Can't Logon / No Safe Mode

I have, also, posted the following to the O&O Software forum and it's written for people who aren't familiar with O&O Shutup.

I'm setting up a Lenovo v15 Gen 2 laptop with wondows11. It was set up for password-less login.

I've created a restore point every time I use Revo uninstall. I used WinUtil to set updates to the "Security" setting. Before applying changes with O&O Shutup10++ (version as of 2025/11) I set a restore point and performed only the "Apply only recommended settings" (green. yes) settings.

When I restarted, I received a "Hello" screen and when I clicked on it, I came to a password screen. It didn't accept a blank password or the Admin password.

I can logon to the recovery option screen (shift+restart) > "Troubleshoot" > "Advanced Options" > "startup repair" says it couldn't repair your PC.

Next I went to > "Troubleshoot" > "Advanced Options" > "System Restore" and the process can't find any restore points.

When I try the restart options, "Troubleshoot" > "Advanced Options" > "Startup Settings" > "Restart" > F4 to enter into "Save Mode". When the system reboots, I return to the Hello screen followed by the logon screen. Never entering Save mode.

When I use the "Command Prompt" option, it starts at X:\windows\system32" and when I DIR C: there is nothing there. My copy of O&O Shutup is located in C:\UserApps which doesn't show up in a DIR of the drive. So, I can't use the CMD to access O&O Shutup.

Bottom line is that I can't get into Safe Mode and can't come up with any way to run O&O Shutup's restore option. I do have a system recovery USB which doesn't seem to have any options not available with the recovery options.

Does anyone have a solution to my logon problem?

Sounds to me like there's either no recovery partition or it's corrupted since you can't get into recovery options.

Msconfig-option 2 here

binky said:

"Command Prompt" option, it starts at X:\windows\system32"

Click to expand...

That indicates that you are in the Recovery environment [WinRE].

WinRE decides what to call each drive it finds as it finds it. Disk drive letters are often not the same as when Windows finds & labels them.
So you'll have to browse around to find put the [temporary] drive letters being used for your drives.


Denis

please try
start > Windows tools > system configuration

in this Window
second tab > boot
about halfway down is a check box for 'safe boot'
also you check other options here like networking.

save settings and then restart into safe mode.
best of luck Steve ..

Try3 said:

That indicates that you are in the Recovery environment [WinRE].

WinRE decides what to call each drive it finds as it finds it. Disk drive letters are often not the same as when Windows finds & labels them.
So you'll have to browse around to find put the [temporary] drive letters being used for your drives.


Denis

Click to expand...

I figured out that the X: was assigned by "recovery" itself. Below is a variation of a solution I remember from the distant past. I don't like to make changes without a backout plan and will try to gather other opinions about this solution before continuing. Can't form a picture of the password assignment at the last step and would really like a clear understanding of that section before getting into it.

Anyway, once I get to the revovery "Command Prompt" option I'm to follow these steps.

"D:" is the system drive in this example.

1) Run the following command
----------------------------
"copy D:\Windows\System32\Utilman.exe D:\ D:\Windows\System32\Utilman.exebak"

2) Run the following command
----------------------------
"copy D:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe D:\ D:\Windows\System32\Utilman.exe /y"

3) Reboot into Windows - At the login screen, click on "accessibility options", which will open command prompt.

4) In CMD, type: "net localgroup administrators", to list all accounts.

5) Choose the user which you want to reset, with this command - "net user SomeAccount *"

6) Give the account a new password, and you are ready to go.

binky said:

I figured out that the X: was assigned by "recovery" itself

Click to expand...

That's correct. WinRE [& WinPE] assign drive letter X:\ to the system drive of the recovery environment.

binky said:

1) Run the following command
"copy D:\Windows\System32\Utilman.exe D:\ D:\Windows\System32\Utilman.exebak"
2) Run the following command
"copy D:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe D:\ D:\Windows\System32\Utilman.exe /y"

Click to expand...

Yes, that is one way of doing it *** but do be careful to check what the normal system drive letter is when in the Recovery environment.
It won't be X:\ as that refers to the WinRE system drive only and that will have disapepared when you reboot.
*** Freebooter [below] says that does not work anymore.

binky said:

4) In CMD, type: "net localgroup administrators", to list all accounts

Click to expand...

The normal cmd to list all accounts is
net user
The cmd you mentioned
net localgroup administrators
lists all Admin accounts.

binky said:

5) Choose the user which you want to reset, with this command - "net user SomeAccount *"

Click to expand...

