New CPU Installed but Cannot Login to Windows

[arc@css]

Hi,

I wasn't sure if to post this thread here on in the General Hardware/Windows forums.
Mods: please move if need be.

I replaced my 3900X today with a 5950X.

Boots fine to login screen but doesn't recognise password.

I read that I might need to disable TPM in the bios, so tried that but it didn't work.

Next, (suggested by AI) I tried using the Windows Recovery Environment, but couldn't navigate to the last part in bold.
Pathway suggested was: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\PasswordLess\Device

Do I have no option but to reinstall Windows 11?

Thanks.

 

[arc@css]

I don't believe so.

Forgive my ignorance, but I'm not quite sure if I know what you mean with regard to signing in.
It boots up to the blue screen and I sign in with a password or passkey thingy (I forget what it's referred to as).

I might add a phone pic or two to show what I mean.

 

[arc@css]

I would imagine you need to disable TPM with the old CPU installed first, boot into Windows, then shutdown and change the CPU.

I may be wrong here but that would seem like the logical way to do it.

Might also be worth checking you have the latest BIOS given the CPU change but doubt that would impact the issue you have right now.

Ahh, missed your message!

I might just try that. Thanks.

The BIOS isn't the latest (F36E, IIRC), but I may look into that next.

 

[arc@css]

Phone pic.

Spoiler

Earlier on, I entered the BIOS and re-enabled TPM, though it still lead me to the same problem.

 

[arc@css]

Did this disable/enable process clear the keys? If it did, reinstalling the old CPU may not help you, unfortunately.

If you don't have Bitlocker enabled, you may still be able to recover your files by using the SSD as a secondary drive, but I'm not sure what happens if Hello is enabled and Bitlocker is disabled.

Casting my mind back earlier, I 'think' when I was first presented with this welcome screen (in phone pic), I believe I hit 'Y'. :/

Looks like I have no option but to reinstall Windows.

 

[arc@css]

Is there anything valuable on the drive? You could still try accessing it as a secondary drive (assuming it isn't encrypted), if you could disconnect it and then have a spare SSD to install Windows on temporarily.

I didn't see a pic of a windows login screen, by the way.

Probably nothing that I can't live with, I just didn't think of this possibility when installing the new chip.
I guess I imagined that it would only apply when fitting a fresh motherboard. Face palm! :/

Some of the files are already backed up on another SSD and/or flash drive.
At least Steam tends to save your position in games, so that's useful.

Another phone pic showing the login screen.

Spoiler

 

[arc@css]

Aha, yeah, I believe that's Windows Hello (hence, tied to the TPM).

I assume you chose the option of signing into your Microsoft account? Can you reset or recover the password from that account?

I'm not sure what other reset options exist.

It worked!

I'm in desktop.

Thank you so much!

In the words of Blackadder, "I want to kiss your cherry red lips and nibble your shell-like ears!".

Cheers, you're a gentleman.