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Update on Jan 14 2026 Broke My Computer Login and Unable to Fix?

BM 0 Reputation points
2026-01-14T15:11:49.8133333+00:00

I woke up this morning to my laptop having auto updated which is fine, it does that.

But then my normal password to log into my laptop wasn't working at all. I thought that was incredibly weird, but thankfully I had a fingerprint scanner so was able to get in that way. I immediately went to settings to try to see what was going on and I reset my overall microsoft password (not the same as my password to get past my lockscreen) just in case.

However, I decided I'd update/change my pin just in case too.. except I can't. If I try to change it, it asks for a password that is neither my microsoft login nor my user login password. Then when I try to reset it going through the microsoft login reset.. the window times out and closes itself before I can even get the code from my email/phone to validate the login.

What can I do and why isn't my normal password to get through my login screen working? Is this part of microsoft forcing people to do things? I'd really rather not have to jump OS's but it's becoming tempting with these last few updates that have been weird like the dumb passkey thing popping up constantly when I never used it before or had it enabled. And now this is about to have me entirely locked out of my laptop which is worrisome.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Windows update
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  1. AI answer

    2026-01-14T15:12:02.4333333+00:00

    It sounds like you're experiencing a frustrating issue with your Windows login after an update. Here are some steps you can take to troubleshoot and potentially resolve the problem:

    1. Try Safe Mode: Boot your laptop into Safe Mode. This can sometimes bypass issues caused by recent updates. To do this, restart your laptop and repeatedly press the F8 key (or Shift + F8) before the Windows logo appears. Once in Safe Mode, try logging in with your password.
    2. Check for Updates: If you can log in via your fingerprint scanner, check for any additional updates that might resolve the login issue. Go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and see if there are any pending updates.
    3. Reset Microsoft Account Password: Since you mentioned resetting your Microsoft password, ensure that you are using the correct one. If you have trouble receiving the verification code, try using a different method (like an alternative email or phone number) if available.
    4. Use Local Account: If you have a local account set up, try switching to that account to see if you can log in without issues. You can do this from the login screen by selecting the local account option.
    5. Contact Microsoft Support: If none of the above solutions work, consider reaching out to Microsoft Support for further assistance. They can provide more tailored help based on your specific situation.

    Regarding the changes you've noticed, such as the passkey feature, these are part of ongoing updates to enhance security and user experience. However, they can sometimes lead to unexpected behavior, as you've experienced.

    If the issue persists and you feel locked out, you may want to consider backing up your data and exploring other operating systems, but hopefully, one of these steps will help you regain access to your laptop without needing to switch OSs.

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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  2. Noel Macadangdang 16,825 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-01-14T15:47:29.19+00:00

    Hi,

    Thank you for sharing your question. I understand how concerning it is when your usual login methods stop working.

    It’s likely that the recent auto-update altered or corrupted your Windows Hello PIN or password cache, a known issue that can occur following Windows updates—especially when the system sees a mismatch between your lockscreen password and your Microsoft account password or encounters delays in identity services.

    To resolve this, please try removing and recreating your PIN in Settings → Accounts → Sign‑in options: select “PIN,” click Remove, restart your laptop, then go back and click Add to set up a new PIN. If that fails with the “Something went wrong” message, you can clear the PIN folder (NGC) by opening Command Prompt as administrator and running

    takeown /f %windir%\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData\Local\Microsoft\NGC /r /d y

    icacls %windir%\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData\Local\Microsoft\NGC /grant administrators:F /t

    del /F /Q %windir%\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData\Local\Microsoft\NGC*

    then reboot and try setting your PIN again.

    If the PIN still won’t work, check your TPM configuration: run tpm.msc, and if TPM is ready, consider clearing it via BIOS or UEFI, then reboot and attempt sign-in again. This can fix deeper Windows Hello/TPM mismatches caused by updates.

    As for why your normal password isn’t working, the update may have desynchronized your local password cache with your online Microsoft account, so the system is asking for a credential stored in the cloud which isn’t recognized locally. Resetting your Microsoft account password (as you did) is a good step, but you’ll still need to re-establish the local PIN or password sign-in mode.

    I hope this helps.

     

    Best Regards,

    Noel

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