Something happened and your PIN isn't available. Click to set up your PIN again.

Anonymous
2020-07-12T23:16:34+00:00

* * Locked * *

I have a new PC with W10. I decided to use the PIN code, but now I get the message "Something happened and your PIN isn't available. Click to set up your PIN again."

When I click 'Set up my PIN' nothing, the same message reappears.

I looked up the issue on the internet and found that I should login using another sign-in option. However, there is no way to get to another option. The text above is all I see on the screen.

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Windows Hello, lock screen and sign-in

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
2020-07-12T23:37:28+00:00

Hello there! I'm sorry that didn't work. You can try this steps instead:

Turn off your PC

Start your PC, just as Windows attempts to load (spinning dots), press and hold Power Button on the casing of your PC for 5 - 10 seconds to perform a Hard Shut Down

Do this twice

On the third start Windows will boot into the Recovery Environment and from there you can access System Repair, Safe Mode, Command Prompt . . . etc.

Please try each option one at a time, then see of Windows will boot . . .

Go to Troubleshoot - Advanced Option - Startup Repair

See if Windows startup can repair itself

Go to Troubleshoot - Advanced Option - System Restore

Check to see if you have a restore point you can go back to

If you do not have a Restore Point, go to Troubleshoot - Advanced Option - Startup Settings and click Restart

Upon restart, press 4 to enter Safe Mode

Once in Safe Mode, backup your data if you do not already have a backup

Open Device Manager and check to make sure all your Drivers are up to date

Reboot to see if Windows will start Normally

If the above fails, go to Troubleshoot - Advanced Options - Reset this PC

Choose to keep your files and apps, just your files or to keep nothing

Then start the Reset

Hope this will do the trick

Regards,

Louie

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  1. Anonymous
    2021-04-25T02:43:07+00:00

    I'm having the same problem and none of the above methods are helping I've tried everything and once I press setup a new pin it asks me to search for an app in the app store. I press yes and nothing happens.... 

    Same to u! Need help urgently

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  2. Anonymous
    2021-04-25T02:36:05+00:00

    Hi there! I am Louie, a Microsoft Community member and a fellow Windows 10 user like you. Hope you're doing well and safe there.
    I'm sorry that you're having trouble with setting up your PIN. I have something here for you that might help fix the problem.
    You may try this steps:

    Delete NGC folder and add a new PIN code

    Go to C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData\Local\Microsoft\NGC.
    In NGC folder delete all the files. To do so you must be logged as Administrator.
    delete the temp folder within the NGC folder
    Now go to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in Options.
    Click Add a PIN and add a new PIN code for your account.

    Now the PIN login should be working again.

    Switch to local account and add a PIN code

    Option 2:

    try to switch to local account, and the add a PIN code. Here's how to do that:

    Go to Settings > Accounts and locate your account.
    Click Sign in with a Local Account instead.
    Follow the instructions to set up a local account.
    Sign out and sign in with your local account.
    Now add a PIN code.
    After you've added your PIN code you need to locate your account under the Accounts section in Settings.
    Choose Sign in with a Microsoft Account instead.

    That's it, PIN login should be working now for your account

    or

    Open Start, type: CMD
    Right click CMD
    Click Run as administrator

    Type following command and press Enter key:

    icacls C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Ngc /T /Q /C /RESET

    Close Command Prompt.

    Setup your PIN again then check if issue is resolved.

    Hope this helps

    Sincerely,
    Louie

    It sort of work but as soon as I click on the set up my pin it shows that I'm logging in with a new user and suddenly it sends me back to login screen. Troubleshooting like startup repair doesn't work it failed.I try system restore and it says nothing have changed and failed to restore.I tried formatting and it fails too.I tried booting into safemode but the same login screen appears and I can't login too.

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  3. Anonymous
    2021-04-24T00:47:21+00:00

    I wonder what Microsoft broke here that it doesn't allow the login via a password, let alone fixing the pin or using the pin.  Then again, how does a bios update or an ec firmware update trigger such a bug.  Of course, it would help if MS would monitor these discussions so they would hear about the serious bugs they set loose on their users.

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  4. Anonymous
    2021-04-23T23:42:30+00:00

    Dryvlyne,  Funny, I said exactly what you said about how serious this bug is and that Microsoft should pay attention in this thread about 50 posts back.   I think part of it is the DATES of technical advice you are getting.   I think 2/3 years ago you could turn off all services or go into diagnostic mode and it didn't kneecap you so there was a lot of advice out there saying to turn all services off to shake problems loose.  Then the Pin thing came up and turning all services off gets much more serious.  Given this Pin problem, Microsoft should ALWAYS offer both login options (Pin and userid) or at least offer it as a Shift Restart Troubleshoot option.

    That said I like the Pin.   The world has probably spent millions of hours typing in long passwords and missing them because the password is always masked, even though no one ever watches them login because they are working alone.

    I was actually cavalier about this problem.   I was still deliberately turning off all services for several iterations because I really wanted to solve an Apple iCloud problem I was having.   I thought I had the secret sauce for getting the machine back but it got really dicey and I almost lost the machine completely.   I had a near miracle experience where this Microsoft employee was telling me I was dead meat and I killed the Reinstall Windows prompt and the next machine boot it was asking for a userid instead of a Pin.   Miracles are few and far between in our business.  When the machine came back it was perfect and I had about 50 hours of heavy duty development software installs that were still working.   I was lucky.

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