Bug that forces you to set a pin when installing Windows 10

Anonymous

You guys might want to step up your testing efforts. This is a pretty obvious bug IMO. To be clear, I want to use my password and not a pin. But the UI says, "We think you will like it."... well I don't. Normally there is an option to set a pin later.... Well, this goes away permanently if you initially try to authenticate using the Windows Authenticator app.

I am prompted to set a pin, with no button to skip or proceed without one. If I bring up the dialog and cancel, that doesn't help either... You are basically stuck on that screen. I can't finish the installation because the only option to proceed is to create a pin which will replace my password -- I don't want to do that.

So to be clear:

Install Windows 10 and enter your name and password during installation... You can skip setting a pin.

Install Windows 10 and enter your name and then select authenticate with the authenticator... I successfully authenticate and then I am asked to set a pin. The option to skip is not there as in the first scenario. Starting the process over and entering a password instead does not help. It seems the option to skip is never available again. The only thing I could do was to wipe the install and start over.

Sure I could have set a pin and removed it later, but I didn't want to do that. I don't want it messing with my login.

Also asking me to file an issue on connect is not going to happen -- sorry. If you guys want to take the time to file it, then go for it. Hopefully you guys will investigate.

Ironically even this forum has a bug... When you edit an issue -- it resets the Windows version and topic.

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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Anonymous

Hi Arap,

Setting up a pin on your device makes it more secured. One important difference between a password and a Hello PIN is that the PIN is tied to the specific device on which it was set up. Read more in this documentation:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/identity-protection/hello-for-business/hello-why-pin-is-better-than-password

Thus, you still have option to remove it once you've done setting it up for the first time. Kindly follow the steps below:

Open the Settings app, and click/tap on the Accounts icon.
Select Sign-in options on the left side, and click/tap on the Remove button under PIN on the right side.
Click/tap on Remove to confirm.
Type in your Microsoft account password to verify, and click/tap on OK.

Additionally, you can refer answers mentioned in this thread:

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-update/i-dont-want-a-pin-number/902c5b3d-42d4-4fc8-b34e-71200e0b362d

Let us know how it turns out.

Note: Microsoft has updated the information in this reply to benefit users facing this issue.

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141 additional answers

Anonymous

2018-07-31T09:28:36+00:00

I run a computer repair shop and almost daily have to do a Windows 10 reset or clean install. This forced PIN crap means I either have to create a customer's PIN myself and tell them they now have to use that instead of their password, or create one and remove it - explaining that every time they log on they will have to go through the hassle of setting/cancelling a PIN. I explain that Microsoft are behind this nonsense but I'm sure some customer think it's something we've done - as they didn't have to do this before their computer came for repair. There must be thousands of IT repairers and corporate sysadmins for whom this is an unnecessary frustration.

And yes, what annoys me more than anything is the 'question' "Do you want to create a PIN?"
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Anonymous

2018-07-20T14:08:01+00:00

Just ran into this - a user with a new surface had a bit of an issue where an update caused the pin to no longer be valid - the helpful MS tag, says to login and reset the pin. However she cannot login because all she had was the pin. No log in prompt comes up so she cannot even use the Microsoft account that she initialized the setup with.

This would be funny if it was not painful. Tried all the troubleshooting tricks I could think of, no luck. Fortunately it is a new install so no lost data, just time.

Bitlocker is enabled by default, the surface is not domain attached, the user never recorded their bitlocker key.

So ... I cannot get it back. Because bitlocker is enabled and no key is available, I cannot enable the administrator account from the command line using net user commands, I cannot use a linux tool to clear or reset any passwords, I cannot add an account. Cannot login with another account to turn off bitlocker encryption.

Reinstall was required, as soon as possible I enabled the administrator account and set the password, turned off bitlocker (I will turn it back on later) and redid all the updates... and it was a good thing I did it in this order - the update broke the pin again! Fortunately I can log in with administrator and fix it now.
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Anonymous

2018-07-10T06:18:31+00:00

Thats right, Microsoft. I'm really angry about this pin force right now.
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Anonymous

2018-07-07T11:00:48+00:00

Stumbled into this while googling how to skip the PIN step during install. I did not manage to find the 'do this later' button while rebuilding my laptop OS after Microsoft trashed it with a broken patch. I finally just gave up in disgust and enabled symbols &etc in the 'PIN' so I could put in my full proper password. Just for reference having a back door does not provide additional security. Multiple passwords (regardles swhat you label them) simply equates to additional attack vectors and the weakest link ALWAYS brings the rest of the system to its level.

This whole thing smacks of the Jobsian "You don't know what you want, only I know what you want" tripe that's infected the tech industry.

The whole sequence of events has been a nightmare from the broken patch that I wasn't allowed to skip without GP hacks, the eventual corruption of my OS due to continued automated re-attempts to install said broken patch, to not being able to restore/refresh/reset/reinstall my OS due to excessively designed 'self-healing' systems that have no apparent escape door when the happy path is failing. I almost said engineered there, but engineers build for failure and this clearly isn't that.

I'm still in the middle of the "no i don't want that leave me alone" phase of the install and am dreading what's around the Next corner. I'll go rant to myself in the corner now and contemplate whether Linux is finally mature enough to serve me. Sorry to darken your day.
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