Unable to set up PIN in Windows Hello, keeps timing out

Question

On a new PC, windows 11 OS, I am unable to set up a PIN in Windows Hello, as I enter my password to create a PIN the screen times out after about 15 seconds. It does a similar thing when I choose to have a code sent to my phone.

My wifes account on the same PC was set up without any problem.

Have I checked or unchecked something without knowing

Answer 1

Hello William,

Thank you for reaching out about the issue with setting up a PIN in Windows Hello I understand how frustrating it can be when the setup times out especially since another account on the same PC works fine. This usually happens due to a configuration or service issue rather than something you accidentally checked or unchecked.

One effective solution is to reset the Windows Hello and PIN setup components by clearing the NGC folder which stores PIN-related data. To do this sign in as an administrator, navigate to C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData\Local\Microsoft\NGC and delete all contents of the folder. After that restart your PC and try setting up the PIN again. This forces Windows to recreate the necessary files and often resolves timeout problems.

Could you let me know if you are comfortable performing these steps or if you need guidance on accessing the NGC folder?

I hope this answer is helpful if you have further questions feel free to reply back

Regards,

Marcelo

Answer 2

It sounds like you are experiencing a timeout issue when trying to set up a PIN in Windows Hello on your new Windows 11 PC. Here are some steps you can try to resolve the problem:

1. Try to create the PIN again: Sometimes, errors can be transient and may resolve themselves.
2. Sign out and sign in again: This can refresh your session and might help in creating the PIN.
3. Reboot the device: Restarting your PC can clear temporary issues that may be causing the timeout.
4. Unjoin and rejoin Microsoft Entra ID: Go to Settings > System > About > Disconnect from organization to unjoin, and then rejoin to see if that resolves the issue.
5. Check network and credentials: Ensure that your network connection is stable and that your credentials are correct.
6. Check for any updates: Make sure your Windows 11 is up to date, as updates can fix bugs and improve performance.

If the issue persists, you may want to check the error codes if any appear during the process, as they can provide specific guidance on what might be wrong.

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References:

• Windows Hello errors during PIN creation
• Windows Hello errors during PIN creation