Question Windows 10 now is demanding a password

[DocDetroit]

For whatever reason, when my wife starts her PC the system is now demanding a password. When the PC was new, she set it up to not require a password. At start up the screen shows a symbol for, what appears to be a generic or system user and will not accept her password. She has to change the option so it shows her name and then she can enter her password. We have done the following:
NETPLWIZ - For the wife's profile the option "Users must enter a user name and password to use this completer" is unchecked for her user name. There is a Homeusergroup$ displayed as an account also. This profile can't be selected or highlighted so we don't know if User name / password require option is active - we can't access any option on this profile and can't delete it.
Settings / Accounts: Sign-in options - Require sign-in = Never
Elevated command prompt: Have run the command NET USER - it does not show user homegroupuser$ Have run the command Net user homegroupuser$ active:no and receive the response command successful.
Whether it is a restart or a cold boot, when she logs back on it defaults to some sort of Windows symbol for a user and generates a message that the password is incorrect. When the she selects the picture for her user name she can key her password and log on to her PC.
Any directions or suggestions would be most appreciated to return her PC to easy start up.
Thank you

 

[Darkbreeze]

Is there data on this drive that cannot be replaced or was not backed up elsewhere?

Nobody here can help you to circumvent a password or other security issue, because we simply cannot verify the validity of your situation even though we would like to assume you are legitimately the owner of the device, but if there are not files or data on there that you can't live without, then it would be advisable to simply do a clean install of the OS and be done with it so long as you have the product key OR the copy of Windows 10 installed on that machine has been already attached to you through a Microsoft account.

How To - Windows 10 clean install tutorial

If you are looking for the Windows 11 Clean install tutorial, you can find that here: Windows 11 Clean install tutorial (Click here) Otherwise, welcome to the Windows 10 Clean install tutorial This tutorial is intended to help you, step by step, to perform a clean install of Windows...

forums.tomshardware.com

 

[britechguy]

Well, if you can boot into the system, and all indications are you can after jumping through some hoops, I'd strongly suggest, Doing a Windows 10 Repair Install or Feature Update Using the Windows 10 ISO file, before considering a completely clean install.

 

[Darkbreeze]

I don't see any mention or indication of the fact that they CAN get into Windows. I think the whole point of their post is that they CAN'T. Because if they COULD, they could eliminate the password necessity easily.

 

[britechguy]

When the she selects the picture for her user name she can key her password and log on to her PC.

I take that as there being a method in. Even if there is not, I never recommend doing a completely clean install without at least trying a repair install first (and these can be done by booting from the USB media). They require minimum time and effort, and the payoff in time savings compared to starting from scratch is potentially huge.

 

[Darkbreeze]

My mistake, I missed that sentence I guess.

I do not think however that it is necessary to do ANY of the above then, if she's able to log in to any account. So long as she can log in to ANY account that has administrator privileges, she should be able to either eliminate the other accounts so that none remain except the one she wants to use, or remove the requirement for all other accounts to have a required password.

Simply go to user accounts, click on manage another account, click on the account you want to change the requirement for, click on change password and then remove the password.

Or, if you also wish to avoid the time wasting lock screen altogether, you can do this:

https://www.iseepassword.com/disable-login-screen-windows-10.html

In some cases it may be necessary to change your account type to a local account, and then delete any existing password from both password fields on the account management tab.

 

[DocDetroit]

I don't see any mention or indication of the fact that they CAN get into Windows. I think the whole point of their post is that they CAN'T. Because if they COULD, they could eliminate the password necessity easily.

Sorry about the delay in responding - family issues. Yes, she can get into Windows. The problem is that all common solutions - NETPLWIZ, settings, etc. do not remove the requirement for a password at boot. I will try both the repair install repair after attempting the local user approach. Again, thank you for your time and input, we very much appreciate your assistance.

 

[DocDetroit]

Thank you one and all. Using REGEDIT and going to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE...………\WINLOGON I discovered that there was no string value for DefaultPassword. Created new String Value DefaultPassword and keyed my wife's password as the Value data. Saved the changes - shutdown PC - restarted and VIOLA direct entry to Windows without requesting a password. Have no idea how the PC for 4 years has functioned without requiring a password until a month or so ago and right now we really don't care. Everyone's time, assistance and input in helping resolve this issue is very much appreciated.

 

[DocDetroit]

The correct full path in REGEDIT is HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon.
The items I verified at this location were: AutoAdminLogon - Value data must be set to a value of 1 / DefaultDomainName - Value data is the current name of the PC / DefaultUserName Value data would be your user name / DefaultPassword Value data is your user password. If DefaultPassword is missing then the option must be added as a String Value to allow entry of the default user password.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Glad you got it sorted and are good to go now. In the future however, please don't select ANY answer of your own as the solution. That is expressly not allowed by our rules and guidelines to prevent users from gaming the badge system. Instead, if there is an answer, even if it wasn't the exact solution, that LED you to the solution you discovered for yourself, it would be best to select that as the solution and then include an additional post with the added steps you took to solve the problem which of course you have already done. Thanks.

 

[britechguy]

In the future however, please don't select ANY answer of your own as the solution.

Can one actually do that?!

I ask because I once accidentally hit the upvote button on one of my own posts and was forbidden by the forums software to do even that.

If it is possible to "forbid by software" a user from upvoting their own post, I'd hope that could also be extended to marking one's own post as the best solution.

I'm not arguing your point, either. I'm just really surprised if the forums software currently allows this and/or cannot be configured not to allow it. One could do this "by accident," as I've had plenty of instances where a mousepad tap has ended up taking me somewhere on the forum that I didn't expect to go simply because of where my mouse pointer happened to have been resting. If it were on the trophy icon, that would be problematic.

 

[Darkbreeze]

I assure you it's done all the time, and it is just as quickly UN-done by us. Doing it after having been informed to not do it, becomes a sanctionable offense with repercussions. That is all that I will say about that.