Help please!! I messed up Windows

Question

Hi! I was trying to follow a guide I found online as I was trying to extract some files from a zipped folder and I was getting an error. The guide said this:

but it didn’t work. And it said that if it didn’t work, I should try unselecting “load system services” too, so I did and restarted the computer. Now I can’t log back in :(

What can I do??? I’m travelling so I don’t have another computer available or a USB stick

<Title edited to remove COC violation>

Answer 1

The instructions are flawed, especially #3. There is no "Hide all Microsoft services" tab in Msconfig.

**The correct procedure is to enable "Hide all Microsoft services" and then click Disable all.**

Here are the official instructions: How to perform a clean boot in Windows - Microsoft Support.

(Src: Microsoft)

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Resolution:

Now, to fix the problem, use one of the methods below:

Option 1: Re-enable the default services

Use the method described in this post to re-enable the default services.

Diagnostic Mode "Something happened and your PIN isn't available" Boot - Microsoft Community

Option 2: Enable the password sign-in option

Enable the password sign-in option if you remember your account password.

Ref: Error “Something happened and your PIN isn’t available” in Diagnostic Startup

(You may find this procedure somewhat tedious compared to the other two methods.)

Option 3: Do a System Restore rollback

Please boot into Windows RE and do a System Restore rollback. From the login screen, press and hold the Shift key, and click Restart. This boots the computer into WinRE. Click Troubleshoot → Advanced Options → System Restore.

[Screenshots → Perform System Restore Rollback Offline via Windows RE.]

You may be asked to type the account password.

Resolved threads:

• Windows 11 After MSCONFIG Advanced Clean Boot PIN Reset Application - Microsoft Community
• I got the "something happened and your pin isn't available " message - Microsoft Community

Answer 2

Hi,

try booting into safe mode: On the login screen, hold down shift, then click restart. You should enter the recovery environment. There, select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Options. The PC should reboot. Once it starts up, select "Safe mode".

Safe mode should boot up and allow you to sign in (in theroy...). If you have bitlocker / device encryption enabled, you may need your recovery key.

In safe mode, undo the change you did in msconfig.

Sincerely,

LightJack