Cannot log in: local account replaced with MS account and MS account inaccesable

I don't think you're doing anything wrong, it sounds like the built-in administrator account has been disabled by some means, I could only speculate as to how.  Let's see if we can get it back.

Normally to force it to be active, you could type this at an elevated command prompt:

net user administrator /active:yes

However this requires that you are able to login to the computer first to open the command prompt and type that command.

So if you cannot do that, the next thing I would try if it were my PC is a Refresh or Reset operation.  Unfortunately these are both destructive in some way. Refresh is the safest because it doesn't remove any document/picture files from your account, but it's also unlikely to resolve the issue.  But the next step is more drastic, because Reset puts your PC back the way it came from the factory out of the box: literally everything is gone and it's reset like it was brand new.

I WAS using an account 'User1' which had admin rights (as described above this account seems to have disappeared and been instead only the dummy outlook account is available). I have not used an account "administrator" (I did not even know that it existed).

If such an account exists by default on the machine, then I do not understand how to access it per your instruction :

"1. At the login screen, click the Arrow Icon and select the Administrator account."

Please note that there is NO arrow icon pointing to the left on the upper left corner of the login picture to bring up all accounts existing on the machine (since there are no accounts to switch between I assumed).

The only "arrow"that I see one the login screen is the one with which you confirm the password (same effect as hitting 'Enter'). Actually the login screen looks exactly the same as when I boot normally.

I followed steps 1-4 described above and there it all happens exactly as what you have described.

Is there something mising? Am I doing something wrong?

Are you using the account that has the actual name "administrator", or just another account that happens to be an administrator level?

Hi Shawn,

thanks a lot for your answer. Unfortunately there seems to by a discrepancy between what I see on the screen and what you describe that I "should" be seeing.

I am having a problem with your statement:

"1. At the login screen, click the Arrow Icon and select the Administrator account."

I assume you mean the arrow icon pointing to the left on the upper left corner of the login picture to bring up all accounts existing on the machine. Unfortunately there are no other accounts on the machine. My account - which is an admin account - is the only account on the machine.

Pls note that all I really want is my old account back.

Thanks for your help.

You can login as another account on the computer to edit that user account.

If there are no Administrator accounts on the system, you can boot to Safe Mode to access the Built-in Administrator account. From this fail-safe account, you can force-reset your account's password.

1. Press +I to display the Settings charm menu.
2. Click the Power Options icon, then hold down the Shift Key while you click the Restart option. Keep holding shift until the screen says it is restarting.
3. On the first screen that appears, select Troubleshoot, then select Advanced Options. Finally pick Startup Settings and click the Restart Button.
4. On the next screen, press the Number 4 Key to choose Safe Mode.

Now that you are in safe mode, you can use the built-in backup Administrator account to perform you necessary recovery. The built in Administrator account should not be used for any other purpose, or it won't be available in situations like this when you need it.

1. At the login screen, click the Arrow Icon and select the Administrator account.
2. After Safe Mode starts, press +W and open Control Panel / User Accounts.
3. Select Manage another account and select the account you wish to change to an Administrator account. You can also use the Change Password option here to reset the other account's password.

When you're done, restart the computer normally.