B
BusdriverJow
Guest
Problem
Unable to Login to Windows 10 Via Administrator Account (No Password Set) - Reason: Login Screen Contains No Login Form.
TLDR;
Can't access Windows 10 because login screen has no login form. Can login via Safe Mode - it bypasses the login screen.
Discovery of Problem - Recovery Mode
Just recently I awoke to see that my computer was sitting in a Recovery UI screen (Choose Your Keyboard (localisation)) - presumedly following an automatic update of some kind overnight.
I followed the prompts through the recovery forms, without gaining any context on what had gone on, and attempted to restart into Windows.
After the initial Windows 10 Loading screen, it simply went blank (screen de-synced, no video data).
After some time trouble shooting this issue, I realised that providing mouse input caused the screen to activate, and showed a mouse cursor, but black background - it seemed as though the video data was suddenly being sent to a phantom device (moving the mouse cursor off the edges of the screen seemed to indicate that any phantom screen would have had no significant pixel dimension).
Initial Investigation - Known Issues
Searching online via my phone seemed to indicate that there is (or has been) such a known issue, and that a blind login should allow you to enter Windows via an existing account... My Windows account is on a non-shared local home PC, and as such has only one (Administrator) user account, and no password.
Attempted Blind Login Solutions - Failure
Double space, Double Enter, Tab Enter, Ctrl Enter
Attempted Adjusting Screen Projection Settings - Failure
Windows Key + Arrow Keys Enter
The failure of these methods seemed to indicate that perhaps the issue was something different, or additional.
Attempted Safe Mode Login - Failure
I followed through guides found online to activate Windows 10 Safe Mode (Advanced Boot Legacy Mode), via Windows Recovery Administrator Command Prompt, to see if I could login there.
No success, the same blank screen was found, with no keystrokes having any visible effect. (Hard reset required).
Attempted Reset PC (Keep Personal Files) - Success
Not being able to gain any ground, I finally followed the suggestion in the Windows Recovery UI to Reset the PC (keep personal files).
Initially this failed at around 40% of initialization and made no changes to files.
A second attempt resulted in successful PC Reset (of apps, programs, settings).
Login Screen Returned - Missing Login Form
Upon completing the File Backup and the Windows Re-installation, Windows restarted, and after the initial Windows 10 Loading screen....
We finally got the old familiar login screen... however, there was no login form, or account details, or sign in button, or power button present on the screen.
Only a background, 3 accessibility control buttons at the bottom right, and the slide-out menu to the right (initially off-screen).
Attempt Blind Login - Failure
In case login form is somehow present but not visible.
Attempted Screen Projection Setting Adjustment - Failure
In case some amount of content is hiding off screen.
Attempted Safe Mode Login - Success
Using Recovery UI Administrative CMD access once again to activate Advanced Boot Legacy and access Safe Mode successfully launched a login to Windows Safe Mode via a working login screen (no password required), and automatically completed the PC Reset restoration process within safe mode.
Attempted Subsequent Login Via Ordinary Boot - Failure
Having completed this process, I attempted to login again via regular Windows boot, but the Login screen still lacks login form, no combination of keystrokes are successful in any kind of blind login, and nothing seems to be hiding off screen.
Attempted Adjusting Account Settings, Security Settings, Password Settings Via Safe Mode - No Effect
All of the above attempted to no apparent effect whatsoever.
Attempted Removing Password Access Requirement Via Safe Mode - No Effect
Using Safe Mode to remove the password requirement on login doesn't bypass the login screen with missing login form, or cause any form ui, or login tools to appear.
Attempted Adding New Users Via Safe Mode - Failure
Suspecting possible conflict with existing user account, I thought to add a secondary administrative account to see if account/login tools appear on the login screen - No possible way to add new users was found via Safe Mode, as this functionality seems to have been rolled into the "PC SETTINGS" (ms-settings) app, which is apparently not accessible, nor any of its functions, via Safe Mode. (This theory seemed like a long shot anyway, since the Login / Welcome screen works perfectly in Safe Mode to acknowledge my user account).
Attempted Updating Windows Via Safe Mode - Failure
In suspecting that an automatic update may have started this mess, I thought to attempt a further update to try to patch over anything that might have gone wrong, or update with any released fix... Could find no way to update Windows without utilizing the "PC Settings" (ms-settings) app, which apparently is not accessible in Safe Mode.
