Security questions rejecting correct answer

PostmanPuzzled said:

Windows 10 Home x64 Version 21H2 Build 19044.1586]

I have a security question which asks for names of eldest cousin.

I have rather a lot of cousins so I assumed I had made a mistake. However, after checking, there are only 3 possibles for eldest and all three are rejected.

Any ideas what I can do ?

Try resetting the password, perhaps.

...just taking a stab here, not completely sure I understand.

Marie,

Did you perhaps take photos when setting up the security questions?
Perhaps you are not entering the characters you think you are entering. Is there an alternative keyboard layout set up on the computer?
Given that you must have experienced a problem entering your user account password to be working through the security questions, perhaps the same problem was affecting your ability to enter your password.

If you cannot resolve the situation any other way,

enable the Built-in Admin,
log in to that,
use it to create both a new, local, password-protected Admin for day-to-day use & a spare, local, password-protected Admin for use in emergencies,
write the passwords down somewhere secure yet accessible,
disable the Built-in Admin when you've finished.

Enable or Disable Built-In Administrator account [Option 5] - TenForumsTutorials
Create two spare local, password-protected Admin accounts [post #2] in Windows 10, 11 - TenForums


Best of luck,
Denis

When you setup windows it asks you security questions in case you are locked out so its the answers you gave to those questions

Security questions only come into play if you forgot your password.
Is this a Windows Login Password? or for your Email or something else?
As stated, the Security Questions are based on answers that you gave when it was setup. So, try and remember whatever you originally typed in.
When the security questions fail there is sometimes a link to Try another way. If this is a Microsoft User Profile login, you can use the Microsoft Authenticator https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/...6-27e523b8702a
If you used your phone as an authenticator, they would send you a code on your smart phone to allow you to login and change your password and change your security question.

PostmanPuzzled said:

I can access the user via File Explorer/ C Drive/ Users without any trouble for the time being

Do I understand you correctly? Do you mean that you are able to log on to another user account on the computer and use its Admin privileges to access the C:\Users\UserName folder of the problem account?

If I have understood correctly, is the problem account a local user account or an MSAccount-linked user account?


Denis

PostmanPuzzled said:

Apologies for delay in acknowledging your replies. Drowning in minor domestic equipment breakdowns !

Thank you all for your replies. I will try Denis` solution when I have time but I am slow on the computer these days and cannot at present focus on IT. I can access the user via File Explorer/ C Drive/ Users without any trouble for the time being. I still don`t understand why the name of my eldest cousin can be wrong. User account is accepting all other answers as correct. And I have no problems with other passwords.

Again many thanks for your time.

You probably entered name with caps lock pn or something like that.