PIN (apparently) not input, but it is!

Larry Sabo

Larry Sabo

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Yesterday, I had a new Lenovo (don't have the model number) to which I was restoring the owner's data from back-up, and after restoring the data I allowed a pending Windows update to proceed before restarting the laptop. Upon restart, the cursor in the PIN entry window appeared to be frozen and anything I typed was not echoed in the window. After all other recovery attempts failed (startup repair, system restore, uninstalling feature/quality updates, Safe mode), I did a Reset using the BitLocker recovery key provided by the customer. No change!

During one of my subsequent attempts, I automatically typed the full PIN and pressed Enter, not bothering to watch the PIN entry window, and it logged into Windows normally! All the restored data was there but his apps were gone, of course. I wish I had tried entering the full PIN before doing the Reset.

Anyone else come across this?
 
I've had it where you type the pin then suddenly the onscreen keyboard vanishes and it acts weird like there is an another input device active. (Or in the case of non touch device it still acts funny like something is stealing Windowfocus)

That's a typical Windows bug I think. That and other random bugs show up time to time so I wonder if there is some sort of related API or oddity that causes them all.

But what you are talking about is definitely sounding like Windowfocus. While you are typing in the PIN box it should maintain focus and once the correct PIN entered (or correct amount of characters) it should auto enter.
 
NviGate Systems said:
While you are typing in the PIN box it should maintain focus and once the correct PIN entered (or correct amount of characters) it should auto enter.
Click to expand...

And although it definitely does this when it's working as designed, I will never get used to "auto enter." And I find it really annoying that this applies to PINs and PINs alone. It certainly makes it somewhat easier to play a guessing game with a crappy pin if, say, a spouse or child is trying to get in. They'd have no idea that they'd hit on "the right PIN" without auto enter in many cases (as people fat finger what they think they're entering and/or skip over one number in sequences all the time).
 
Larry Sabo said:
Yesterday, I had a new Lenovo (don't have the model number) to which I was restoring the owner's data from back-up, and after restoring the data I allowed a pending Windows update to proceed before restarting the laptop. Upon restart, the cursor in the PIN entry window appeared to be frozen and anything I typed was not echoed in the window. After all other recovery attempts failed (startup repair, system restore, uninstalling feature/quality updates, Safe mode), I did a Reset using the BitLocker recovery key provided by the customer. No change!

During one of my subsequent attempts, I automatically typed the full PIN and pressed Enter, not bothering to watch the PIN entry window, and it logged into Windows normally! All the restored data was there but his apps were gone, of course. I wish I had tried entering the full PIN before doing the Reset.

Anyone else come across this?
Click to expand...
I've read this 3 times and I don't follow the question. You don't have to hit enter for the PIN. That is SOP with Windows and a normal function. If you have been hitting Enter by habit it was unnecessary, as it has NEVER been required. You just never realized it before now? Assuming that I understand your question correctly which as I stated I may not have. I'll shut up now. LOL
 
nlinecomputers said:
I've read this 3 times and I don't follow the question. You don't have to hit enter for the PIN. That is SOP with Windows and a normal function. If you have been hitting Enter by habit it was unnecessary, as it has NEVER been required. You just never realized it before now? Assuming that I understand your question correctly which as I stated I may not have. I'll shut up now. LOL
Click to expand...
I apologize -- I didn't hit Enter, just typed the PIN.
 
nlinecomputers said:
Then I genuinely don't follow your question. Can you explain again?
Click to expand...
Sure. Normally, when you enter the PIN, it echoes what you type (or asterisks in place of characters) and the animated I-beam cursor follows along. In this case, the I-beam cursor was not animated, didn't move, and nothing echoed as I typed. It was if the keyboard had failed. In fact, I even tried a USB keyboard to verify that the keyboard was working, but no change. Yet, after entering the PIN, it logged in normally.
 
HCHTech said:
I have experienced this behavior with a laptop repair in recent memory. Since everything was working (ignoring the display of the entry) I chalked it up to a one-off issue. Customer didn't return so...ok? I guess?
Click to expand...
I'm pretty certain I've seen that symptom a couple of times or more. Works fine, no customer complaint. I just wrote it off a an undocumented feature.
 
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