Someone at Microsoft really thought this one out...


Catnip

Forum Nitwit
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Win 11 Pro 23H2
Not a complaint or anything, just a funny...

Yesterday I put in my new motherboard and when I booted up, Windows told me that it no longer had a PIN for me. It still had my logon and everything, just no PIN. Windows proudly notified me that I should create a new one and so I did. One of the things Windows does is verify your account when you do this. It does this by sending an email to your alternate email address, which is fine, but the only way I could get at the email was to get past the log in screen and look at my email on the locked machine. Duh! I was a little stuck, so I dusted off an old computer and logged on to webmail, except that I forgot my email password and had to call the internet provider to reset.

After an hour, I finally got it fired up and past the log in screen. I am fully activated and all is well, but I wonder how people without a second computer in the house would have managed this little bit of software stupidity. There has to be a better way.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self build
    CPU
    Ryzen 5800X
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte x570 Aorus Elite Wifi
    Memory
    32 GB GSkill Trident Neo with pretty LED lights
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS TUF GAMING RTX 3070 Ti
    Sound Card
    On board Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung 32 inch curved - one 4K, one 1080p
    Screen Resolution
    4K, 1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Samsung 980 Pro Nvme, 1 TB Samsung 970 EVO Nvme, 2 x Samsung 970 2TB SSD SATA
    PSU
    EVGA 1000Q
    Case
    Rosewill something or other
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15. A whole schwak of Noctua case fans. $$$
    Keyboard
    Logitech G815
    Mouse
    Logitech G502 Hero
    Internet Speed
    700 up, 600 down
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    MalwareBytes
Use a mobile phone number as well.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Pro & 🐥.
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS VivoBook
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700U with Radeon Vega Mobile Gfx
    Motherboard
    ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. X509DA (FP5)
    Memory
    12GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    RX Vega 10 Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic PnP Monitor (1920x1080@60Hz)
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080@60Hz
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 2TB NVMe 1.3
    Internet Speed
    25 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
  • Operating System
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ACER NITRO
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 5800H / 3.2 GHz
    Motherboard
    CZ Scala_CAS (FP6)
    Memory
    32 GB DDR4 SDRAM 3200 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6 GB GDDR6 SDRAM
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio. NVIDIA High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6" LED backlight 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) 144 Hz
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080 (Full HD)
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 Evo Plus 2TB NVMe M.2
    PSU
    180 Watt, 19.5 V
    Mouse
    Lenovo Bluetooth
    Internet Speed
    25 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
Not a complaint or anything, just a funny...

Yesterday I put in my new motherboard and when I booted up, Windows told me that it no longer had a PIN for me. It still had my logon and everything, just no PIN. Windows proudly notified me that I should create a new one and so I did. One of the things Windows does is verify your account when you do this. It does this by sending an email to your alternate email address, which is fine, but the only way I could get at the email was to get past the log in screen and look at my email on the locked machine. Duh! I was a little stuck, so I dusted off an old computer and logged on to webmail, except that I forgot my email password and had to call the internet provider to reset.

After an hour, I finally got it fired up and past the log in screen. I am fully activated and all is well, but I wonder how people without a second computer in the house would have managed this little bit of software stupidity. There has to be a better way.
I have email set up on my phone so this problem never occurs
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (RP channel)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Gigabyte
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 5900X 12-core
    Motherboard
    X570 Aorus Xtreme
    Memory
    64GB Corsair Platinum RGB 3600MHz CL16
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI Suprim X 3080 Ti
    Sound Card
    Soundblaster AE-5 Plus
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS TUF Gaming VG289Q
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 990 Pro 2TB
    Samsung 980 Pro 2TB
    Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1TB
    Samsung 870 Evo 4TB
    Samsung T7 Touch 1TB
    PSU
    Asus ROG Strix 1000W
    Case
    Corsair D750 Airflow
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15S
    Keyboard
    Asus ROG Flare
    Mouse
    Logitech G903 with PowerPlay charger
    Internet Speed
    500Mb/sec
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Use a mobile phone number as well.

I have email set up on my phone so this problem never occurs
A fair comment, both. Unfortunately, my phone refuses to set up any kind of email other than Hotmail and Gmail. I can see my MS account through Hotmail (Outlook), but I can't see my ISPs provided email which is where Windows was directing me to.

