sign in issues

Question

I am signing my old surface over to my sister I signed into that computer with her info all was good. It was not used for about 5 mins when it woke up it asked for password and now it will no longer take that password and although it worked this morning it also will not take her phone number to reset. The e-mail Microsoft has for her is no longer used as service provider changed from .net to sympatico about 3 years ago

Answer 1

When I try to use phone number it says that method is not working right now try another method and that is the only one I can use since they have the wrong e-mail

Answer 2

Use the account recovery path for the Microsoft account first, because the old recovery email is no longer valid and the phone reset option is also failing.

1. On another device, run the Sign-in Helper. It checks the account details and identifies common sign-in problems.
2. If the password is correct but no longer works, use the Microsoft account recovery flow: select Recover your account, enter the email address, phone number, or Skype name used to sign in, then request a security code and set a new password.
3. If the old email alias is not recognized, try any other alias or phone number that was added to the account. Also verify the email domain carefully, because Microsoft accounts can use different domains such as .com and country-specific variants.
4. If verification is being sent only to the old email and there is an option such as I don’t have any of these or Try another way, use that to start updating the security information. A security info reset can place the account in a restricted state for 30 days before the new verification method can be used.
5. If the sign-in screen on the Surface allows it, switch to password sign-in instead of PIN or biometrics. In Safe Mode, only password sign-in is available.
6. For the Surface itself, restart the device first. If the issue continues, try Safe Mode:
   • On the sign-in screen, select Power > Restart.
   • When the sign-in screen appears, hold Shift while selecting Power > Restart.
   • Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.
   • After restart, select 5 or press F5 for Safe Mode with Networking. If sign-in works there, the problem is less likely to be caused by basic drivers or default settings.
7. If another account exists on the device, try signing in with that account from the lower-left corner of the sign-in screen.

Important: if all recovery methods fail and access is needed immediately, resetting the PC is the fallback, but it can remove data from the device.

If the account has not been signed in to for more than two years, it may have been deleted and cannot be reopened.

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References:

• I can't sign in to my Microsoft account
• My username and password have stopped working
• Troubleshoot Problems Signing In to Windows
• Sign in to and out of your Surface
• How to sign in to Hotmail