[SOLVED] Problem entering PIN at Windows startup ?

[onespeedbiker]

This is more annoying than anything else. I have a Lenovo ThinkPad X270 Laptop,
not Windows 11 compatible; Intel Gen 7 but has TPN TPM 2.0.

I installed Windows 11 on it several times as an experiment and it installs without any issues, except at the Windows startup screen I can't enter my PIN. If I choose "Forgot My Password", the startup screen reloads and then I can enter the PIN. Has anyone dealt with this and has a fix ?

 

[Ralston18]

This:

"Lenovo ThinkPad X270 Laptop, not Windows 11 compatible" and "as an experiment".

I truly do not know (full disclosure) what may be going astray.

It simply could be that the experiment is failing in some manner.

Are you able to access BIOS?

= = = =

From a Microsoft webpage via Bing:

To set up a PIN, password, or face recognition on Windows 11, you can follow these steps1245:

1. Set Up a PIN:
   
   • Go to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options.
   • Under Password, click Add (if no password is set) or Change to update an existing password.
2. Enable Face Recognition (Windows Hello):
   
   • Set up facial recognition or fingerprint in the Sign-in options.
3. Reset PIN:
   
   • If you forgot your PIN, select PIN and choose "I forgot my PIN". Follow the prompts to reset the PIN.
4. Sign in with a Password:
   
   • If you're stuck in the PIN loop and need to sign in with a password, try logging in using your Microsoft Account password.

Give it all a try and post the results.

 

[onespeedbiker]

First, thanks for responding!

The issue is not that the PIN is not configured. Windows 11 boots normally and the PIN window is present, the problem is it acts as if window where I enter the PIN is frozen, but I can move the mouse cursor and the other links also work. But, if I press the I Forgot My Password link, the startup screen reloads and then I can enter my PIN. And BTW, yes I can access the BIOS and all the boot hot keys work.

Some further information, I am using WintoUSB, which has a utility much the same as Rufus for creating a Window 11 install that ignores the compatibility requirements. I have also used the a separate utility included in the program that allows you to load a booting version of Windows 11 on a USB and the issue does not occur. Why it occurs on the internal drive and not the USB, I don't know. I read somewhere it was mentioned as a known issue with some Thinkpads, but I couldn't find the reference on the Lenovo community site. I have two later Thinkpads (X280 and T480) that are Windows 11 compatible and the issue does not occur on those.

 

[onespeedbiker]

Well it took me a while to track it down but it's the usual suspect, Fast Startup. Apparently it's a known issue with some Lenovo laptops and Windows 11. The issue is it doesn't properly load the trackpad drivers with Fast Startup. I started having the same issue with my T148 and Windows 11. The T148 has a touch screen, which worked fine, but you could not use the touchpad to login.
After disabling Fast Startup the problem went away.