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I have an old Surface. I want to use it mainly for reading. However, I'm unable to log in with my Microsoft password. I've reset the password & can sign into my account on other devices with it, so I know it's a viable password. My surface shows it's connected to my Wi-Fi router. Battery is fully charged. It has been in storage and did go through several updates when powered on. It has been added as a current device in my profile. Will appreciate any helpful feedback.
Hello Kathy,
Another option you can try is using a USB recovery drive for your Surface. Just follow the link and watch the tutorial video.
If your goal is simply to fix login issues while keeping your personal files, choose the “Keep my files” option during recovery. However, if you're okay with starting fresh, the “Fully clean the drive” option is more thorough and effective.
Thanks John. I followed your link & attempted to create a recovery USB. Got the following message: A temporary error has occurred while retrieving recovery image information for your product. Please try again later. I'll try later & follow up.
John, I was finally able to switch to a screen layout that had a shift key. I used shift+restart to reach the troubleshooting prompt & was ultimately successful in accessing my account. However, it seems like the only tile that's responding is the date & time...but at least it's correct! Can't access Outlook email. Store won't respond so I can download my preferred library app. Guess it's time to put the old girl back in the drawer. I'm bummed. Thank you for all your help.
Hello Kathy, thanks for posting this in our community.
I know how annoying it is when your Surface won’t accept your Microsoft password, even after you’ve reset it and confirmed it works elsewhere. Let’s try a couple of quick fixes:
First, boot into Safe Mode with Networking. On the login screen, hold Shift and click Restart. Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Settings > Restart, then choose Enable Safe Mode with Networking. Try logging in again.
Also, check if your date and time are correct. Tap the network icon on the login screen, go to Wi-Fi settings, and verify the clock. If it’s off, open Command Prompt from Troubleshoot and use the date and time commands to fix it.
If nothing works and you're okay starting fresh, you can reset your Surface from the Troubleshoot menu. Choose either keep my files or Remove everything.
Hope this helps! Let me know how it goes.
Warm regards,
John Oli
Thank you, John. However, it seems that the detachable keyboard isn't communicating with the screen, so holding the shift key while trying to restart isn't effective. Just no communication at all. I've cleaned the connectors, which didn't help. I even tried using the up arrow (as shift) on the virtual keyboard on the screen, but still no response. Any suggestions?
