Windows Hello unavailable. How do I get it back

Question

Though Hello (PIN, fingerprint) worked ok so I could use it. At a receny Widows Update my laptop kept getting Blue Scrrens of death and unabler to log in. Fixed it via Recovery and reinstalling from an .iso. Now I cannot set op EWidows hello even though I have only one accoun9No work accounts) have clesared NGC and am certain TPM is v2.0. Plus biometric devices are present in Device Manager, last drivers iunstalled and no problems reported by Device Manager. Help!

Answer 1

Hello Richard Jefferies,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.

May I know if you have the chance to check the suggestion from the AI assistant yet? If you did, may I know the results?

Before we proceed further, may I know what it says when you try to setup Windows Hello? You can also create another user profile to see if it works there.

I'm waiting for your reply.

Answer 2

To resolve issues with Windows Hello being unavailable after a recovery and reinstall, you can follow these troubleshooting steps:

1. Check Virtualization Based Security (VBS): Ensure that VBS is running. You can check this by opening System Information and looking for the Virtualization Based Security entry, which should be listed as Running.
2. Verify Biometric Isolation Trust-lets: In System Information, navigate to Software Environment > Running Tasks and check if bioiso.exe and ngciso.exe are running. If they are not, your system may not meet the requirements for Enhanced Sign-in Security.
3. Re-enroll Biometric Devices: Go to Settings > Sign-in Options, remove any nonfunctioning biometric enrollment, and then re-enroll your fingerprint or face recognition.
4. Reinstall Biometric Drivers: In Device Manager, expand the Biometric devices section, right-click on your biometric device, and select Uninstall Device. Restart your laptop, and Windows should attempt to reinstall the driver.
5. Restart Biometric Service: Remove your PIN from the system in Sign-in Options. Then, open a command prompt as an administrator and run the command net stop wbiosrvc && net start wbiosrvc. After this, check if Windows Hello is functioning again.
6. Check for Windows Updates: Ensure that your system is fully updated, as there may be fixes related to Windows Hello in newer updates.
7. Feedback Hub: If the issue persists, consider filing a feedback item using the Feedback Hub to report the problem.

These steps should help you troubleshoot and potentially restore Windows Hello functionality on your device.