Microsoft has locked me out of my own pc

[Geofrancis]

I have found myself in the ludicrous position of being locked out of my own pc.

I recently had a USB issue with a motherboard making it not boot anymore, it's a pain in the arse, but it's not the end of the world, I ordered another board and will send this one back, back up and running in 3 days or so I thought....

I pulled everything out of the case, installed the new motherboard and replaced all the hardware back in and it booted up ok after some warnings about no saved settings from the bios, then it got to the windows login screen fine. OK I thought, I just need to get my dock plugged back in and il be up and running. It's the same chipset, so I shouldn't need to do anything other than some utilities.

Unfortunately, when I clicked my username, it gave me a message of "PIN INVALID" and that I need to log in with my Microsoft account. No big deal I thought, so I logged in, and then it asks me for the last 4 digits of my phone number to send me an authentication code. So I put the phone number in, and it says It's sent it, but nothing ever arrives. I tried a few times. I have even waiting 24 hours and tried again and still nothing.

I found an option to change the authentication to an email address, but that now takes 30 days to transfer.

I know there is nothing wrong with my phone number because I got a text instantly when I requested to change the authentication to email, but the code never arrives. It's not in any spam folders, it just never arrives.


So now im locked out of my own PC I built for the next 30 days because Microsoft forced me to put a pin code on when I had no choice but to use a Microsoft account on it to retrieve a windows key.


If anyone had any ideas before I format my computer and install windows 10 I'm listening.

 

[natr0n]

Format and create local account. Only when you have to sign into windows store for games then you sign in but never for OS.

Sorry you have to go through this.

 

[Geofrancis]

Format and create local account. Only when you have to sign into windows store for games then you sign in but never for OS.

Sorry you have to go through this.

The thing is that's how I set this up originally so this wouldn't happen. i had to do the install with the network unplugged just to get the option but Microsoft won't just give you your windows key anymore, they make you sign in to get it then force you to put a pin on the computer, you can't even cancel the process.

I ran my main pc as a virtual machine on an unraid server with a GPU passed through for years, im seriously tempted to do this again so there is never a hardware change.

 

[P4-630]

I only create local accounts for reasons...

Hope you get it working soon though.

 

[Geofrancis]

I only create local accounts for reasons...

Hope you get it working soon though.

That's how it was but Microsoft hijacked the pc when i was forced to sign in to get a windows key. I think im going to have to log my microsoft account in to its own windows account to get windows activated then make another local account to actually use.

 

[GerKNG]

and that I need to log in with my Microsoft account

Stop using a microsoft account...
your only option is wiping the drive and reinstalling windows.

 

[thesmokingman]

That's how it was but Microsoft hijacked the pc when i was forced to sign in to get a windows key. I think im going to have to log my microsoft account in to its own windows account to get windows activated then make another local account to actually use.

I hadn't ever heard of this before, forcing MS login to activate?

 

[LabRat 891]

How's it feel?
-being punished for "following the rules"?

Especially with the hardware change, MSFT probably 'broke' your license and locked/restricted the account.

Yet again, the 'illegitimate' user has a better experience.



Sorry you had to go through this, regardless.

 

[Geofrancis]

it's so sneaky, the activation reads something like " log in to activate windows" I thought it was just to get the activation like signing into the xbox app or something , then it changes your local account to a microsoft account and forces you to add a pin. And now because there is something wrong with Microsoft SMS authentication I'm locked out.

 

[windwhirl]

I hadn't ever heard of this before, forcing MS login to activate?

If you bought your license directly from Microsoft's store, the license is tied to your Ms account. There's no product key or anything. You need to login with the account to activate.

 

[Steevo]

Once Im sure my disks are all good and system is stable Windows 10 is going to be the last one for me unless they move away from treating power users like children.

 

[Dr. Dro]

I have found myself in the ludicrous position of being locked out of my own pc.

I recently had a USB issue with a motherboard making it not boot anymore, it's a pain in the arse, but it's not the end of the world, I ordered another board and will send this one back, back up and running in 3 days or so I thought....

I pulled everything out of the case, installed the new motherboard and replaced all the hardware back in and it booted up ok after some warnings about no saved settings from the bios, then it got to the windows login screen fine. OK I thought, I just need to get my dock plugged back in and il be up and running. It's the same chipset, so I shouldn't need to do anything other than some utilities.

Unfortunately, when I clicked my username, it gave me a message of "PIN INVALID" and that I need to log in with my Microsoft account. No big deal I thought, so I logged in, and then it asks me for the last 4 digits of my phone number to send me an authentication code. So I put the phone number in, and it says It's sent it, but nothing ever arrives. I tried a few times. I have even waiting 24 hours and tried again and still nothing.

I found an option to change the authentication to an email address, but that now takes 30 days to transfer.

I know there is nothing wrong with my phone number because I got a text instantly when I requested to change the authentication to email, but the code never arrives. It's not in any spam folders, it just never arrives.


So now im locked out of my own PC I built for the next 30 days because Microsoft forced me to put a pin code on when I had no choice but to use a Microsoft account on it to retrieve a windows key.


If anyone had any ideas before I format my computer and install windows 10 I'm listening.

Sorry to point out the obvious, but this is 100% your fault. You have irresponsible computer security practices. Use a password vault like Bitwarden, a 2FA authenticator such as Authy and keep authentication information for important accounts on another easily accessible device or physically, on paper.

Your PIN reset because you changed the motherboard and were using firmware TPM. Key on your motherboard and CPU mismatch, so Windows Security is doing its job by keeping you, nosy intruder, out. This is literally what it's designed to do and because your account is setup incorrectly, you lost your password and even your correspondence, it just shows how much you cared.

