Windows 10: Reset Local Account Admin, only knowing Pin

HiI just activated windows on this HTPC and was going to add it to my windows account. I ended needing my password for this pc, I logged into my hotmail account and was about to add it, but it needed previous password. But this machine was not activated and only ever used a pin to log into it. I cannot reset said password, I honestly don't recall making one.Will I need to reset windows or is there away to change it. Finally had windows setup and apps/games installed.

:)

 

Locked Out of Admin Account

Hello Linda,



Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.

1. Are you using a Microsoft account or a local account?
   
2. Which version of Windows 10 you are using currently?
   
3. Is the other user account an admin account?
   

I suggest you to try using the on screen keyboard at the login page and check if you are able to login to the PC.

1. At the login screen click on the
   ease of access icon at the bottom right hand corner.
   
2. Click on the on screen keyboard to open it.
   
3. Type the password and try to login.
   

If you are using a Microsoft account, I suggest you to refer the article on

how to reset your Microsoft account password.



However, if you are using a local account, then I suggest you to refer the article on

reset your Windows 10 local account password.



Note: While performing these steps, there might be a risk of data loss. You may take a backup of the data before performing the steps.



Hope it helps.

Let us know if you got the help you needed by clicking ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.



Regards,

Prakhar Khare

Microsoft Community – Moderator

 

Can't reset my PIN

Hi SQxAe,

Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.

1. Were there any changes made to the operating system recently?
   
2. Is the system connected with Wired or wireless connection?
   

If you are using wireless connection, I suggest you to plug in to the Ethernet cable and try entering the password. I also suggest you to change the Microsoft password by login to
login.live.com from other device. Try entering the password through
on-screen keyboard.

I also suggest you to enable build-in admin account using command prompt from WinRE, follow the below steps, and check if that helps.

Step: Enable built-in admin from WinRE.

1. On the login screen click on the power button at the bottom right corner of the screen.
2. Hold Shift key and click on restart.
3. Click on Troubleshoot.
4. Click on Advanced options.
5. Click on Command Prompt.
6. Type the command net user administrator /active:yes and press Enter key.
7. Once logged in to the built in admin account, try changing the current user account password.

If you are unable to change the password for the account, I suggest you to create a new user account. Follow the steps from the article to create a new user account

Create a local user or administrator account in Windows 10

I also suggest you to refer this article on
PIN sign-in issues, and check if that helps.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Regards,

 

Can a Local Admin account manage a Microsoft Admin account?

. @Tr3: Wow !! Thanks for the comprehensive response. BTW: There was an important sentence missing in my OP. That type of error is gradually occurring more often with me now. It was probably one cause of the Windows reset. I should have said: -------------------------- - Also, up till now, I've always had a second Admin account just in case. I don't recall ever using the second Admin account, so I must be doing something right. After being forced to reset Windows, I currently have one Local Admin account. [I now plan to add a second Local Account for safety. ] Question: If I change the [default] Local account to a Microsoft account, can that account be managed by the [second] Local account Admin? -----------------------

I hope the corrections made above might clarify my plan.

I've started doing that since @dalchina rapped my knuckles here: Am I an Adminstrator ? Will I still be Admin in an hours time? I used Macrium immediately after the reset. Since then, I've been doing Diffs. Each Diff takes only 1 minute, because of the few changes between each Diff. But the changes themselves took a lot longer than 1 minute. IMO, your suggestion to use alternate hard drives for backups is great. My plan had been to use 2 drives with identical contents, but I'm now going to follow your method.

Before the infamous reset, I converted the default Local account to a Microsoft account (my "primary" account). Then I created a second Microsoft account for safety. I then went back to the primary account, and changed myself to a Normal user - as the big boys recommend. I did some stuff. I then needed to be Admin again for something. But I was unable to change myself back to Admin from within the primary account. I switched to the alternative MS account. I changed the primary account back from Normal user to Admin. That final step is what I meant when I referred to "using one account to manage another account". Your post has a lot of other useful stuff that I'm going to implement - with Diffs in between. Thanks for your help.