Systemwide password amnesia (v2004 build 19041.173)

Anonymous
2020-04-10T20:46:55+00:00

I have a Surface Pro 5 with a Windows Hello camera that wasn't working and I wasn't able to fix it. Looked like I'd need to do a reset to fix the drivers, so instead I decided to give 2004 a try, hoping the update would refresh the camera drives. Indeed this worked, but I've been having a lot of problems since the update:

Seems like all sorts of applications and OS features won't remember my username/passwords anymore.

  • Every time I log in I have to sign into both one drive personal and one drive business.
  • Outlook keeps asking me to log into my office365 every few hours.
  • Acrobat keeps asking for my Adobe login every time a load a pdf if I haven't done so in a few hours.
  • Settings periodically makes me fix my insider account configuration by re-authenticating with Hello
  • Lastpass extention in Firefox keeps asking me to enter my password despite being configured to only require a fingeprint (it first asks me for my fingerprint, but then also asks for the password)
  • probably some stuff I can't recall right now.

I wasn't having any of these issues before the update.

I tried following Lastpass's support advice to fix it by reinstalling the extension and resetting several settings but this didn't help.

It's possible these are all individual issues, but since it seems to be an issue with remembering credentials across a variety of applications, I'm suspecting it's a system wide issue and maybe not specific to these applications.

I checked that the credential manager service is running. It was set to manual. I changed it to automatic and rebooted but this didn't seem to help.

Anyone have an idea what could be going on here?

Thanks!

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Performance and system failures

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Anonymous
2020-10-12T21:28:18+00:00

Update 2/8/21

This issue has been fixed by Windows in this Windows 10 update, February 2, 2021—KB4598291 (OS Builds 19041.789 and 19042.789) Preview (microsoft.com).

  • Addresses an issue in which using local Service for User (S4U) affects Data Protection API (DPAPI) credential keys and causes users to sign out unexpectedly.

I am updating the Outlook Known Issue article to reflect the same, Outlook and other apps won't remember password after Windows Updates - Outlook (microsoft.com).

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Sumit 44,306 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
2021-02-10T03:14:41+00:00

Issue resolved in KB4601319 monthly update. If you continue to hit the issue, let us know.

February 2, 2021—KB4598291 (OS Builds 19041.789 and 19042.789) Preview (microsoft.com)

  • Addresses an issue in which using local Service for User (S4U) affects Data Protection API (DPAPI) credential keys and causes users to sign out unexpectedly.

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  1. Anonymous
    2020-06-23T13:08:01+00:00

    Update:

    Changing back to my local account sporadically allowed for Password validation.  I went back to the Microsoft account login.

    Opinion:

    This is a sad case where to get account password persistence I need to log in to Microsoft.

    It smells of "Big Brother".

    Here's a question:

    If I sign on to my local computer using the Microsoft account but my internet is down or Microsoft is down, can I get access to my passwords?

    Len

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  2. Anonymous
    2020-06-22T19:58:32+00:00

    It was interesting that Len's change from a local acct to an MS acct solved his credential problem and it stayed solved when he went back to a local acct.

    I was signed in with an MS acct when I did the upgrade to v2004 and also afterwards (when I experienced the problem).  Changing to a local acct didn't have any effect on the problem. 

    However, I duplicated what Len did - changed from a local acct to an MS acct (even though I originally was using an MS acct).  To my surprise, this change BACK may have solved the problem.

    I've now done a half dozen test reboot cycles and my outlook email passwords were still there each time.  I'll report back if this solution continues to work.

    BTW, I use my same MS account to sign-in to my other laptop (still on v1909) and I have "Sync Your Settings" turned off on both laptops.

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  3. Anonymous
    2020-06-22T14:33:46+00:00

    To all,

    Here are my steps to rectify the issue:

    • sfc /scannow

    Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

    Effect:  No long-term improvements. Shut down.  Restart.

    • Changed sign-in to Microsoft.com account with PIN. Shut down.  Restart.

    Effect:  It appears to solve the problem.

    • Changed sign-in to Local with PIN. Shut down.  Restart.

    Effect: The issue still seems to be gone.

    • Deleted the ProgramData\Microsoft\Vault directory. Shut down.  Restart.

    Effect: The issue still seems to be gone.  Note:  This directory does not appear to be recreated.  Additionally, the Credential Manager still lists the Web user IDs and PWs cached for validation.

    I will continue to monitor where the credential validation is still working longer term.

    Len

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