1
After a clean installation of Windows 10 Pro, I'm being shown the standard OS login screen (like you see when you first boot the computer) asking for my e-mail address and password. Not sure why it specifically says e-mail address in that field. But, over the course of installation, Windows never set up an account, to my knowledge. What happened, and what should I do now?
The only time it asked for login credentials was for my Microsoft account. I entered the credentials for the main user's Office 365 account. But we don't use those to login to our computers. We have a separate on-site Active Directory / domain server. (I'm too much of a layperson to know the difference.) None of those logins work.
It's been a little while, but my recollection of previous Windows 10 installations is that I either set up the domain or was asked to create a local account at first. I don't remember which, but I know that it never just asked for a Microsoft login and never allowed any other sort of account creation. As a side note, I think our network setup is such that the computer needs to be manually pointed toward a specific gateway in order to reach the domain/AD server.
Regardless, none of the local domain or Office 365 accounts work. When I use a local domain/AD account in DOMAIN\User format, it says "You can't sign in with a user ID in this format. Try using your email address instead." When I try it in User@DOMAIN.local format, it says "The user name or password is incorrect. Try again." When I try using the Office 365 e-mail address I entered during installation, it says "We are unable to connect right now. Please check your network and try again later." but it should be connected to the internet right now, even if it can't reach the local domain server.
I should also mentioned that, in the bottom left corner, the two options are "Other user" and "Password". Clicking "Password" shows a graphic of a key and a field for a password, with no username or e-mail field. (What password is this?)
About the installation
In true Microsoft fashion, nothing went smoothly. After it appeared to be done, I ended up with a blank black screen with a responsive cursor. The only thing I could get to show up was the Windows+P "Project" sidebar menu that lets you choose the display output. I verified that there wasn't a non-existent display that it was treating as the primary display, which I understand is often the issue with that. The only thing I could do was a hard restart, and that brought me to the login screen discussed above.
Also, when installing it, it gave me an option - and I forget the exact wording - of whether it was a home computer or whether it would be owned or controlled by my organization. I chose the latter, since that's true and I figured that would take me down the road of hooking it up to the domain. (No such luck.)
My exact installation steps
- Booted to USB flash drive created with Media Creation Tool.
- Selected installation language, time and currency format, and keyboard or input method.
- On a window with a large "Install now" button in the middle and a little "Repair your computer" link in the bottom left, I clicked "Install now".
- Entered product key.
- Accepted license terms.
- Two choice for "Which type of installation do you want?": "Upgrade: Install Windows and keep files, settings, and applications" and "Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)". Chose the latter.
- Chose the partition with the OS installation I want to write over.
- [I stopped retracing my steps here.]
Sorry to be so long-winded. Thanks for any help you can provide!
LakeHMM
Posted 2017-07-18T22:25:24.967
Reputation: 11
How exactly did you clean install it? – cde – 2017-07-18T22:37:10.277
With a bootable USB created with the Media Creation Tool. For what it's worth, I did not delete or format any partitions. – LakeHMM – 2017-07-18T22:39:02.983
Are you sure you chose install, not repair or upgrade? The media creation tool would give you a First Run dialog sequence that would have one page asking who will use this pc. There you would enter in an Admin user account name and password and password hint. – cde – 2017-07-18T22:41:33.087
Honestly, wipe the partitions and install from scratch again. Skip the domain part for now. – cde – 2017-07-18T22:47:07.057
(Thanks so much for helping me here, BTW.) I just updated the original post to add some information about my installation selections. I also know I didn't upgrade it because I tried account logins that worked on the previously installed OS and they don't work here.
Regarding partitions: I have 4, and I'm not sure which are okay to delete. The folks at the HP support forum (https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Desktop-Operating-Systems-and-Recovery/What-are-all-these-partitions-on-this-Pavilion-desktop/m-p/6226600) scared me into keeping them. At least some are recovery partitions.
Windows 10 installations almost always ask for a Microsoft account during setup. It's possible when using an automated installation disk that it might be skipped but the default is to ask for that with the option to create a local account. Generally, when adding a computer to an AD you create a local account first, log in, then add it to the AD via system settings. When using an automated install cd some of that can be changed. – Cliff Armstrong – 2017-07-18T22:54:05.097
@Cliff: Not sure what an automated install CD is. This was whatever image Microsoft's Media Creation Tool puts on bootable USB drives. The installation only asked for a Microsoft account. Unless creating a local account was some super tiny alternative option on that same screen...? But I'm 100% sure there was no other screen about creating a local account. – LakeHMM – 2017-07-18T22:56:34.280
"Unless creating a local account was some super tiny alternative option on that same screen...?" Yup. That. I'm just trying to give you more info so you know what is a discrepancy and what probably isn't. The MCT cannot, by itself, be used to create an automated install. Automated install disks are typically used for enterprise deployments so that installing Windows on 50+ machines doesn't take until the next Windows is released. It's the only explanation of the top of my head for why you wouldn't have seen the Microsoft account setup page on previous installations. – Cliff Armstrong – 2017-07-18T23:00:39.213
That was the problem. The option to join a domain (which, by the way, creates a local account and does not join a domain) is at the bottom in the same font and size as "Privacy & Cookies" and "Terms of Use" on that Microsoft account login screen. I struggle to fathom the train of thought behind this change. Does everyone read the Terms of Use but me?
So the options are now (1) install with a Microsoft account that will not work and you'll never be able to login to your computer, or (2) in the fine print, click a tiny link to join a domain and end up not even joining a domain? Silly me. – LakeHMM – 2017-07-18T23:54:11.070
Thanks so much for the help! I never cease to be surprised that a Windows installation can take two full days. What would I do without Stack Exchange? If you write it up as a solution, I'll mark it as such. Otherwise, I'll write one. – LakeHMM – 2017-07-19T00:03:23.173
As for the partitions, the recovery would only reinstall the original OS. You got a usb boot drive with some recovery tools from the media tool. Wipe them all and don't look back. – cde – 2017-07-19T00:29:56.320