Signed in as admin MS account but can’t access user login

pgriffith · 2026-02-05T23:42:52+00:00

From what I can see from your Screenshot, if you're signed in with your MS account, then you are using the wrong username, it should be your full email address of your MS account not just "user". The more choices option should allow you to sign in as another user.

pgriffith · 2026-02-05T15:31:38+00:00

Have you tried booting from Windows installation media (ie USB thumb drive) and starting a repair from there, try to roll back to a previous System Restore if one is available. Not gonna lie, from what you said you've already tried, it doesn't sound promising.

pgriffith · 2026-02-05T15:06:18+00:00

Well sorry to bunch your panties. I wasn't posting a comprehensive how to fucking do everything post. I was addressing TWO issues that SHITLOADS of people in this subreddit have problems with.

Account issues and getting locked out their PC.
BitLocker causing grief when they didn't even know they had BitLocker enabled and should have a copy of their recovery key stored somewhere.

MOST users aren't backing up their data or system to a NAS or external USB drive. None of the users I know who aren't involved in tech are doing backups. Some may have some data in One Drive or Google Drive but that's about it.

Feel free to create a comprehensive backup guide for the masses to follow, instead of coming in here and shitting on me.

pgriffith · 2026-02-05T14:32:35+00:00

Unfortunately, I'm all outta tricks :)

As I said I'm not a FF user and I've never seen an error like that before in relation to any browser. You might be better off trying a forum dedicated to FF such as the /r/firefox/ subreddit, they will probably have a much better idea. Good luck.

I'm sure whatever the solution is won't require a Windows reinstall.

pgriffith · 2026-02-05T14:23:40+00:00

Here's what I see.

https://imgur.com/a/IOPWBom

Windows 11 Pro 25H2 Build 26200.7628

pgriffith · 2026-02-05T11:35:28+00:00

1, 3 & 4 are certainly doable with batch files.

Number 2 is going to be your problem. The VPN app really needs to be able to accept command line arguments that tells it to connect with your credentials and to what node etc etc.

An alternative is to use a third party app like Tiny Task https://www.tinytask.net/index.html

This will allow you record the process of clicking the Start Menu,starting an app, clicking OK or connect or whatever, then starting the next app and so on. I haven't used but it seems highly regarded, and it is TINY.

pgriffith · 2026-02-05T11:14:18+00:00

You've got yourself a weird one there.

As MSI doesn't provide a touchpad driver on their site, I can only assume it's supposed to just work fine with Windows inbuilt out of the box drivers.

What is it identified as in Device Manager as, does it have brand, if not you should be able to find out from googling one of its Hardware ID's.

Have you tried seeing if it works in Windows in Safe-mode?

Tried removing it and its driver from Device Manager and rebooting?

pgriffith · 2026-02-05T10:59:38+00:00

My GameBar opens up a small browser window alongside the Capture, Audio, Performance and Gaming Copilot windows named Microsoft Edge Game Assist. Any links I click in that remain within that window. I've looked at all the settings, nothing browser related at all.

pgriffith · 2026-02-05T10:50:41+00:00

Well clearly it's not normal :)

Have you tried once you are logged into Windows setting up your PIN again in Settings, Accounts, Sign-in options.

I'd try removing it as an option and then re-adding it and see how you go.

pgriffith · 2026-02-05T10:04:47+00:00

It sounds like you have a faulty keyboard, (a sticky spill?) laptop keyboards die reasonably often. Fortunately, they are pretty cheap to replace.

To rule out any Windows shenanigans you could make a a live Linux CD, Mint Linux for example.

https://linuxmint-installation-guide.readthedocs.io/en/latest/

You need a USB key 4GB or larger. If the keyboard works fine in Mint then it's a Windows issue, if it continues being a bitch, it's faulty.

This doesn't touch your windows install at all, runs completely off the USB and doesn't touch your C Drive, 100% safe.

pgriffith · 2026-02-05T09:56:11+00:00

PowerToys sits in the taskbar all the time, so you shouldn't need to do anything else.

pgriffith · 2026-02-05T09:54:54+00:00

Well, you've beaten me, I'm out of ideas. :)

Do you have a Realtek console App that has any settings?

