Hello,

I have a customer who generally logs into windows using a PIN. They are running windows 8.1 and their only account on the system is a microsoft account set up with a gmail address.

I needed to reboot into safe mode with networking to perform some malware removal for them, and upon doing so I realized I wouldn't be able to log in without the password to that microsoft account, as you can't log into safe mode with the 4 digit PIN. I contacted them, and they were unable to provide me the microsoft account password.

No problem, I will just reset their password at live.com and log in with the new password. We jump through all the hoops to get the password reset, and of course now all we have to do is connect the laptop to the network so it can learn that the password has changed and we can log in.

First, I try plugging the integrated ethernet adapter into my network. The switch port lights up, so CSMA/CD is fine with the physical connection, and it even blinks a bit like it's doing things. Unfortunately the network icon in the lower left corner of the login screen stays disconnected. Okay, I'll try the wifi.

I click the icon, the wifi is off, I turn the wifi on and my wireless network pops up. I click the wireless network and hit connect, and it "checks network requirements" for a while like normal, says it's taking longer than normal, and then says "We can't connect to the Internet right now. Please try again." with a close button.

Upon hitting the close button it brings me back to the network list, but curiously it says under my network name that it's now connected, and the connect button has become a disconnect button. The network icon in the lower left of the login screen is still showing a red circle with a white X in it, and the password still isn't working.

The first couple of times I did this it asked me for my WPA key, which I entered. The last time I tried it didn't ask me for my key. Thinking I should probably tell it to forget the network so I can type it again, I tried right disconnecting from the network, right clicking on it and going to forget this network, but right clicking does nothing in the network UI on the login screen.

I then grabbed a USB ethernet adapter and plugged it into my switch, which lit up the same as when I used the onboard one, but the laptop is still acting as though it isn't connected. It's also worth noting that no ethernet connections appear at the top of the network UI on the login screen as they would if we were logged into windows.

I don't have a password reset disk. I can't format this system. I've successfully reset the password online, but networking isn't working. What should I do?

I solved my problems by using the sethc trick to enable the local administrator account. I then rebooted out of safe mode, logged into the administrator account, connected to the internet, and then switched users using fast user switching to the microsoft account, which I was then able to log in to using the updated password.

• Marked as answer by tromley.ca 12 hours 13 minutes ago

I solved my problems by using the sethc trick to enable the local administrator account. I then rebooted out of safe mode, logged into the administrator account, connected to the internet, and then switched users using fast user switching to the microsoft account, which I was then able to log in to using the updated password.

• Marked as answer by tromley.ca Tuesday, March 31, 2015 7:07 PM

I solved my problems by using the sethc trick to enable the local administrator account. I then rebooted out of safe mode, logged into the administrator account, connected to the internet, and then switched users using fast user switching to the microsoft account, which I was then able to log in to using the updated password.

• Marked as answer by tromley.ca Tuesday, March 31, 2015 7:07 PM

I'm having EXACTLY the same problem. What's the sethc trick?

Hey,

Sorry I left you hanging for 7.5 hours.

So, if you can access the hard drive at all by pulling it out of the system, or you can boot from a windows install usb key or cd, you can overwrite the microsoft sticky keys UI application c:\windows\system32\sethc.exe with a copy of cmd.exe from the same folder. 

Once you've done this you can boot to the login screen you are stuck on, and hit the left shift key 5 times to activate the sticky keys function. An admin command prompt will pop open, which you can then use to reset the account password if it's not a microsoft account, or in this case you can use to enable the local administrator account with net user administrator /active:yes

Here's an article describing in detail the sethc hack:

http://www.howtogeek.com/96630/how-to-reset-your-forgotten-windows-password-the-easy-way/

And here's an article about the built in admin account:

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/9650-built-administrator-account-enable-disable-windows-8-a.html

Please let me know if you have trouble getting this to work.

Have a good day,

Scott

• Edited by tromley.ca 18 hours 44 minutes ago Automatic URL parsing is hard for microsoft forums devs, but I can't post links yet until they verify my account.

Hey,

Sorry I left you hanging for 7.5 hours.

So, if you can access the hard drive at all by pulling it out of the system, or you can boot from a windows install usb key or cd, you can overwrite the microsoft sticky keys UI application c:\windows\system32\sethc.exe with a copy of cmd.exe from the same folder. 

Once you've done this you can boot to the login screen you are stuck on, and hit the left shift key 5 times to activate the sticky keys function. An admin command prompt will pop open, which you can then use to reset the account password if it's not a microsoft account, or in this case you can use to enable the local administrator account with net user administrator /active:yes

Here's an article describing in detail the sethc hack:

http://www.howtogeek.com/96630/how-to-reset-your-forgotten-windows-password-the-easy-way/

And here's an article about the built in admin account:

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/9650-built-administrator-account-enable-disable-windows-8-a.html

Please let me know if you have trouble getting this to work.

Have a good day,

Scott

• Edited by tromley.ca Friday, July 03, 2015 12:39 PM Automatic URL parsing is hard for microsoft forums devs, but I can't post links yet until they verify my account.

Hey,

Sorry I left you hanging for 7.5 hours.

So, if you can access the hard drive at all by pulling it out of the system, or you can boot from a windows install usb key or cd, you can overwrite the microsoft sticky keys UI application c:\windows\system32\sethc.exe with a copy of cmd.exe from the same folder. 

Once you've done this you can boot to the login screen you are stuck on, and hit the left shift key 5 times to activate the sticky keys function. An admin command prompt will pop open, which you can then use to reset the account password if it's not a microsoft account, or in this case you can use to enable the local administrator account with net user administrator /active:yes

Here's an article describing in detail the sethc hack:

http://www.howtogeek.com/96630/how-to-reset-your-forgotten-windows-password-the-easy-way/

And here's an article about the built in admin account:

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/9650-built-administrator-account-enable-disable-windows-8-a.html

Please let me know if you have trouble getting this to work.

Have a good day,

Scott

• Edited by tromley.ca Friday, July 03, 2015 12:39 PM Automatic URL parsing is hard for microsoft forums devs, but I can't post links yet until they verify my account.