 

[bearClaw5]

Perfect time to give Arch linux a try.

 

[windwhirl]

Your PIN reset because you changed the motherboard and were using firmware TPM. Key on your motherboard and CPU mismatch, so Windows Security is doing its job by keeping you, nosy intruder, out

About this, I think it's not as annoying if you have the Microsoft Authenticator app 2FA? I purged my TPM a couple of times and I didn't have to go through all the crap that OP put himself thru.

Perfect time to give Arch linux a try.

Right. Start right off the bat with one of the most complex Linux distributions. Might as well throw Gentoo into the mix as well.

 

[Dr. Dro]

About this, I think it's not as annoying if you have the Microsoft Authenticator app 2FA? I purged my TPM a couple of times and I didn't have to go through all the crap that OP put himself thru.

Right. Start right off the bat with one of the most complex Linux distributions. Might as well throw Gentoo into the mix as well.

I use Authy, so I couldn't really tell. Losing TPM configuration simply asks for the Microsoft Account password again. Thing is, OP seems to have lost the password, and had their backup set to SMS authentication. SMS services are unreliable and insecure (often have massive delays because of carrier network conditions - sometimes I get SMS's with 8 hours plus delay), there's a reason most sites are phasing that out entirely.

Meanwhile, what are you scrubs even talking about. Linux from Scratch or bust. Filthy normies can't even build from source!

 

[A Computer Guy]

About this, I think it's not as annoying if you have the Microsoft Authenticator app 2FA? I purged my TPM a couple of times and I didn't have to go through all the crap that OP put himself thru.




Right. Start right off the bat with one of the most complex Linux distributions. Might as well throw Gentoo into the mix as well.

Linux Mint is a bit easy to start with. I'd try that first.

 

[sepheronx]

I also say go with Linux.

But I would go with Arch Linux. I had much better luck with that one compared to any other because of stability and its updates are decent.

Or Pop OS, I heard its real good now with Galaxy.

 

[RJARRRPCGP]

I have found myself in the ludicrous position of being locked out of my own pc.

I recently had a USB issue with a motherboard making it not boot anymore, it's a pain in the arse, but it's not the end of the world, I ordered another board and will send this one back, back up and running in 3 days or so I thought....

I pulled everything out of the case, installed the new motherboard and replaced all the hardware back in and it booted up ok after some warnings about no saved settings from the bios, then it got to the windows login screen fine. OK I thought, I just need to get my dock plugged back in and il be up and running. It's the same chipset, so I shouldn't need to do anything other than some utilities.

Unfortunately, when I clicked my username, it gave me a message of "PIN INVALID" and that I need to log in with my Microsoft account. No big deal I thought, so I logged in, and then it asks me for the last 4 digits of my phone number to send me an authentication code. So I put the phone number in, and it says It's sent it, but nothing ever arrives. I tried a few times. I have even waiting 24 hours and tried again and still nothing.

I found an option to change the authentication to an email address, but that now takes 30 days to transfer.

I know there is nothing wrong with my phone number because I got a text instantly when I requested to change the authentication to email, but the code never arrives. It's not in any spam folders, it just never arrives.


So now im locked out of my own PC I built for the next 30 days because Microsoft forced me to put a pin code on when I had no choice but to use a Microsoft account on it to retrieve a windows key.


If anyone had any ideas before I format my computer and install windows 10 I'm listening.

That may happen if you updated the UEFI-BIOS, or you changed the CPU. Just as likely, if not more likely, is because you booted Windows with Secure Boot disabled. Because especially ASRock BIOSes, when reset, has Secure Boot disabled and CSM enabled! I see this more likely to happen with 11, than 10 though.

 

[ShrimpBrime]

I hadn't ever heard of this before, forcing MS login to activate?

That's how OE systems are.

 

[RJARRRPCGP]

That's how OE systems are.

I wouldn't be surprised if that's how 11 retail is, possibly the same with late-versions of 10.

Windows 11 also forced me to reset my PIN, IIRC, after I popped in my Ryzen 9 5900X on Christmas day! (Same motherboard as in the sig, I had that motherboard since at least sometime in '22, if not late '21)

 

[ShrimpBrime]

I wouldn't be surprised if that's how 11 retail is, possibly the same with late-versions of 10.

It totally is. Set up my mom in laws PC and it wanted MS account information right from the get go. Which is OK for her, she's a single PC user.

MS's way to have people feel secure.

 

[Dr. Dro]

I wouldn't be surprised if that's how 11 retail is, possibly the same with late-versions of 10.

Windows 11 also forced me to reset my PIN, IIRC, after I popped in my Ryzen 9 5900X on Christmas day! (Same motherboard as in the sig, I had that motherboard since at least sometime in '22, if not late '21)

Windows 10 is the same. One of the fTPM keys for the pair is stored in the processor, the other on the motherboard. It is unique to that sample, even if you replace the processor by another identical model, it will still reset. This is by design.

 

[DrCR]

I’m personally a Slacker but just simply use Ubuntu LTS for Steam gaming. If it doesn’t run via Proton then I don’t bother playing it.

Leaving WinOS annoyances to the work realm means you get to pass the buck to an IT department for Microsoft shenanigans

 

[DaemonForce]

You could probably breach in by copying CMD over to replace accessibility tools and resetting your password but that might be a bit extreme.
I get that the situation is your own negligence but Microsoft seriously needs to butt out. Random mobo and CPU failures are becoming more common over time and it's the user that ends up paying for it, twice. Win11 is ransomware.

 

[windwhirl]

You could probably breach in by copying CMD over to replace accessibility tools and resetting your password but that might be a bit extreme.

I think they patched that out? It didn't work for me last time I bothered to try.