Hehe. Perhaps I am worse at technology than I thought. lol
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self build
    CPU
    Ryzen 5800X
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte x570 Aorus Elite Wifi
    Memory
    32 GB GSkill Trident Neo with pretty LED lights
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS TUF GAMING RTX 3070 Ti
    Sound Card
    On board Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung 32 inch curved - one 4K, one 1080p
    Screen Resolution
    4K, 1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Samsung 980 Pro Nvme, 1 TB Samsung 970 EVO Nvme, 2 x Samsung 970 2TB SSD SATA
    PSU
    EVGA 1000Q
    Case
    Rosewill something or other
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15. A whole schwak of Noctua case fans. $$$
    Keyboard
    Logitech G815
    Mouse
    Logitech G502 Hero
    Internet Speed
    700 up, 600 down
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    MalwareBytes
Hehe. Perhaps I am worse at technology than I thought. lol
No, MS is!

Illogical is the least of their problems but they preserver relentlessnessly - as I said before Win 11 reminds me of Win 8 - an experiment with lots of quirks which hopefully will be resolved - but don't hold your breath... roll on Win 12.. LOL
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows
No, MS is!

Illogical is the least of their problems but they preserver relentlessnessly - as I said before Win 11 reminds me of Win 8 - an experiment with lots of quirks which hopefully will be resolved - but don't hold your breath... roll on Win 12.. LOL
Win 13 is going to be a doozy.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro + others in VHDs
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Vivobook 14
    CPU
    I7
    Motherboard
    Yep, Laptop has one.
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Intel Iris XE
    Sound Card
    Realtek built in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    N/A
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Optane NVME SSD, 1 TB NVME SSD
    PSU
    Yep, got one
    Case
    Yep, got one
    Cooling
    Stella Artois
    Keyboard
    Built in
    Mouse
    Bluetooth , wired
    Internet Speed
    72 Mb/s :-(
    Browser
    Edge mostly
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    TPM 2.0
Look at it this way guys, the infinite wisdom of MS and their decisions (I say facetiously) exercises our brain and keeps us sharp (in my case I also say facetiously), this forum wouldn't be necessary and what would we all be doing in our retirement. Things were so much simpler in the old days.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 7080
    CPU
    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
    Motherboard
    DELL 0J37VM
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Integrated Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1tb Solidigm m.2 +256gb ssd+512 gb usb m.2 sata
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell Premium
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 22H2 19045.3930
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 9020
    CPU
    i7-4770
    Memory
    24 gb
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    256 gb Toshiba BG4 M.2 NVE SSB and 1 tb hdd
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell factory
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Internet Speed
    still not telling
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
A fair comment, both. Unfortunately, my phone refuses to set up any kind of email other than Hotmail and Gmail. I can see my MS account through Hotmail (Outlook), but I can't see my ISPs provided email which is where Windows was directing me to.

Hehe. Perhaps I am worse at technology than I thought. lol

Seems odd.

The email app on mine (One Plus 7T, running Android 11) has no problems setting up my Comcast email address, as well as the Gmail one.

But then, I have a second desktop PC and a (rarely used) laptop, so I have multiple ways to check all my emails.

Some of my accounts use only my cell phone for two factor authentication, though, so things might get entertaining if the phone failed. (Never had to use a backup TFA so far.)
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 22631.2861
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    homebuilt
    CPU
    Amd Threadripper 7970X
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte TRX50 Aero D
    Memory
    128GB (4 X 32) Kingston DDR5 5200 (RDIMM)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte RTX 4090 OC
    Sound Card
    none (USB to speakers), Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Philips 27E1N8900 OLED
    Screen Resolution
    3840 X 2160 @ 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    Crucial T700 2TB M.2 NVME SSD
    WD 4TB Blue SATA SSD
    Seagate 18TB IronWolf Pro
    PSU
    eVGA SuperNOVA 1600 GT
    Case
    Lian Li 011 Dynamic Evo XL
    Cooling
    Alphacool Eisbaer Pro Aurora 360, with 3 Phanteks T30 fans
    Keyboard
    Logitech K120 (wired)
    Mouse
    Logitech M500s (wired)
    Internet Speed
    1200 Mbps
  • Operating System
    windows 11 22631.2861
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    homebuilt
    CPU
    Intel I9-13900K
    Motherboard
    Asus RoG Strix Z690-E
    Memory
    64GB G.Skill DDR5-6000
    Graphics card(s)
    Gigabyte RTX 3090 ti
    Sound Card
    built in Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus PA329C
    Screen Resolution
    3840 X 2160 @60Hz
    Hard Drives
    WDC SN850 1TB
    8 TB Seagate Ironwolf
    4TB Seagate Ironwolf
    PSU
    eVGA SuperNOVA 1300 GT
    Case
    Lian Li 011 Dynamic Evo
    Cooling
    Corsair iCUE H150i ELITE CAPELLIX Liquid CPU Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech M500s (wired)
    Keyboard
    Logitech K120 (wired)
capture_06062022_230910.jpg

