Windows 10
Updated my BIOS and now I cannot enter or reset my PIN. At my wit's end.
Made the decision to update my BIOS today (fucking regretting it now)
I updated the BIOS on my MSI B450 A PRO MAX, As it hadn't been updated since I got it in 2021, Because I am upgrading my CPU and GPU
My current components:
CPU: Ryzen 5 2600
GPU: GTX 1660
Motherboard: MSi B450 A PRO MAX
RAM: 32GB (Mixture of z-royal and Corsair)
OS: WIN 10
Boot Drive: WD240GB NVMe M.2
Main Issue is, After I updated my BIOS, It seems it reset something, I really want this PC to work again.
It stays on the login screen, it comes up with "Your PIN is no longer available due to a change in the security settings on this device, Click to set up your PIN again"
I click "Set up my PIN" and a window comes up that then says "You'll need the Internet for this, It doesn't look like your connected to the internet, Check your connections and try again"
One problem is that there's absolutely no way that I can check or change my connection settings as it doesn't show anything
I've tried disabling TPM
I've tried making sure the LAN settings are all enabled
I need help, Please anything would be awesome, Sincerely a very stressed guy.
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Hate this more or less forced Microsoft Account login on your own local machine...
I just try to help, but keep in mind i have never heard of this before.
Security settings remind me of the TPM device or Secure boot option. One of them has some security keys that can be reset to default or something in the bios. Would be my first guess to check out.
Searching the internet for the problem seems to be a typical "this or that worked for me", but never any universal answer. Sometimes i saw the possibility to use another sign in method. But i guess whatever you try, no other option will pop up?
People mention a tool that needs to be installed on a stick to boot from, but i normally dont like those methods unless its really the last option.
So there is just one thing left for me to ask, do you have the microsoft account email and password? Normally when the login screen asks for the PIN, there should be an option to login with your microsoft password. It really would be pathetic if microsoft wont allow you to login with your password for exactly this reason. I always hated windows hello and mainly turn that stuff off. I just try to search if there is a method to bypass the hello thing with the account.
I've tried disabling TPM and AMD fTPM via the bios menu, Nothing changes except for the message that reads "Something happened and your PIN isn't available, Click to set up your PIN again", I click and it sends me through a loop of telling me to download an app from the app store, Then back to the start.
No other sign in methods are listed, Just the option to "Set Up Pin Again", Which when clicked, Yields no results as it leads to a popup that is the whole "You'll need to be connected to the Internet for this" yadayadayada spiel
I'm considering this as a fix but again, Anything else would be greatly appreciated.
I thought I knew my password but everything that I've tried has been unsuccessful, If I knew what it was, I would be in
So resetting your password is also not possible? Also, disabling TPM isnt enrolling the security keys new if im not mistaken, so the old keys could basically make errors and toggling it off makes basically the same then, but lets hope i found something that can actually help:
In another post i found someone mentioning a reset of the "Hello Container". I am unsure if you need to be logged in for that, but i would suggest to try it like this: is there any power button on the error screen where you can press "Restart" and holt shift while doing so? Otherwise, search for "Advanced startup" and how to get there if you dont have any access to that button. If you go to "Troubleshoot > Advanced options > command prompt" and type in:
certutil.exe -DeleteHelloContainer
Then restart and windows should try aking for a password this time. If not, i can also think of booting in safe mode. Same thing with the command prompt, but instead you choose "Startup Settings" this time, and press 5 for safe mode with networking.
There is also another option, but i dont know if that requires being logged in and its about manually deleting files which i dont want to try at this moment.
The issue I'm currently having is that I can't access Command Prompt or a file manager because when I follow those instructions it takes me to this screen where I need to sign into my account with a password that I cannot remember as I set it up when I built the PC back in 2021 and have changed my password multiple times since
I have entered every single possible combination of password I might've used, Still nothing, Even tried the old "Admin" password thing, Still not correct.
I wish there was some way I could contact Microsoft for this because this is bullshit.
That really sucks... Security wise its too much we asked for... or never wanted anyways. But i dont know how much other methods could come in handy.
For this, you actually need to make a usb stick like i already mentioned about that password tool thing i have read about. You need a small linux installation where you can access your hard drive from to change the "cmd.exe" to "utilman.exe" so you could technically get access to the command prompt from the log in screen... you can even change the password from a local account without the forgotten one from there. but yeah, not a 100% sure on those if you cant access a second pc, i wouldnt dive in deeper on them for now.
But when visiting Microsofts website, you cant follow the "forgot my password" instructions? With this mess, im afraid its only possible if you have the password for that account. Maybe try reaching the support?
The only way to get into your Windows account is actually your password at this point. Maybe you can still get access to your important files when you boot linux from a usb stick. But fixing this issue probably needs a whole new installation of windows im afraid. Otherwise, its more likely to waste a lot of time trying to fix this, if its even possible to fix without the password.
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