Locked out of Win 10 by after sleep mode

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A few days ago a took a break, so my computer ( WIN 10 on local accountonly) went into sleep mode. When I went back, the login screen was showing adifferent user name and an old gmail address that I had on a tablet, nothing Ihad used on that computer. Firstly, instead of the email address ending in.com, it showed .com.au, which was nothing I had ever used and as far as I knowdoes not exist. Worse, it won’t accept any password, so I am locked out.Now the original gmail.com accountis blocking access. I don’t think the Anniversary update hascome through but I cannot get in to check or see if that in fact caused theproblem. Password reset requests fail as I cannot provide enough proof ofownership – although Dell Australia recognises me and has issued a refnumber. Anyone else hit this and found a solution?

If I follow the safe mode prompts can I go back to a time prior to allthis happening, will that revert to my previous local administrator name andaccess password? As I took the on line upgrade I do not have a Win10 key, if Ican revert to 8.1 can I get back to Win10? If this can be fixed, what doyou suggest about deleting the old gmail address and anything else to preventthis happening again?

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Did you have a phone number associated with your account ?

Can you still use your gmail accounts for receiving/sending anything else – this would determine if it’s MS or gmail that has blocked the email.

Ideally you should have created an external system image before upgrading to Win 10, but going back after a revert will just give you the same as it will remember your details.

If you can get into Safe Mode with Networking you could see if you can create a password reset disk.

http://acer.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/37372/~/windows-10%3A-create-a-password-reset-disk

I assume you’ve also tried this but if your email account is also screwed then you may have to take it in to a tech.

http://www.windowscentral.com/how-reset-your-password-after-youre-locked-out-your-windows-10-account

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If you can get into Safe Mode with Networking you could see if you can create a password reset disk.

http://acer.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/37372/~/windows-10%3A-create-a-password-reset-disk

You need a working password to create a reset disk.

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Thanks BruceR, I still have no way of getting the self generated password reset, MS was not very helpful, so looks like a tech job to fix it.

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Thanks Sudo15, I do not remember linking a phone number. I still cannot get past the new account that Windows generated by itself. Because its a gmail account – MS can’t seem to understand they changed and added it – I cannot reset it. Looks like a tech is the only way.

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Thanks, Bruce.

On re-reading that article, it isn’t perhaps the best one I could have found.

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I don’t know whether or not this will work for you but I just tested my Win10 Pro 32-bit computer on which I use a Microsoft account and a non-Microsoft administrator account

Even though I do not use the Win10 built-in system image backup I had created a system repair disc onto DVD-RW just in case it could come in handy some day
— I booted into it and was able to get to System Restore and it did not ask me for my password
— I do not know whether or not having a Microsoft account makes a difference
— Anyway I went as far as being able to resort back to a prior restore point
— I didn’t select to do so because I want to keep my restore points the way they are

If you want to try that, find someone who has the same Win10 version and bittedness and create a system repair disc on their computer then try it on yours.

Unfortunately that old gmail email address now ending in .com.au sounds fishy
— Maybe it wasn’t generated by Microsoft

Do you have data and applications that are necessary to keep?
— The reason I’m asking in case it will make sense to consider a fresh Win10 re-install.

HP EliteBook 8540w laptop Windows 10 Pro (x64)

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Thanks for the info. I took the 8.1 to 10 upgrade so I am unsure who else would have a similar computer set up, and I cannot access mine to see what it’s got.
Re the .com.au thing – do you think it’s a MS / Win 10 / AU issue, or a malware type attack?

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Check out
Frequently Asked Questions about AU-Sponsored Gmail Accounts
http://www.american.edu/oit/email/Gmail-FAQ.cfm#Whatis
— Since you didn’t ask for it though I thought it was fishy: maybe from a hijacker.
— Can you get on another computer to check your original gmail account that was working ok?
— Look for anything fishy but don’t open any links or anything questionable

On upgrading from 8.1 to Win10, I have another computer and I did that.
— I have 2 non-Microsoft accounts on it each as administrators
When you boot up do you have options to shut down or restart on the log-in screen where you normally enter your password? If so hold the shift key down and click restart. If it takes, you should be able to get into Advanced Options and look for System Restore and some other options I can’t recall automatically. Unfortunately though I don’t know whether or not your password issue will stop you from following through on that. But if it does work and gets you back in, post back without shutting down unless you really have. On your user account, is your local-administrator account the only user?

HP EliteBook 8540w laptop Windows 10 Pro (x64)

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The .au is just the Australian area indicator, not the AU you mentioned above. I can access the original gmail account from my phone as it does not request a password. I can get to the restore etc on the computer but it needs a password to do anything. Catch 22.
Looking more and more like a new hard drive and start all over again, losing everything I don’t have on USB’s.

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It’s difficult to understand “the login screen was showing adifferent user name and an old gmail address that I had on a tablet, nothing Ihad used on that computer. Firstly, instead of the email address ending in.com, it showed .com.au, which was nothing I had ever used and as far as I knowdoes not exist.”
But you certainly tried to work it out. Good luck.

HP EliteBook 8540w laptop Windows 10 Pro (x64)

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The story so far… I had to get a mate with some old break in software to access it – MS was useless – and got it to Built in Admin account. From there MS was very helpful, talked me through the WIN Key+R process to set up another normal /admin account. Copied all the desktop etc info over and so far, so good.
My advise: if you’re using a local account stay away from the store, it seems to be what triggered WIN10 to change the settings on my computer. And having a dud email account without a password was the nail in the coffin.

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