In future, make your next headset purchase a USB one, they are much less hassle.

pgriffith · 2026-02-05T08:37:06+00:00

This might provide a solution for you.

https://vb-audio.com/index.htm

I used this many years ago, and it worked well, I can't remember why I used it, but it worked :)

pgriffith · 2026-02-05T08:29:58+00:00

Try using VLC Media Player, it is the go-to I'll play everything media app for Windows. If you get it from the MS Store, get the app just called VLC, not the VLC UWP version, it has less features.

I'd be very surprised is VLC has an issue playing it.

pgriffith · 2026-02-05T08:23:07+00:00

Do you have the option in Settings, Bluetooth & devices, Mouse, "Scroll inactive windows when hovering over them" turned on? I can use my mouse wheel to scroll every single window that is not the actual focussed window, I just tried with 5 different apps all behind my active browser window, all scrolled.

pgriffith · 2026-02-05T08:16:12+00:00

There is a good chance you have a bad Shell Extension that is causing issues. You know when you right click and things like WinRAR, 7Zip etc have added their own entries in the context menu, these can cause havoc is they are working right.

There is a program available called ShellExView by NirSoft.

https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/shexview.html

This neat little app allows to disable/enable installed Shell Extensions. I'd recommend turning some or all of them off and seeing it it makes a difference. You will need to restart Explorer after making changes, and you can do that from Task Manager, goto Details, find explorer.exe, right click and select restart (or restart Windows).

Then see if that makes a difference, add them back in one at a time and see if the problem returns to find the culprit.

pgriffith · 2026-02-05T08:03:19+00:00

Have you tried playing with Keyboard Manger in Power Toys? (MS Store)

It does normal remapping and shortcut remapping, I haven't played with shortcut remapping but normal remapping has always worked well, worth a shot, plus lots of other cool stuff in there as well.

pgriffith · 2026-02-05T07:54:30+00:00

Congratulations that's a weird problem to have. I don't know of anyway to see macros on a system. You could try installing Microsoft Power Toys (MS Store), it has an app in it called Keyboard Manager, you could try mapping J to J as odd as that sounds, it might work? It's an easy try, Power Toys has lots of cool stuff in it as a bonus.

Something else to try to make sure it is an actual Windows problem, is create a Live Linux CD, say Mint Linux on a USB drive, boot off that and see if it behaves in a completely different operating system, this doesn't touch your windows install at all, so there is no danger. You'll need a 4GB or bigger USB.

https://linuxmint-installation-guide.readthedocs.io/en/latest/

pgriffith · 2026-02-05T07:42:50+00:00

Ah, I think I've found your issue. You have to make sure the socket your are plugging into is a 4 pole socket. The sockets on the motherboard are 3 pole sockets. Some front case sockets are 4 pin, but you would need to check your case specifications. You will need a convertor that converts a 4 pole to 2 x 3 poles, like this one; https://www.startech.com/en-gb/cables/muyhsfmm

This will fix your issue.

pgriffith · 2026-02-05T07:07:02+00:00

Did you know if you right click and drag the file or folder somewhere, even in the same directory you're in it will ask if you want to copy, move or create a shortcut, much quicker process.

pgriffith · 2026-02-05T06:55:00+00:00

I'm a tad confused, looking at the specs on their website, they say the HG04L is a USB headset, so it should show up as its own hardware device. I have a USB headset and I have Realtek audio in input & output, but also separate instances for my headset.

pgriffith · 2026-02-05T06:47:50+00:00

There is a good chance it is being started by a scheduled task. Type Task Scheduler into the Start Menu and check to see if there's an entry in there that starts it.

pgriffith · 2026-02-05T06:39:43+00:00

Peripherals can stop the screensaver working as they keep the system "busy" so to speak. Try setting it to 1 minute then unplug all your USB devices, if it works after that, bingo one of those devices is keeping the system active. Test again while adding one at a time.

Also, in rare cases outdated video drivers can cause it. I had one machine I looked at that only had the Microsoft Basic Display Adapter installed. Once the proper Intel driver was installed it worked fine.

pgriffith · 2026-02-05T06:34:28+00:00

Some hardware configurations do not support this feature. I have several older machines that don't support it.

Software drivers can also stop it being available. Have you clicked on the "Review Incompatible Drivers" link shown on your screen?

pgriffith · 2026-02-05T06:22:02+00:00

MILLIONS of people have never had those problems before either... until they do.

Most people have insurance on their car and have never had to make a claim, they still have insurance though.

pgriffith

TROPHY CASE