Password security questions are wrong AND MORE!

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2 issues – please read the entire post!

I was helping a friend of mine with her HP Model 15 i3 laptop.  It was automatically upgraded to Windows 11 just the other day.  She didn’t remember her password and tried to answer the security questions to reset her password.  First Issue:  The system kept saying one of her answers was wrong.  

I booted off of a Windows 10 USB boot disk (created with Windows Media Creation Tool), brought up a dos box, and entered diskpart.  Second Issue:  Diskpart did NOT show her SSD hard drive, only my USB boot disk.

I futzed around for quite a while and was simply not able to find a way to access her internal SSD drive (I was attempting to unhide the system admin account to let her log in).  I finally gave up and decided to rebuild her OS.  I booted off my Windows 10 USB install disk (made via Windows Media Creation Tool) and promptly found that the Windows Installer did NOT see her internal SSD disk. (Issue #2 again).  I had to download some Intel RST drivers from HP’s site and load them into the Windows Installer (“Load Drivers”), and finally was able rebuild her OS.  Created a Local Account and answered the three security questions with the letters “a”, “b”, and “c” (without the quotes).  I then attempted to reset her password.  The system asked me to answer the 3 security questions and I answered “a”, “b”, “c” (without the quotes).  The system said one of my answers was wrong!  Issue 1 again.

Can anyone help me understand 1) what’s going on with the security questions, and 2) how is it that the SSD hard drive isn’t being seen?  I’m assuming the fact that I needed to load the Intel RST drivers at OS installation time is also the reason that diskpart didn’t see the SSD.  But, really?!?!?  Is this a common issue?  Is there any straightforward fix or workaround??

As always, TIA!

Jim

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Did the previous windows 10 installation have an online MS account?
b/c it reads to me like when windows 11 was automagically installed, that an online MS account was required as part of an authenticating factor and not having one previously has thrown up issues with the security questions.

hope this helps

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@anonymous:  I don’t believe there was a MS account before Windows 11 was installed automagically.  Your theory about that causing some authentication issue sort of makes sense.  HOWEVER…  I faced the EXACT same problem a second time after I completely wiped the hard drive and installed a virgin Windows 10.  When I attempted to change the password (only to ensure the security questions/answers worked), I got the exact same result of “some of your answers were not correct”.  Since this was a brand new install on a completely wiped&reformated drive, there was no MS account to reference.  During the install, I specifically said to continue with a Local Account.

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Newer machines may have disc subsystems that require more recent drivers than are available on a Windows install disk. This is not unusual.
The answer, as you have discovered, is to add the required driver to the boot media.

As anon said, the password will be for the online MS account.

cheers, Paul

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@Paul:  OK, I grudgingly agree with that.   But it does pose the problem of how to try to do anything with the system/drive if you have to boot off a USB Windows Install or Linux drive.  Am I missing something here?

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If you create a 3rd party image backup and a recovery USB from the same backup utility, the disk drivers will be included in the recovery USB. Then you can rebuild the PC without issue.

Any other use requires you find the drivers.

cheers, Paul

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