my phone refuses to set up any kind of email other than Hotmail and Gmail.
Forward your emails to either one.

Aside from mentioned methods, you can also use a recovery code.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 5 3600 & No fTPM (07/19)
    Motherboard
    MSI B450 TOMAHAWK 7C02v1E & IFX TPM (07/19)
    Memory
    4x 8GB ADATA XPG GAMMIX D10 DDR4 3200MHz CL16
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI Radeon RX 580 ARMOR 8G OC @48FPS (08/19)
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster Z (11/16)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" AOC G2460VQ6 (01/19)
    Screen Resolution
    1920×1080@75Hz & FreeSync (DisplayPort)
    Hard Drives
    ADATA XPG GAMMIX S11 Pro SSD 512GB (07/19)
    PSU
    Seasonic M12II-520 80 Plus Bronze (11/16)
    Case
    Lian Li PC-7NB & 3x Noctua NF-S12A FLX@700rpm (11/16)
    Cooling
    CPU Cooler Noctua NH-U12S@700rpm (07/19)
    Keyboard
    HP Wired Desktop 320K + Rabalux 76017 Parker (01/24)
    Mouse
    Logitech M330 Silent Plus (04/23)
    Internet Speed
    400/40 Mbps via RouterOS (05/21) & TCP Optimizer
    Browser
    Edge (No FB/Google) & Brave for YouTube & LibreWolf for FB
    Antivirus
    NoAV & Binisoft WFC & NextDNS
    Other Info
    Headphones: Sennheiser RS170 (09/10)
    Phone: Samsung Galaxy Xcover 7 (02/24)
A fair comment, both. Unfortunately, my phone refuses to set up any kind of email other than Hotmail and Gmail.
No, you can just give your MS account a phone number, then it will have an option to send you a Text.

1654550905276.png
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD
    Internet Speed
    50 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Lattitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround. In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround. Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
No, you can just give your MS account a phone number, then it will have an option to send you a Text.

