If you are upgrading an old system with Windows 8 or Windows 7, then there is a possibility that you may have to use an unsigned device driver. Problem is that Windows 8 allows only signed drivers. The severity of the problem escalates if the device driver is for an essential PC component like graphics card or audio device. Thanks to the freeware Driver Signature Enforcement Overrider, now you can load the unsigned drivers by signing them yourself.
You can download Driver Signature Enforcement Overrider from the website of NGOHQ, the developers of this utility. The download is available as a portable application. After downloading, you can double-click on the downloaded application to execute the Driver Signature Enforcement Overrider. You have to run it with administrator privileges.
The program starts as a setup installer, but it is actually just a informational message. After you agree to the license agreement, it shows up a tiny window with multiple options. The options include – enable test mode, disable test mode, sign a system file, how-to-use, remove watermarks and exit. The enable test mode option allows you to run Windows in the developer test mode which allows loading of the unsigned device drivers but shows a small “Test Mode” watermark on the desktop.
If you know the exact name and location of the unsigned device driver file, then you can choose to sign that file. Microsoft Windows checks only if a file is signed, it does not check whether the digital signature is from a verified source (like Comodo, Verisign, Digicert or Thawte). So using the option Sign a System File you can sign an unsigned driver file and Windows would load it. After selecting this option, click on the Next button.
It will ask you the full path of the device driver file. Type in the full path name of the driver file and click on the OK button. After making some changes to the file, it would ask you to reboot your PC. As you reboot your computer, Windows would load the driver in question because now it is signed by you.
Driver Signature Enforcement Overrider brings relief to the people with legacy hardware, drivers for which are not available anymore or they are available but are unsigned. Using this tool you can use those unsigned drivers in Windows either by using the test mode or by signing those drivers first. At the same time, it must be mentioned that loading unsigned drivers in Windows reduces its security level. You should search online for latest signed drivers for your device before deciding to load the unsigned drivers. There is a high possibility that you would be able to download the latest signed drivers.
You can download Driver Signature Enforcement Overrider from http://www.ngohq.com/?page=dseo.