Attempted to Scan Operating System For Corrupted Files - No Effect
Using the sfc /scannow command via Admin CMD in Safe Mode, attempted to scan OS for corrupted files, scan window closed at 100% without reporting errors.
Attempted Replacing / Repairing / Modifying Login UI Files Via Safe Mode - Failure
Suspected involvement of Windows UI template data for apparently faulty Login Screen.
Narrowed Search to /Windows/WindowsResources/Windows.UI.Logon/
Managed to give Full Control file permission to Administrative user account for the above folder.
Attempted replacing the nested file: Windows.UI.Logon.pri with a copy from a similar working copy of Windows 10, on another machine, after making a backup of the original file.
Probably this file contains integrated requests/data that misfire when copied from a different source, as:
Subsequent login screens loaded a blank file page in both regular and Safe Mode boots, with no ability to login or adjust screen projection properties to any effect - effectively locking users out of the OS completely.
I used Recovery Mode's Administrative Command Prompt to delete the replacement file and replace with the backup file.
Subsequent Login Attempts Resulted in Automatic Reboots.
I used Recovery Mode's Administrative Command Prompt to delete the backup file (which was sitting along side the new original).
The next reboot triggered some kind of Windows Update.
Automated Windows Update Upon Regular Boot Attempt - Failure
After a series of actions, listed above (related or unrelated), and a regular boot attempt, what appeared to be an automatic Windows Update was somehow triggered.
The update reached 99% after some time which may have contained restarts, and proceeded to display the following error message:
We couldn't complete the updates
Undoing changes
Don't turn off your computer
After which it restarted, displayed the same message, restarted again, then loaded the login screen without a login form.
Subsequent boot into Safe Mode successful.
Current Status - Safe Mode Only
Currently unable to login to Windows via a regular boot, but can access Safe Mode with Networking, and have exhausted my list of ideas on how to restore regular access to my Windows account.
Any help resulting in successful account access restoration would be thoroughly appreciated!!
Can certainly provide any relevant details / information, as required.
More...
Unable to Login to Windows 10 Via Administrator Account (No Password Set) - Reason: Login Screen Contains No Login Form.
TLDR;
Can't access Windows 10 because login screen has no login form. Can login via Safe Mode - it bypasses the login screen.
Discovery of Problem - Recovery Mode
Just recently I awoke to see that my computer was sitting in a Recovery UI screen (Choose Your Keyboard (localisation)) - presumedly following an automatic update of some kind overnight.
I followed the prompts through the recovery forms, without gaining any context on what had gone on, and attempted to restart into Windows.
After the initial Windows 10 Loading screen, it simply went blank (screen de-synced, no video data).
After some time trouble shooting this issue, I realised that providing mouse input caused the screen to activate, and showed a mouse cursor, but black background - it seemed as though the video data was suddenly being sent to a phantom device (moving the mouse cursor off the edges of the screen seemed to indicate that any phantom screen would have had no significant pixel dimension).
Initial Investigation - Known Issues
Searching online via my phone seemed to indicate that there is (or has been) such a known issue, and that a blind login should allow you to enter Windows via an existing account... My Windows account is on a non-shared local home PC, and as such has only one (Administrator) user account, and no password.
Attempted Blind Login Solutions - Failure
Double space, Double Enter, Tab Enter, Ctrl Enter
Attempted Adjusting Screen Projection Settings - Failure
Windows Key + Arrow Keys Enter
The failure of these methods seemed to indicate that perhaps the issue was something different, or additional.
Attempted Safe Mode Login - Failure
I followed through guides found online to activate Windows 10 Safe Mode (Advanced Boot Legacy Mode), via Windows Recovery Administrator Command Prompt, to see if I could login there.
No success, the same blank screen was found, with no keystrokes having any visible effect. (Hard reset required).
Attempted Reset PC (Keep Personal Files) - Success
Not being able to gain any ground, I finally followed the suggestion in the Windows Recovery UI to Reset the PC (keep personal files).
Initially this failed at around 40% of initialization and made no changes to files.
A second attempt resulted in successful PC Reset (of apps, programs, settings).
