Windows 11 disaster. Can't enter PIN, locked in safe mode and BSOD prevents many solutions

Question

Windows 11 disaster. Can't enter PIN, locked in safe mode and BSOD prevents many solutions

Anonymous

Hi. I recently got a Lenovo Ideapad 3 laptotp with Windows 11 and got myself in a frustrating situation.

I'll start by saying that I logged with my microsoft account and I set up a PIN in order to log into my user account. Then I installed something that modified the file explorer.

Next I installed some Windows 11 updates. Next thing I know the file explorer is flashing, preventing me from even accesing the Control Panel to uninstall the program I installed.

So, in order to be able to do that, I set Windows to start in Safe Mode (Without network) and restarted my machine, only to find out that "Something happened and your PIN isn't available". The only option I'm given is "Set up my PIN" which doesn't do anything.

While searching for a solution I found that I can open the Advanced Startup Options to try and escape Safe Mode, but everytime I try to access it I'm met with a BSOD with the error code DRIVER_VERIFIER_DMA_VIOLATION, which just restarts the machine

The last thing I tried was creating a usb installation of windows 11 to try and wiping it all up and start all over again, but it doesn't seem to work. I can't install a new version of Windows 11, nor can I recover or restore the one I have. The Troubleshoot options I'm given won't work except the command prompt, but It just points to an "X" drive and the usb drive I'm using.

What can I even do? I'm fearing my new laptop just bricked just because I didn't have the chance to set a local password.

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3 answers

Answer 1

Hi, I am having a very similar problem. I altered System Config to start in Safe Mode, only to be greeted upon restart by the "Something happened, and your PIN isn't available" message. I don't think I ever set up a password for the account and I have to say that the Microsoft GUI even recommends using the pin above other options, so how on earth could I have known that altering the Sys Config will brick my laptop? So, stating that, "This is why it's generally recommended to have a password backup" honestly makes me a little angry right now, as I am not sure where this is supposedly generally recommended and why there is no warning in Sys Config that altering the settings will make the pin obsolete.

Anyway, forcing Windows to exit safe mode isn't working for me, and I am now trying to use the media recreation tool via USB, but it doesn't recognize the harddrives, as I presume it only sees the bootable USB itself and cannot access any driver information locked away behind the Sys Config brick wall. Therefore, the mentioned Disable Driver Verifier option doesn't work for me either, as the command line only addresses the USB media and not the hdds.

I can see that others pressed the "I have the same question" button, which is alarming, and I would be very grateful for any further, non-circular assistance to us accidentally bricked Windows users!

Answer 2

Hi pepebeto66，

Welcome to Microsoft Community.

It sounds like you're dealing with a series of complex issues on your Lenovo Ideapad 3 running Windows 11. Let's break down the situation and explore some potential solutions:

PIN Issue in Safe Mode: It's a known issue that PIN login might not work in Safe Mode for Windows 11. This is why it's generally recommended to have a password backup. However, since you're already in this situation, we need to find a workaround.
Accessing Advanced Startup Options Leading to BSOD: The DRIVER_VERIFIER_DMA_VIOLATION Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) error suggests there might be a driver issue, possibly exacerbated by the Driver Verifier tool.
Issues with Windows 11 Installation USB: If the Windows installation media isn't working, there could be several reasons, such as the USB drive not being properly formatted or the installation media not being correctly created.

Given these challenges, here are some steps you can try:

Escaping Safe Mode and Resolving PIN Issue

Force Windows to Exit Safe Mode:
- Repeatedly interrupt the boot process (turn off the laptop as soon as you see the Windows logo) three times in a row. On the fourth boot, Windows should enter Automatic Repair mode.
- Once in Automatic Repair, navigate to "Troubleshoot" → "Advanced options" → "Startup Settings" → "Restart".
- After the restart, you'll see a list of options. Select the option to boot Windows normally.
Resetting Your PIN:
- If you're able to boot into Windows normally, try resetting your PIN through the Accounts settings.

Addressing the BSOD

Disable Driver Verifier:
- Access Command Prompt from the Advanced Startup Options or Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE).
- Type verifier /reset and press Enter. This will reset the Driver Verifier settings which might be causing the BSOD.

Resolving Issues with Windows Installation USB

Recreate Installation Media:
- Use another working computer to download the Windows 11 media creation tool from the official Microsoft website

Thank you for your patience and understanding! If you have any questions, feel free to leave us a message.

Sincerely

Manson | Microsoft Support Specialist

Answer 3

Safe boot into command prompt. It will be like E: drive or something. Load registry from the c: drive and enable the built-in administrator account. Then use that to login w/o a pin. There is no password either. I recovered everything eventually after logging in this way and removing some bad device drivers.

Please search for how to enable admin and which registry hives to modify, sorry I don't have that info right now.

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Windows 11 disaster. Can't enter PIN, locked in safe mode and BSOD prevents many solutions

3 answers