Do I really want my Windows login associated with my Live account?

Question

I recently upgraded to Win 10 and used my same username and password from my previous Windows installation. Earlier today when returning to my PC, it had locked as I had been away for a while but it wasn't recognising my password. I then noticed that Windows seemed to have associated itself with my Live account (I had used the "Store" for the first time today).

What are the benefits / disadvantages to using my Live account? For me its not ideal as my Live password is ridiculously long and complicated (handled by a password manager). I don't really want to have to try to remember this password but I also don't want to have to change my Live password to something 'basic' in comparison to what it is now.

I did go to the Accounts settings in Windows and chose "Sign in with a local account instead" but when I tried to do this it told me "Windows is already using that name. Please enter a different username" and did not let me proceed.

Unless there are any significant benefits, does anyone know how I can revert back to not having my Live account associated with my Windows login?

EDIT: My Live account is not my day-to-day account. It is an old email account which I occasionally use for signing up to forums etc.

Answer 1

Lots of places document the benefits of using a Microsoft account. Try this SuperUser question or this HowToGeek article for starters, and search for "Microsoft account vs local account" to find a lot more.

If you decide you don't want to use the Microsoft Account, you should be able to disconnect your local account from Microsoft. The steps you followed look correct, and I just verified them on my own Windows 10 computer after signing into the Store the same way. I'm not sure why that error message appears for you, but you're not the only one. This SuperUser question was the exact same problem on Windows 8.1. They ended up choosing a new username and then going into Computer Manager to change it later.

One final thought for next time - you can actually use a Microsoft account to sign into the store without using it to sign into Windows. When you sign into the store, choose the option that says "Sign in to just this app instead.

Answer 2

Having a "Live" account can be beneficial. The Mail Calendar and Contacts (People) tiles require Microsoft credentials. You don't -have- to use those three live tiles. They could simply be there as backups to your regular mail client.

If your login password is annoyingly long, type in "Sign-In Options" from the Start menu and you can assign a four digit Pin which will be associated with your longer password. It's convenient and secure. You could also use a Picture password, but it is a little more trouble to mess with.

Answer 3

A big plus is that you can't crack the password with tools like ophcrack. If that does not matter to you, I would not recommend it, privacy-wise. (You can log into the Windows store with you M$ account without logging in to Windows.) If privacy does not matter either, and you have more than one device running Windows 10, do it. It is handy.