I had an old laptop,. HP mt22 thin client windows10 pro. It now has a Password on startup. I am now locked out. Even though its my microsoft account.

Question

I refurbished an old laptop. Installed a hard drive, upgraded the memory to 8g. Installed windows updates. Updated the bios. It worked fine. I woke up the next morning, turned it on and it now wants a password to log in instead of the pin code I normally usb. It will not boot from usb. It will not go into recovery mode. I have tried everything that has been suggested to me from both Microsoft and HP. So, now I need the help of the real professionals.

Answer 1

Follow these steps in order, based on what is available on the device:

1. Try signing in with the Microsoft account password instead of PIN
   When Windows switches from PIN to password at the sign-in screen, it is usually asking for the Microsoft account password. If the password is forgotten, use another device (phone or PC) to reset it using the Microsoft account self-service tools:
   • Forgot your Microsoft account password
   • If sign-in verification codes are not arriving, see Help with account sign in verification codes.
2. Use the Windows sign-in troubleshooting flow
   From another device, follow the Windows sign-in troubleshooting guidance to narrow down the issue:
   • Start with Troubleshoot Problems Signing In to Windows.
     This page links to:
   • Change or reset your Windows password
   • Forgot your PIN
   • Forgot your Microsoft account password
3. Try Safe Mode sign-in (if the boot options can be reached)
   If the device will at least show the Windows sign-in screen, attempt Safe Mode sign-in using the password (PIN and biometrics do not work in Safe Mode):
   1. On the sign-in screen, select Power > Restart.
   2. Immediately hold Shift while selecting Restart.
   3. When Choose an option appears, select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.
   4. After restart, press 5 or F5 for Safe Mode with Networking.
   5. Sign in with the Microsoft account password.
      If this works, update Windows and repair or reset sign-in options (e.g., remove and re-add PIN) from within the account.
4. If using a local account and another admin account exists
   If the sign-in is actually a local account (not Microsoft account) and there is another administrator account on the PC, that admin can reset the locked account password:
   1. Sign in with the working admin account.
   2. Open Computer Management.
   3. Expand Local Users and Groups > Users.
   4. Right-click the locked user and select Set Password….
   5. Enter and confirm a new password.
      Details: Change or reset a local account password from another account.
5. If no admin account is accessible and sign-in remains impossible
   When no password reset is possible and no admin account is available, the supported option is to reset the Windows installation on that device. This will remove apps and may remove data depending on the reset option chosen. Guidance is in the same article under Important: If you don't have an administrator account… you will need to reset your Windows device with link to Reset your PC.
6. If BitLocker or device lockout is involved
   If the device is showing BitLocker recovery or device lockout messages (for example, after firmware/BIOS changes):
   • Use the BitLocker recovery key to unlock the device. On the BitLocker recovery screen, enter the 48-digit recovery key.
   • For more help, see:
     • Find your BitLocker recovery key
     • BitLocker recovery overview
     • BitLocker recovery process
7. If nothing works and account access is blocked online as well
   If the Microsoft account itself is blocked or cannot receive verification codes, use:
   • Help with the Microsoft account recovery form
   • The sign-in helper: Sign-in helper (linked from the sign-in troubleshooting article).
     If self-service recovery fails, contact Microsoft Support using another account as described in the Q&A guidance so an agent can review the situation.

If all recovery and password-reset options fail and there is no BitLocker key or admin account, the only remaining supported path is to reset or reinstall Windows on the device, which will result in loss of locally stored data.

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References:

• Troubleshoot Problems Signing In to Windows
• Change or reset your password in Windows
• My username and password have stopped working
• BitLocker preboot recovery screen
• Windows devices for home users, businesses, and schools with Microsoft-managed updates

Answer 2

Thank you for your help.

Even though my microsoft account was on both devices, one was a local and one was a microsoft. I still dont know why It would not accept my password. From your suggestions I was able to boot into the bios. I had to disable secure boot then use a windows iso to reinstall..I immediately switched to local account.

Again, thank you for your help.

M.C