Error 0xc0000428, The digital signature for the file couldn’t be verified

Users who get this error would be unable to boot their system or perform any task another task. This issue may or may not be with the hardware. But in the latter case, the resolution would be as follows: In Windows 7 the command prompt can be started without booting into the operating system as follows: Windows 11/10/8 users can access the Command Prompt easily via Advanced Startup Options.

Once you have access to the Command Prompt, do the following.

1] Perform CHKDSK

CHKDSK helps identify problems with sectors on the disk, and if possible, fix them. Use the following CHKDSK commands on Windows and restart the system:

2] Rebuild Boot Manager

After opening the Command Prompt, use the following commands one by one and press Enter: The last command rebuilds the Boot Manager. It has also been suggested to use the following commands if needed: These commands repair the Master Boot Record. After that, you could consider performing a Startup Repair on the system.

3] Temporarily disable Driver Signature Enforcement

Since the issue is with the Driver Signature, we could disable it temporarily and isolate the cause. The steps would be as follows for Windows 7: Windows 11/10 users can access the Command Prompt easily via Advanced Startup Options.

If this works, and the system reboots successfully, Run DISM to repair your system image.

While this troubleshooting could help many, it is not a foolproof fix. Users who are technical could try the troubleshooting mentioned for a similar issue in the guide at Technet. Though it would need a deep understanding of Windows, the experts who suggested the troubleshooting claim it would help. If everything fails, we could assume the issue might be with the hardware. Probably, because of dust in some internal components.