microsoft not sending pin verification code in time afer update now my sons laptop is locked for a month

Question

I recently updated my sons laptop, he's on a family account with me as admin. Logging back in, i got the message that the pins no longer worked and id have to get a code to activate. I followed the instructions and waited for the email which arrived 24hours later and had expired, tried the process several times again daily and tried changing the recovery to another address and phone number, each time the e mail arrives hours or days later, or not at all. now im locked out for a month. see pic

Have tried to cancel the request, done account recovery and followed every possible solution on here, so please dont advise that i go back and change password etc. I've tried.

The user account is the only way in to the laptop i have. I didnt realise f8 safe mode was switched off by default on windows 10 so i cant even get in via a backdoor.

this is a brand new laptop which my autistic son uses to game with his friends, hes very distressed and doesnt understand how his normally reliable dad cant help.

PLEASE HELP

Answer 1

Hi Alan. I'm Greg, 10 years awarded Windows MVP, specializing in Installation, Performance, Troubleshooting and Activation, here to help you.

If you cannot change your password because the Security info stored here was not kept up to date: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/12428/... or password or password change is not working properly, then you'll need to do Account Recovery.

If you can prove it's your account by knowing enough information about it then they should let you recover it, possibly after a waiting period during which they observe the account to see who shows up. Otherwise they will not budge because after decades they have this down to a science to be sure they're giving your information only to you and not a hacker or stalker.

So spend as much time as necessary in this walk through of the Account Recovery form to prove it's your account which is what matters most:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17875/...

Meanwhile if you're locked out of Windows I will show you how to create a new Account so you can still get into your Windows install for now using all of it's apps and accessing data, or if necessary reset or reinstall Windows.

Create the new Local Admin account directly from the Command Prompt as shown here: https://www.isumsoft.com/windows-10/3-ways-to-c...

This requires accessing the Command Prompt using bootable media which is the only method that doesn't require a password. If you don't want to do that then you can try now to Reset Windows 10 from the Sign in Screen as shown in this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zonjyd2L_GQ

To create a new Admin Local account go to another PC to create bootable media following the steps toward the bottom of the download page here in the section "Using the tool to create installation media:"

https://www.microsoft.com/en-US/software-downlo... Uncheck the box for Recommended Settings to choose the exact version and bit rate for the target PC only.

Insert media, boot it by powering up PC while pressing the BIOS Boot Menu Key: https://www.sysnative.com/forums/hardware-tutor...

If the media won't boot you may need to enter BIOS/UEFI Setup (pressing key given in chart in link above) to turn off Fast Boot or Fast Startup first.

Choose the boot device as a UEFI device if offered, on second screen choose Repair Your Computer, then Advanced Troubleshoot Options to open Command Prompt create a new Local Admin account to replace yours:

https://www.isumsoft.com/windows-10/3-ways-to-c...

Sign into the new account, set it up, check all apps work or reinstall any that don't, access your files via C:\Users. It will give ownership with a green progress bar that travels across the URL box until all files are unlocked and available.

If that fails you can go back into the bootable media to Troubleshoot Options to do a Reset saving files. You can also rescue files beforehand using the same bootable media via one of these methods:

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wiki... and then do the deeper clean reset since you have to reinstal your apps anyway and it's a cleaner install.

And if all that fails from bootable media choose Install Now, then Custom Install, then at the drive selection screen delete all partitions down to Unallocated Space to get it cleanest, click Next to let it create needed partitions and start install - this makes it foolproof.

Everything needed to get the best possible Clean Install is here: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wiki.... It is a better install than any amount of money can buy and a great learning experience that will make you the master of your PC because you will learn what works best and how to apply it with your own hands.

I hope this helps. Feel free to ask back any questions and keep me posted. If you will wait to choose if I solved your problem, I will keep working with you until it's resolved.

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Standard Disclaimer: There are links to non-Microsoft websites. The pages appear to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the sites that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the sites before you decide to download and install.

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Answer 2

Hi Greg thanks for getting back, ive tried account recovery a couple of times, both of which were granted, the trouble is, the speed of microsofts reply, which means the laptop goes to sleep and we start the whole login process again and getting this message when the code is entered (see below). I'd like to avoid wiping the laptop as it contains my sons custom ui look and all his games/passwords, as an autistic kid this will result in a huge meltdown for him, and untold grief for us. i suppose i could generate a new bootdisk but that really doesnt address the problem and wont get me back into the account. Loading the clone image which i have a running backup also wont solve the problem because the user is locked (ive tried)

As a sys admin in a previous life, i knew you could find a way in through other user accounts etc. which is why i set up an admin account on the laptop, but that account now has the very same problem and is now locked out too.

The problem, as i see it, is an update which wipes your pin (which never used to happen), asks for verification via email to get your pin back and an infrastucture, on microsofts part, which cant deliver an email in time. The emails for verification are stuck in microsoft servers, not my email provider, or spam folders etc. there has to be a solution to this, I've tried the authenticator app too but that presumably uses the same backend servers, because their emails are late too and im back to square one. My recovery email is a legacy one from a company which was amalgamated into another,on previous updates it hasnt been a problem but perhaps this is causing a security flag, Ive tried to update it to an outlook address, and add a phone number but the lead time to change security info is a month and i have no confidence that'll work either.

Ive been locked out for nearly a week now, its rendered an £800 laptop useless, and more crucially upset my son, for whom the real world is a scary and confusing place and is happier online in an environment he can control-help

Answer 3

Alan, sorry you are going through this. I admire your being such a hero for your son.

There are increasing reports about this PIN issue. I always ask if you can see a Sign In Options link which is always supposed to be present when using any sign-in method, so you have access to the other ones including password which must always exist to use any other sign-in option. If that link is not there to supply the password, it generally means the account has become corrupted - possibly by some Update that has caused this to be widespread.

At the same time somewhere between reaching 1 and 1.3 billion Windows 10 users (only Facebook has as many and we've never been able to get human help there), Support became almost impossible to reach and won't even address lock-out issues from what I'm seeing. Microsoft has always been hesitant to do anything in these cases except push through Account Recovery, for fear of handing personal info over to hackers or stalkers. So they will not budge on Recovery wait periods.

What I'd do while you're waiting for Account Recovery is create a temporary account for your son to use by the same method I gave in my last post. He'll have access to his files, apps and games but not the account until after the waiting period.

I wish there was something more I can do here, Alan, but I'm already doing more helping create the temp account than anyone else offers online which is just to Reset, because I do care.

Answer 4

thanks greg, guess ill create the temp account and wait. thanks for all your help, take care,

al

Answer 5

I am glad to help and wish I could do more, Alan.

Let me know if I can help further. I'll stay subscribed to this thread in case you need anything else, until the system locks it in a few months.