the boot screen, you can disable driver signature enforcement to access the system temporarily. This allows to download and install drivers for all of those devices which are faulty. 

To disable driver signature enforcement,

1. Restart the computer
2. Press F8 several times after the POST
3. Choose '' Startup Settings'' in the Advanced Options
4. Press Restart
5. In the blue screen Press F7 to disable driver signature enforcement

6. Restore System

If everything else fails, the last known option to solve Windows cannot verify the digital signature will be restoring system. Restoring system brings back the operating system to the previous state where it was working fine. Hence, it can help to get rid of this error effectively. 

To Restore System,

1. Insert the installation media
2. Restart the PC
3. Boot from the installation media
4. Choose your language
5. Select troubleshoot
6. Select System Restore