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Resolved Question

Windows 10 reset if not signed into Microsoft

by Apr 13, 2018 3:18PM PDT

So although I have my pc back..I am wondering what happened.
I turned on my PC and my PC had been reset. All my documents, everything was gone. It looked like I had reinstalled Windows...I had nothing in my file explorer either. I saw a brief message flash on the screen and it said something about signing in.
So I was all freaked out but decided to go to Microsoft's web page and I signed in. I restarted my PC and my PC was back to normal.

I just want to know what happened. Why do I have to be signed into Microsoft's web page for my PC to work. Does anyone know?

Discussion is locked

hayley3 has chosen the best answer to their question. View answer
5 Posts
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Best Answer

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This sounds like you have an EMAIL LOGIN system.
by Forum moderator Apr 13, 2018 4:00PM PDT

The files never vanished but it could have used a temporary profile which would look as if your files were gone.

All that aside, are you also telling that if your files vanished off this PC that they would be lost? Time to fix that issue.

Also, NEVER change your login from email to local without that backup. So many have screamed at that move.

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How did I get logged out?
by hayley3 Apr 13, 2018 5:36PM PDT

I mean, why would it all of a sudden do that I wonder? Obviously I was signed in previously so something reversed that.
The other thing that bothers me is being forced to be signed in.
And good to know I can't change, from email to local...I assume Microsoft receives some benefit in controlling us with the email login.

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Sorry but PCs and many things are not perfect.
by r. proffitt Forum moderator Apr 13, 2018 6:15PM PDT

About Windows XP is when the forced login started. Windows 1 to 98 and ME could bypass the login but as everyone wanted security that no-login method died. This is NOTHING NEW.

-> About local login. This is our choice to make here. There is no force being applied to use the email login. You can change it but we must have backups of our stuff in case of something glitching.

There are nice articles about how to create and change our accounts in both the email and the local login systems.

About the benefit. With an email login you get some syncing between your machines. For some this has been what they've been asking for, for years. There are benefits to you.

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Being signed out should not wipe out your profile....
by hayley3 Apr 13, 2018 6:32PM PDT

and I probably never signed in until Windows 7. I never wanted to leave DOS but they made me.

But you said, once you choose email, reverting to local will wipe out your stuff, or that's what I thought you meant. Which is what happened to me. That is a bit controlling, I feel. The data is there but only if I do as they demand. lol

They forced me to sign back in or my PC would've been blank and I'd would've had to start completely over. Once you sign in, then you cannot change. You cannot change your choice is what I meant.

But anyway, thanks.....appreciate you taking the time to reply so thoroughly. Happy

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You could test it.
by r. proffitt Forum moderator Apr 13, 2018 6:58PM PDT

Remember that safeguarding our files is still our job. If you want to test if changing the login to local would lose files, I maintain it doesn't but for average user, they won't see them in the same place and will call them lost.

Sure we can change, but why should anyone take the risk of losing files today?

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