Assuming the account concerned is a local account then resetting its password can be done on the computer itself.
See Reset account password - ElevenForumTutorials

binky said:

6) Give the account a new password

Click to expand...

Assuming the account concerned is a local account then setting a new password can be done on the computer itself.
See Change account password - ElevenForumTutorials


Denis

Denis -

I guess I should have said that this laptop is on a single computer network and I'm the only user. That's the reason I bypassed login.

Thank you for your comments!

binky said:

1) Run the following command
"copy D:\Windows\System32\Utilman.exe D:\ D:\Windows\System32\Utilman.exebak"
"copy D:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe D:\ D:\Windows\System32\Utilman.exe /y"

Click to expand...

I've only just noticed that you have additional D:\ entries in the middle of your commands. They will cause the cmds to go wrong.
"copy D:\Windows\System32\Utilman.exe D:\ D:\Windows\System32\Utilman.exebak"
"copy D:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe D:\ D:\Windows\System32\Utilman.exe /y"


Denis

BTW - The name over the login password box is "anona". This is a Windows generated 'account" and is one of the entries under C:Users and almost anything I use is part of the "anona" path to Documents, AppData etc., but is it a real account or does it have a password. Haven't run the "net user" command yet. I guess I wondering who the login screen is referring to by "anona". I can't see any way to change to a known user.

binky said:

"anona". This is a Windows generated 'account"

Click to expand...

Windows does not generate an account called anona.
If you created an MSAccount, did you by any chance tell them your name was anona-something?
For MSAccount-linked user accounts, Windows uses a short title consisting of the first five characters of the name used when creating the MSAccount.
So I think that's what is happening in this case.
If, for example, you enter this command into a cmd prompt window
echo %UserName%
I think you'll find that anona is your short-form username.

You'll probably know more when you've run the
Net user
command and I suggest you also run
Net user anona
to get some details about that particular account.

binky said:

does it have a password

Click to expand...

There's no way of finding out for a local user account except by trying to leave the password inout box empty when logging in since that will either work or not work.
Every MSAccount-linked user account has a password.


Best of luck,
Denis

This is from reddit article and has more to say.

Utilman.exe Trick: This involves replacing utilman.exe with cmd.exe to reset passwords. "I just discovered and successfully used the trick where one can rename Utilman.exe to something else and cmd.exe to utilman.exe and use this to bypass the windows password."

• Microsoft Patch: Microsoft has patched this vulnerability in newer versions of Windows. "If you've read more recent articles you would've seen that apparently MS patched this by checking hashes of the utilman, sethc and a couple others."
• Safe Mode: If the trick still works, it often requires booting into Safe Mode. "When booting to Safe Mode, you'll have a few seconds at the login screen before Defender kicks in, and you'll be able to pull off the trick."

I do have a rescue USB.

This video guide provides a detailed walkthrough on enabling the Windows built-in Administrator account using Hiren's BootCD.

Another thing I forgot to say is that this is the first time I have a pre-built computer. Normally, I buy the parts, assemble, and install software.

You can also use this to get in
Enable or Disable Built-in Administrator Account - ElevenForumTutorial
I avoid the need to do this by always having two spare Admin local accounts ready for emergency use.
my ditty - Create two spare local, password-protected Admin accounts [post #2] in Windows 10, 11 - TenForums


Denis

Denis,

Hiren's was a joy to use and, I'm up and running again. Will take your advice about the dual Admin accounts. I up here in Tacoma, WA should you ever need anything from this area or need a hand online. Again many thanks.

Glad it's all resolved,
Denis

binky said:

BTW - The name over the login password box is "anona"

Click to expand...

When you first setup Win 11 did you allow Windows to do a standard install using a MS account. If you did, is anona the first 5 characters of your email address. Not being allowed to chose a user name and where you want to save your User folders is why I use a Win 11 install disk made with Rufus. IMO, Mamma MS has no right to decide what my username is going to be and where I want my User folders located. They say it's about security but I call it Bull! My thought about where MS wants the User folders located is so they can con users into either subscribing to MS 365 or buy more more OneDrive storage space, Using OneDrive for ones User folder is not necessary, If one knows how the User folders can be moved to a local drive. Again this is just MHO, MS is hoping that users don't know this is a option or how to do it if that's what they want. I won't get political except to say that the politicians in Washington could stop it if they wanted.