Windows 10: Thrift store PC, unknown PIN/password, how to unlock?

My adult non-techy daughter got a laptop cheap from a thrift store. It has Windows 10, and expects the PIN or password from the previous owner. Of course, we don't know this. (Showed previous owner's hotmail address, sent an email to that address but got no response.) What's the best way to get this unlocked? (I'm sufficiently geeky, but COVID etc. means I can't necessarily meet up with her.)

I know two possible solutions are:

1. 
   Set up a Linux (Ubuntu?) bootable flash drive, boot from there, do some stuff to some files (read something somewhere about deleting sethc.exe then renaming cmd.exe to sethc.exe?), ? ? ?, Profit. But I'm not sure of all the steps that need to be done to do this properly.
   
   
2. 
   Wipe the entire hard drive, then install a fresh copy of Windows. I'd rather get this thing unlocked for her for free, but I at least know this is a possible not-free solution.
   

Any other possible solutions that are easier (i.e. that my daughter could do on her own or with minimal assistance)?

submitted by /u/r_a_g_s
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:)

 

Microsoft Account PIN and password

We appreciate the screenshot that you provided. to start troubleshooting the issue with you logins, we suggest that you follow the steps below on how login pin goes back to password:

• Click Start menu and go to Settings.
• In Settings, click the Accounts icon.
• Click on Sign-in options.
• Change both your password and pin one by one.

Let us know how it goes.

 

How to SWITCH login method from PIN to password

If you get to step #5 and find that there is no option to remove the pin, this worked for me:

• Click "I forgot my PIN"
• Enter your account password where prompted
• When prompted to create a new PIN, click "Cancel"

This removed the existing PIN and went back to using the account password to log in and unlock the lock screen.

 

How to SWITCH login method from PIN to password

THANK YOU SO MUCH.