Login Screen Returned - Missing Login Form
Upon completing the File Backup and the Windows Re-installation, Windows restarted, and after the initial Windows 10 Loading screen....
We finally got the old familiar login screen... however, there was no login form, or account details, or sign in button, or power button present on the screen.
Only a background, 3 accessibility control buttons at the bottom right, and the slide-out menu to the right (initially off-screen).
Attempt Blind Login - Failure
In case login form is somehow present but not visible.
Attempted Screen Projection Setting Adjustment - Failure
In case some amount of content is hiding off screen.
Attempted Safe Mode Login - Success
Using Recovery UI Administrative CMD access once again to activate Advanced Boot Legacy and access Safe Mode successfully launched a login to Windows Safe Mode via a working login screen (no password required), and automatically completed the PC Reset restoration process within safe mode.
Attempted Subsequent Login Via Ordinary Boot - Failure
Having completed this process, I attempted to login again via regular Windows boot, but the Login screen still lacks login form, no combination of keystrokes are successful in any kind of blind login, and nothing seems to be hiding off screen.
Attempted Adjusting Account Settings, Security Settings, Password Settings Via Safe Mode - No Effect
All of the above attempted to no apparent effect whatsoever.
Attempted Removing Password Access Requirement Via Safe Mode - No Effect
Using Safe Mode to remove the password requirement on login doesn't bypass the login screen with missing login form, or cause any form ui, or login tools to appear.
Attempted Adding New Users Via Safe Mode - Failure
Suspecting possible conflict with existing user account, I thought to add a secondary administrative account to see if account/login tools appear on the login screen - No possible way to add new users was found via Safe Mode, as this functionality seems to have been rolled into the "PC SETTINGS" (ms-settings) app, which is apparently not accessible, nor any of its functions, via Safe Mode. (This theory seemed like a long shot anyway, since the Login / Welcome screen works perfectly in Safe Mode to acknowledge my user account).
Attempted Updating Windows Via Safe Mode - Failure
In suspecting that an automatic update may have started this mess, I thought to attempt a further update to try to patch over anything that might have gone wrong, or update with any released fix... Could find no way to update Windows without utilizing the "PC Settings" (ms-settings) app, which apparently is not accessible in Safe Mode.
Attempted to Scan Operating System For Corrupted Files - No Effect
Using the sfc /scannow command via Admin CMD in Safe Mode, attempted to scan OS for corrupted files, scan window closed at 100% without reporting errors.
Attempted Replacing / Repairing / Modifying Login UI Files Via Safe Mode - Failure
Suspected involvement of Windows UI template data for apparently faulty Login Screen.
Narrowed Search to /Windows/WindowsResources/Windows.UI.Logon/
Managed to give Full Control file permission to Administrative user account for the above folder.
Attempted replacing the nested file: Windows.UI.Logon.pri with a copy from a similar working copy of Windows 10, on another machine, after making a backup of the original file.
Probably this file contains integrated requests/data that misfire when copied from a different source, as:
Subsequent login screens loaded a blank file page in both regular and Safe Mode boots, with no ability to login or adjust screen projection properties to any effect - effectively locking users out of the OS completely.
I used Recovery Mode's Administrative Command Prompt to delete the replacement file and replace with the backup file.
Subsequent Login Attempts Resulted in Automatic Reboots.
I used Recovery Mode's Administrative Command Prompt to delete the backup file (which was sitting along side the new original).
The next reboot triggered some kind of Windows Update.
Automated Windows Update Upon Regular Boot Attempt - Failure
After a series of actions, listed above (related or unrelated), and a regular boot attempt, what appeared to be an automatic Windows Update was somehow triggered.
The update reached 99% after some time which may have contained restarts, and proceeded to display the following error message:
We couldn't complete the updates
Undoing changes
Don't turn off your computer
After which it restarted, displayed the same message, restarted again, then loaded the login screen without a login form.
Subsequent boot into Safe Mode successful.
Current Status - Safe Mode Only
Currently unable to login to Windows via a regular boot, but can access Safe Mode with Networking, and have exhausted my list of ideas on how to restore regular access to my Windows account.
Any help resulting in successful account access restoration would be thoroughly appreciated!!
Can certainly provide any relevant details / information, as required.
More...
