Windows Recovery Environment password

Windows Version 1903 Build 18362.175; Dell 8930

Please note I have searched through past postings on Windows passwords but none answer my problem.

A month ago my Win10 Dell computer wouldn't boot. It took me to Windows Recovery Environment that required a password. Trouble is I have no password for Windows and never have. I do not want a password for Windows. I couldn't use Windows RE so had to use a bootable drive to get running again.

What is that password? I hit [Enter] (blank) but that was not the correct password. How can I find it if WRE comes up again?

If there is no password it should not prompt you for one that is strange.

You can create Windows 10 installation media with Media Creation Tool and boot you computer into Windows Recovery Environment using Windows 10 installation media.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/soft...load/windows10

Yes it is strange. That's why I posted. Also said in my initial posting that I did indeed use Win10 bootable media which did not need a password to recover.

I still want to know why WinRE needs a password when Dell pops it up. I just made a Macrium bootable recovery stick. I want to cover all bases when if I have to enter a password.

Bottom line. In certain situations Windows requires a password. How is that possible if I have clearly said I don't want to log on with a password (local account)

When you have a user account password then WinRE booted from HDD will prompt you for one but not from Windows installation media.

I don't have password on my user account so when prompted i will just hit Enter that will bypass that option.

Are you still having boot problem if you are we can try deal with that.

"When you have a user account password then WinRE booted from HDD will prompt you for one...". Exactly. What is that password. Hitting [Enter] is gives me "incorrect password".

Not having a current boot problem. I just want to know how to recover that WinRE-booted-from-HDD password.

How many user account do you have on your computer?

dangnad2 said:

I still want to know why WinRE needs a password when Dell pops it up. ... Bottom line. In certain situations Windows requires a password. How is that possible if I have clearly said I don't want to log on with a password (local account)

When booting to to the WinRE Advanced Startup from the installed Windows it requires you to choose an account that is an administrator, then supply its password even when the password is blank. For a blank password is should accept just clicking on Continue. This behaviour only occurs if you are booting from the WinRE of the installed system, as it requires you to sign into the system before proceeding. No account or password is required when booting from a Recovery USB.



That is normal, and it should accept your blank password, but I did have one system on my test machine where it refused to accept any correct password...

Bree said:

There is a problem with Advanced Start-up on my version 1511. Whatever account or password is tried, it always comes back with 'The password is incorrect. Try again'. 1607 has no such problem, it checks the password successfully.

...unfortunately I could not find out why or how to fix it, so I rebuilt the system.

Bree said:

The inability of the 1511's recovery environment to handle passwords I fixed by going back to the beginning and starting over. I restored the original Windows 7 image then upgraded it to Windows 10 (1511) all over again. This time round its recovery environment worked as it should have in the first place.

Multiple System Images using Backup & Restore - advice?

Thanks Bree. Your second image, "Start-up Repair" is exactly what I'm talking about. However, I will not rebuild my system. Surely there is an easier solution.

I have been talking about same screen what else you think we were referring to.

dangnad2 said:

Thanks Bree. Your second image, "Start-up Repair" is exactly what I'm talking about. However, I will not rebuild my system. Surely there is an easier solution.

If there is, I never found it. The system wouldn't accept any account or password, not even for the built-in Administrator account when I enabled it. There appeared to have been a corruption in either its WinRE environment or the account database, but where and how to fix it I could not determine. I posted to confirm that this is a rare, but not unknown problem.

In all other respects the system was normal, all accounts and password were accepted at the normal Windows sign in screen.