View attachment 30891

Exactly! That's what I do too. Doesn't everyone, especially techies, have a smart phone?
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 15 9510 OLED
    CPU
    11th Gen i9 -11900H
    Memory
    32 GB 3200 MHz DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 3050Ti
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6" OLED Infinity Edge Touch
    Screen Resolution
    16:10 Aspect Ratio (3456 x 2160)
    Hard Drives
    1 Terabyte M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD
    2 Thunderbolt™ 4 (USB Type-C™)
    1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 (USB Type-C™)
    SD Card Reader (SD, SDHC, SDXC)
    Internet Speed
    900 Mbps Netgear Orbi + 2 Satellites
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge (Chromium) + Bing
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Security (Defender)
    Other Info
    Microsoft 365 subscription
    Microsoft OneDrive 1TB Cloud
    Microsoft Outlook
    Microsoft OneNote
    Microsoft PowerToys
    Microsoft Visual Studio
    Microsoft Visual Studio Code
    Macrium Reflect
    Dell Support Assist
    Dell Command | Update
    LastPass Password Manager
    Amazon Kindle
    Interactive Brokers Trader Workstation
    Lightroom/Photoshop subscription
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Tablet
    Manufacturer/Model
    Microsoft Surface Pro 7
    CPU
    i5
    Memory
    8 GB
    Hard Drives
    256GB SSD
    Internet Speed
    900 Mbps Netgear Orbi + 2 Satellites
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge (Chromium) + Bing
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Security (Defender)
    Other Info
    Microsoft 365 subscription (Office)
    Microsoft OneDrive 1TB Cloud
    Microsoft Outlook
    Microsoft OneNote
    Microsoft Visual Studio
    Amazon Kindle
    Interactive Brokers Trader Workstation
    Lightroom/Photoshop subscription
Doesn't everyone, especially techies, have a smart phone?
Techies would not use a simple SMS, it is long dead, it is like using an unpatched Windows XP, but companies keep SMS up, because other alternatives are too complicated to use (bank apps) or unavailable for everyone (a smartphone, hardware key).
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 5 3600 & No fTPM (07/19)
    Motherboard
    MSI B450 TOMAHAWK 7C02v1E & IFX TPM (07/19)
    Memory
    4x 8GB ADATA XPG GAMMIX D10 DDR4 3200MHz CL16
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI Radeon RX 580 ARMOR 8G OC @48FPS (08/19)
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster Z (11/16)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" AOC G2460VQ6 (01/19)
    Screen Resolution
    1920×1080@75Hz & FreeSync (DisplayPort)
    Hard Drives
    ADATA XPG GAMMIX S11 Pro SSD 512GB (07/19)
    PSU
    Seasonic M12II-520 80 Plus Bronze (11/16)
    Case
    Lian Li PC-7NB & 3x Noctua NF-S12A FLX@700rpm (11/16)
    Cooling
    CPU Cooler Noctua NH-U12S@700rpm (07/19)
    Keyboard
    HP Wired Desktop 320K + Rabalux 76017 Parker (01/24)
    Mouse
    Logitech M330 Silent Plus (04/23)
    Internet Speed
    400/40 Mbps via RouterOS (05/21) & TCP Optimizer
    Browser
    Edge (No FB/Google) & Brave for YouTube & LibreWolf for FB
    Antivirus
    NoAV & Binisoft WFC & NextDNS
    Other Info
    Headphones: Sennheiser RS170 (09/10)
    Phone: Samsung Galaxy Xcover 7 (02/24)
But wasn't the problem that you don't have access to a 2FA key if you don't yet have access to your computer? And isn't an obvious answer that everyone has a smartphone in their pocket? :unsure:
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 15 9510 OLED
    CPU
    11th Gen i9 -11900H
    Memory
    32 GB 3200 MHz DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 3050Ti
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6" OLED Infinity Edge Touch
    Screen Resolution
    16:10 Aspect Ratio (3456 x 2160)
    Hard Drives
    1 Terabyte M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD
    2 Thunderbolt™ 4 (USB Type-C™)
    1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 (USB Type-C™)
    SD Card Reader (SD, SDHC, SDXC)
    Internet Speed
    900 Mbps Netgear Orbi + 2 Satellites
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge (Chromium) + Bing
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Security (Defender)
    Other Info
    Microsoft 365 subscription
    Microsoft OneDrive 1TB Cloud
    Microsoft Outlook
    Microsoft OneNote
    Microsoft PowerToys
    Microsoft Visual Studio
    Microsoft Visual Studio Code
    Macrium Reflect
    Dell Support Assist
    Dell Command | Update
    LastPass Password Manager
    Amazon Kindle
    Interactive Brokers Trader Workstation
    Lightroom/Photoshop subscription
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Tablet
    Manufacturer/Model
    Microsoft Surface Pro 7
    CPU
    i5
    Memory
    8 GB
    Hard Drives
    256GB SSD
    Internet Speed
    900 Mbps Netgear Orbi + 2 Satellites
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge (Chromium) + Bing
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Security (Defender)
    Other Info
    Microsoft 365 subscription (Office)
    Microsoft OneDrive 1TB Cloud
    Microsoft Outlook
    Microsoft OneNote
    Microsoft Visual Studio
    Amazon Kindle
    Interactive Brokers Trader Workstation
    Lightroom/Photoshop subscription
MS already knows too much, don't want them to have my phone number too, they might sell me extended warranty or something. :mad:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W10 and Insider Dev.+ Linux Mint
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home brewed
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 7900x
    Motherboard
    ASROCK b650 PRO RS
    Memory
    2x8GB Kingston 6000MHz, Cl 32 @ 6200MHz Cl30
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte Rx 6600XT Gaming OC 8G Pro
    Sound Card
    MB, Realtek Ac1220p
    Monitor(s) Displays
    3 x 27"
    Screen Resolution
    1080p
    Hard Drives
    Kingston KC3000. 1TBSamsung 970 evo Plus 500GB, Crucial P1 NVMe 1TB, Lexar NVMe 2 TB, Silicon Power M.2 SATA 500GB
    PSU
    Seasonic 750W
    Case
    Custom Raidmax
    Cooling
    Arctic Liquid Freezer III 360mm
    Internet Speed
    20/19 mbps
If you have a smartphone then you could use 2FA or even log in to webmail via the smartphone’s browser.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 64bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PC Specialist Optimus VII V17-960 Gaming Laptop.
    CPU
    6th Gen Intel Core i7-6700HQ Quad Core processor.
    Memory
    16GB HyperX IMPACT 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 (2 x 8GB)
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 960M - 2.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12
    Sound Card
    Intel 2 Channel High Def. Audio + SoundBlaster™ Cinema 2 & Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Optimus Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
    Screen Resolution
    Full HD IPS display (1920 x 1080).
    Hard Drives
    4TB SSD (internal).
    1x 1TB & 1x 5TB external HDDs.
    Cooling
    STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800 wireless keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech M705 wireless mouse
    Internet Speed
    Upto 100Mbps
    Browser
    Edge.
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender & MalwareBytes pro.
Could we use the Microsoft Authenticator app ?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Assembled
    CPU
    Intel i7-7700k
    Motherboard
    Asrock Z270 Taichi
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel 630 onboard
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 1080p
    Screen Resolution
    1920*1080
    Hard Drives
    NVMe, SSD and HDD
    Case
    Cooler Master
    Keyboard
    Asus wireless
    Mouse
    Asus Wireless
    Internet Speed
    75 Mbps
    Browser
    Chrome, Edge, Arc
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Could we use the Microsoft Authenticator app ?
If you or the op does I would strongly recommend ensuring the app is set to backup the entries & also When you add 2FA that you/op save the backup codes shown, otherwise if you change phone or lose the Authenticator app you can either recover the accounts &/or log in to the accounts using the backup codes & turn 2FA off &/or change device.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 64bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PC Specialist Optimus VII V17-960 Gaming Laptop.
    CPU
    6th Gen Intel Core i7-6700HQ Quad Core processor.
    Memory
    16GB HyperX IMPACT 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 (2 x 8GB)
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 960M - 2.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12
    Sound Card
    Intel 2 Channel High Def. Audio + SoundBlaster™ Cinema 2 & Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Optimus Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
    Screen Resolution
    Full HD IPS display (1920 x 1080).
    Hard Drives
    4TB SSD (internal).
    1x 1TB & 1x 5TB external HDDs.
    Cooling
    STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800 wireless keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech M705 wireless mouse
    Internet Speed
    Upto 100Mbps
    Browser
    Edge.
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender & MalwareBytes pro.
One of the things Windows does is verify your account when you do this. It does this by sending an email to your alternate email address, which is fine, but the only way I could get at the email was to get past the log in screen and look at my email on the locked machine. Duh! I was a little stuck, so I dusted off an old computer and logged on to webmail, except that I forgot my email password and had to call the internet provider to reset.

.... I wonder how people without a second computer in the house would have managed this little bit of software stupidity. There has to be a better way.
You could have easily got a text message by providing a phone number on your account. But hey... "Microsoft is spying on me so they can't have my phone number" :cautious:

Microsoft does provide the tools to make things easier on users. If one chooses not to use the tools then you can't complain.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (Build 22631.3296)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom built
    CPU
    Intel i9-9900K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Aorus Z390 Xtreme
    Memory
    32G (4x8) DDR4 Corsair RGB Dominator Platinum (3600Mhz)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon VII
    Sound Card
    Onboard (ESS Sabre HiFi using Realtek drivers)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    NEC PA242w (24 inch)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    5 Samsung SSD drives: 2X 970 NVME (512 & 1TB), 3X EVO SATA (2X 2TB, 1X 1TB)
    PSU
    EVGA Super Nova I000 G2 (1000 watt)
    Case
    Cooler Master H500M
    Cooling
    Corsair H115i RGB Platinum
    Keyboard
    Logitech Craft
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    500mb Download. 11mb Upload
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge Chromium
    Antivirus
    Windows Security
    Other Info
    System used for gaming, photography, music, school.
  • Operating System
    Win 10 Pro 22H2 (build 19045.2130)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Built
    CPU
    Intel i7-7700K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-Z270X-GAMING 8
    Memory
    32G (4x8) DDR4 Corsair Dominator Platinum (3333Mhz)
    Graphics card(s)
    AMD Radeon R9 Fury
    Sound Card
    Onboard (Creative Sound Blaster certified ZxRi)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U2415 (24 inch)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    3 Samsung SSD drives: 1x 512gig 950 NVMe drive (OS drive), 1 x 512gig 850 Pro, 1x 256gig 840 Pro.
    PSU
    EVGA Super Nova 1000 P2 (1000 watt)
    Case
    Phantek Enthoo Luxe
    Cooling
    Corsair H100i
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master
    Keyboard
    Logitech MK 710
    Internet Speed
    100MB
    Browser
    Edge Chromium
    Antivirus
    Windows Security
    Other Info
    This is my backup system.
You could have easily got a text message by providing a phone number on your account. But hey... "Microsoft is spying on me so they can't have my phone number" :cautious:

Microsoft does provide the tools to make things easier on users. If one chooses not to use the tools then you can't complain.
Playing the dumb girl card here: Assume I didn't know that.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self build
    CPU
    Ryzen 5800X
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte x570 Aorus Elite Wifi
    Memory
    32 GB GSkill Trident Neo with pretty LED lights
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS TUF GAMING RTX 3070 Ti
    Sound Card
    On board Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung 32 inch curved - one 4K, one 1080p
    Screen Resolution
    4K, 1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Samsung 980 Pro Nvme, 1 TB Samsung 970 EVO Nvme, 2 x Samsung 970 2TB SSD SATA
    PSU
    EVGA 1000Q
    Case
    Rosewill something or other
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15. A whole schwak of Noctua case fans. $$$
    Keyboard
    Logitech G815
    Mouse
    Logitech G502 Hero
    Internet Speed
    700 up, 600 down
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    MalwareBytes

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (Build 22631.3296)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom built
    CPU
    Intel i9-9900K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Aorus Z390 Xtreme
    Memory
    32G (4x8) DDR4 Corsair RGB Dominator Platinum (3600Mhz)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon VII
    Sound Card
    Onboard (ESS Sabre HiFi using Realtek drivers)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    NEC PA242w (24 inch)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    5 Samsung SSD drives: 2X 970 NVME (512 & 1TB), 3X EVO SATA (2X 2TB, 1X 1TB)
    PSU
    EVGA Super Nova I000 G2 (1000 watt)
    Case
    Cooler Master H500M
    Cooling
    Corsair H115i RGB Platinum
    Keyboard
    Logitech Craft
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    500mb Download. 11mb Upload
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge Chromium
    Antivirus
    Windows Security
    Other Info
    System used for gaming, photography, music, school.
  • Operating System
    Win 10 Pro 22H2 (build 19045.2130)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Built
    CPU
    Intel i7-7700K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-Z270X-GAMING 8
    Memory
    32G (4x8) DDR4 Corsair Dominator Platinum (3333Mhz)
    Graphics card(s)
    AMD Radeon R9 Fury
    Sound Card
    Onboard (Creative Sound Blaster certified ZxRi)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U2415 (24 inch)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    3 Samsung SSD drives: 1x 512gig 950 NVMe drive (OS drive), 1 x 512gig 850 Pro, 1x 256gig 840 Pro.
    PSU
    EVGA Super Nova 1000 P2 (1000 watt)
    Case
    Phantek Enthoo Luxe
    Cooling
    Corsair H100i
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master
    Keyboard
    Logitech MK 710
    Internet Speed
    100MB
    Browser
    Edge Chromium
    Antivirus
    Windows Security
    Other Info
    This is my backup system.

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