Something cratered the Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Tablet this weekend. I’d been screwing around with Secure Boot, recent updates, and more. When I sat at my desk Sunday morning, it was refusing to boot, and throwing error code 0xc0000428, which signals a winload.efi signature mismatch with what’s in firmware (see lead-in graphic). I did get the machine booted to recovery media on a UFD. I could’ve repaired and recovered the previous installation. But I decided that X12 Tablet gets clean install instead, so I could check a bunch of things out about a fresh, clean Windows 11 install. Here goes…
After X12 Tablet Gets Clean Install, Some Initial Checks
Having wrestled so much with Secure Boot lately, my first check was on that security layer. Indeed, Garlin’s check script revealed it was present, and more-or-less up-to-date. With minimal effort I was able to bring the X12 into full compliance with modern Secure Boot settings.
Next, I checked Smart App Control in Windows Security. It is currently set to Evaluation mode. I’m supposed to be able to switch between the On and Off states now. I need to finish configuring this PC and get an image backup tool in place, before I start fooling around with things. But the signs are promising. Right now SAC is working, and behaving just the way it’s supposed to work.
More About OOBE
After the post-GUI installation in Windows 11, the Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE) appears to guide users through final steps of the process. This time, I did get to choose the machine name I wanted (kept it at X12Hybrid) where it works properly. The network setup found my WAP right away, and I was off and running right away, too. It was also amusing to see how many, many backups I could’ve used when installing this PC (including an older X12 version dating back to 2022). But since I wanted a clean install experience, I skipped all that stuff.
Now Comes the Rest of the Job…
I’ve got to set up and customize the X12 to my usual liking. That’s probably going to mean an hour or two a day for the next few days. This afternoon I think I’m going to try using WinGet to export most of my app set from Flo6 to X12, and see how that works.
Stay tuned! It’s possible that things in my little corner of Windows-World are about to get interesting. If so, you’ll get more follow-up from your humble correspondent. So far, so good, though.
