The repeated “type A1B2C3” and “wait 2 hours then try again” means Windows has temporarily locked sign-in after too many failed attempts. Since restarting and waiting hasn’t cleared it, use one of these supported paths to get back in.
- Restart and try Safe Mode sign-in This bypasses PIN/Windows Hello and uses the account password only.
- On the sign-in screen, select Power > Restart.
- As soon as the restart begins, hold Shift and select Power > Restart again from the sign-in screen.
- After the PC restarts to Choose an option, select:
- Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.
- When Startup Settings appears, press 5 or F5 for Safe Mode with Networking.
- At the Safe Mode sign-in screen, sign in using the password for the account (not PIN or biometrics).
If sign-in works in Safe Mode, once on the desktop:
- Change or reset the password or PIN as needed (see below), then restart normally and sign in again.
- If the account is a Microsoft account If the ASUS is using a Microsoft account to sign in:
- Use the online password reset flow from another device: see Forgot your Microsoft account password in the article below.
- After resetting the Microsoft account password, return to the ASUS sign-in screen and use the new password (not the old one, and not the PIN) to sign in.
If the Microsoft account password still isn’t accepted, use the Sign-in helper mentioned in the same article set to diagnose Microsoft account sign-in issues.
- If the account is a local account and another admin exists If there is another administrator account on the PC that can still sign in:
- Sign in with that other admin account.
- Open Computer Management.
- Expand Local Users and Groups > Users.
- Right-click the locked-out user and select Set Password….
- Enter and confirm a new password.
- Sign out and sign in with the newly set password on the original account.
If there is no other administrator account available, the official guidance is that the device must be reset.
- If no password reset path works If:
- Safe Mode sign-in fails,
- Microsoft account password reset does not work, and
- There is no other admin account to reset a local password,
then the supported option is to reset the PC. This will reinstall Windows; depending on the reset option chosen, apps and possibly files may be removed, so back up data first if there is any way to access it.
For full details on:
- Troubleshooting sign-in problems (including Safe Mode and alternate accounts), and
- Changing or resetting passwords (local and Microsoft accounts), use the articles below.
References: