I get "The password is incorrect. Try again" attempting to logon   ..... However, the password is not incorrect.

 

Is there a fix for this bug or corruption of the SAM database ?

 

Background:

* Just upgraded Windows 7 Ultimate (64-bit) with the Windows 8 Pro Upgrade (64-bit).

* I have Local user accounts only. No Windows Live Account.

* Before I performed the upgrade, I performed a disk scan for bad sectors, ran a full Checkdisk with 'Fixup', ran a Nortons360 full virus scan, and ran the Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool. There were no errors or virus's found.

* I had previously installed Windows 8 Technet Edition in a VM on the same physical machine with none of these problems with either the local user, administrator, or Windows Live accounts.

Symptoms:

* It logged in successfully as administrator the first 3 times after the upgrade, then the problem appeared.

* I have multiple accounts which are members of the Administrators group,  and I get the same problem on all of them. Cannot logon at all.

* I have multiple UAC accounts which are only members of the Users group, and it intermittently occurs on these. A reboot fixes these.

* When I login with a UAC account, I can select a program, select "Run as Administrator", select any of the administrator accounts, type in the password, and successfully run programs as administrator. This validates that the passwords are correct, the accounts are not disabled or locked out due to too many password attempts, and that the administrator accounts are functioning at that level.

* I cloned the system disk before I upgraded to Windows 8 Pro. When I boot up from the original Windows 7 image, I login with the same usernames & passwords without any problems. This proves that the problem was introduced during the upgrade process.

* The problem occurred briefly a couple of years ago on Windows 7, but cleared itself after I performed a login with a UAC account, and fired up a program with "Run as Administrator". This will not clear the problem on Windows 8.

Troubleshooting steps thus far:

* Checked accounts in "Local Users and Groups", and they all appear healthy.

* Reset the administrator password.

* Create a new administrator account from scratch.

* Remove accounts from the Administrators group, then re-add the accounts to the group.

* Rebooted the PC into Safe Mode. Same problem.

* I read a lot of the forum posts on the similar/same problem, and worked through the ideas, including:
1.Press the Windows key + R on your keyboard to launch the Run dialog box.
2.Type in control userpasswords2
3.Press Enter. The User Accounts window will display.
4.CHECK the option Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer

  

Many forum posters with the same/similar problem do not have multiple accounts created before they upgrade, so cannot perform all the above troubleshooting steps. Consequently, their posts are often dismissed as lost/forgotten passwords. I suspect that this problem is more widespread than Microsoft realises.

 

I do not want to run 'Reset' or 'Repair' from the install DVD, or perform a bare-metal install, because I do not want to blow away all of my 3rd Party applications and programs, resulting in re-licensing problems and day's of effort setting everything up again.

Does anybody know the fix ? .... is there any way to perform a fixup or repair on the SAM database ?

The only other option I can see is to restore back to Windows 7 and forget about Windows 8 ....

..... Para Dox

• Edited by Para Dox Thursday, November 08, 2012 8:04 AM

Also, I ran these additional troubleshooting steps, which did not fix the problem:

1/ Nortons Registry cleanup/fixup

2/ SAM database registry key unload/reload using Regedit while booting off a different hard disk.

... Para Dox

From your description and troubleshooting steps, the issue also occurs for newly created user account, SAM database mostly is corrupted during upgrade. I would suggest you restore back to Win 7, if everything is fine, you may upgrade again.

Regards,

Diana

I have found a temporary work-around ..... remove all passwords from all accounts, so that no passwords are required to logon. I can now logon reliably with any account.

This would not be an option if it was my corporate laptop.

Before that, as you suggested, I restored back to Windows 7, and re-installed the Windows 8 Pro upgrade. I even performed a Nortons registry cleanup on Win7 before I upgraded to Win8. The same problem re-occurred with a slightly different variation. This time I could logon intermittently with administrator and other UAC accounts, but not my primary UAC account.

A Google search on "windows the password is incorrect try again" yields 29 million search results. A proportion of these ... 100's of thousands .... if not millions .... would be experiencing the same problem as me, but dismissed as lost/forgotten passwords.

Could you please escalate this problem up through the internal Microsoft technical support hierarchy for resolution.

.... Para Dox

• Edited by Para Dox Saturday, November 10, 2012 9:38 PM

In Windows 8, we always get the error message "The password is incorrect. Try again" when password does not pass through authentication. It is a general messgae.

Is everything well if you restored back to Windows 7? I'm not sure if your keyboard layout changes.What is the result if you type correct password via USB keyboard? And is the timezone on Windows 8 same as Windows 7?

Regards,

Diana

Diana: "In Windows 8, we always get the error message "The password is incorrect. Try again" when password does not pass through authentication. It is a general messgae."

Para Dox: Could you please request the development team to craft more specific and meaningful error messages that help identify the true cause of the problem.

____________________

Diana: "Is everything well if you restored back to Windows 7?"

Para Dox: Yes

____________________

Diana: "I'm not sure if your keyboard layout changes"

Para Dox: All the keys perform the same functions under Win 7 and Win8 .... so the keyboard layout has not changed.

____________________

Diana: "What is the result if you type correct password via USB keyboard?"

Para Dox: I do not posess a USB  keyboard. I do not see the relevance of this troubleshooting step. The keyboard and keyboard layout are proven to work because, as stated above, the passwords work when I 'Run as Administrator',  or use Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and there are no keyboard problems.

____________________

Diana: "And is the timezone on Windows 8 same as Windows 7?"

Para Dox: Yes. However, I do not see how this would affect the password functionality even if the timezones were different.

____________________

As requested above ... Could you please escalate this Windows O.S. bug up through the internal Microsoft technical support hierarchy for resolution.

..... Para Dox

• Edited by Para Dox Tuesday, November 13, 2012 10:16 AM

Hi Para,

I can confirm this is absolutely not a bug, and our development engineer also confimed with me about the point. Many many users started to expereince Windows 8 after it was released, and our PCs were also upgraded from Win7 to Windows 8, we all have not encountered the issue. It should happen on your specific machine, it may occur because third party application or upgrading process has a bit problem.

To reproduce the issue and then narrow down the possible cause, would you please help do more testing again?

1. Please restore back to Win7 firstly, and make sure everything is fine.

2. Create a batch of users, such as user1, user2, user3, user4, user5, user6. Add half of them(user1,user2,user3) to local Administrators group, remain the rest of them(user4,user5,user6) as standard users.

3. Upgrade OS to Windows 8 again, after that, login to the machine as the users who are members of Administrators group several times, does the issue reproduce? Does it still occur if you reboot the machine more than once and then logon as these users?

4. Logon to the machine as those standard users, let me know the result.

5. If the issue reproduces on these users with administrative priviledge, remove them from Administrators group, and then logon again. Tell me the result.

6. What if you add them back to Administrators group?

Regards,

Diana

Hi Diana,

it seems that you are asking me to repeat for a 3rd time the same diagnostic steps I have already performed twice and documented in detail above.

..... Para Dox

Hi Para,

I fully understand your concern. However, my PCs were upgraded to Windows 8 and I did not have the issue as you, it's difficult for me to reproduce your issue on my end and then find out the cause.

Regards,

Diana

Hi Para,

Are those domain accounts? If so, can you check if the product key you used to upgrade to Win8 is the correct one that supports Domain joining?

I ever had similiar issue but in the end I found that I activated win8 using a wrong product key which doesn't support joining domain. Hence when I tried to login using my domain account, it couldn't pass authentication.

Hi Yimanh,

as per my first post above:
"* I have Local user accounts only. No Windows Live Account."

The product key is correct.

regards,

Paradox

I have a very similar issue.  I bought a new laptop preloaded with Win8 and had to create a Microsoft account with a new password.  I set it where it would autoboot with the password for that account without me having to type it in each time.  Everything went great for several days until I started getting this same screen with every boot  -  'User Name or Password is Incorrect.  Try again'

Nothing I try will make it boot, unless I click on the 'Microsoft Account' key at the bottom and then if I type in both my account name and my account password, it will boot.  If I do nothing when I get this screen and wait 2 or 3 minutes, the computer flashes up a new screen and I can enter only my Microsoft account password and it will boot

Is it looking for a User or Administrator password at first?  Any way I can find out a.) What wrong name or password it's getting and/or b.) What user name or password should be there?  I'd LOVE for it to automatically boot without me having to type in anything . . . . this is a personal home computer and nobody but me ever touches it

Thanks!

Don

I have the same problem

I ran netplwiz and told it to NOT require a password when I log in. I then rebooted and ever since it tells me my password is incorrect.

At login I get a screen saying "Other User -  the username or password is incorrect. Try Again." then I press OK, and it comes to another screen saying "Other User" and there is a place to enter my username and password. I do and it logs in...

VERY odd, why am I Other User?? I am the only user of this computer. I am not using the windows live login, but the local login, ie my name Mark.

Strange.
Mark.

I am unable to login using my Windows 8 password. On entering the password, the welcome sign is shown and then the system logs out on its own. The password entered is not accepted.

Please Help.

I have the same problem on brand new lenovo g580. Just setting it up this morning and upon restart it will not accept the password which I know is correct.

I have the same issue intermittently with Windows 7 PRO (clean install). I could not find a reason or hotfix. I have even reinstalled clean again after I got tired of the issue but still get the issue once in a while.

My Story:
Logged into workstation. Every good. Work Go get coffee.. It auto locks (or I lock the workstation) and gets to password protected (domain member). Enter in password, Invalid password error. Tried again, same error.  Tried again, same error. WTF. Tried again very slowly making sure I type correctly, same error. Mind you my user account is currently logged on. Okay, maybe I changed the keyboard layout/language via some hotkey so I put the on-screen keyboard. It is the standard US English keyboard. I enter in the password via click of the mouse SAME ERROR. My only choice is to reboot the workstation and lose all work in progress that has not saved. 

One time I did RDC to the workstation (by the way, this same issue has happened on my laptop and desktop.), log in as another user successfully, however unable to logon with that user account. I tried the RDC way thinking something was wrong with the keyboard. This attempt was done prior to trying the on-screen keyboard as well as trying another user account (just to type is clear text to know the keyboard is sending what I want it to send.

As for the reply that MS has many workstations and not have this happen doesnt mean the rest of the world has not had this issue.

Just happened again the other day so I figured I would see if there is a solution/hotfix (since it is happening on Window 7 and appearly Windows 8 as well).

• Edited by SIR Gee O Tuesday, February 26, 2013 7:21 PM

I have the same problem also on a new HP Envy that came preloaded with Windows 8. Looking for a solution.

• Edited by NCSam Tuesday, June 04, 2013 7:23 AM

For me this happens so that suddenly screen lock doesn't accept certainly correct password. But when I reboot I can log in as usually

• Edited by Maxis77 Tuesday, July 23, 2013 10:30 AM typo

happens to me all the time on all of my machines, all clean installs. Started in Windows 8 and still seems to be a problem in Windows 8.1

First time it says the password is incorrect and the second attempt lets me in, but this issue is intermittent. I can assure you I've not got fat fingers and that I am indeed typing in the correct password.

If there's no network connection this happens every time, first attempt doesn't let me in but second does.

Most of friends & colleagues have the exact same issue running on different machines, some upgrading, some clean installed so it can't just be the odd one here or there.

Needs escalating to the dev team

I have the same, every morning my windows 8 tells me that i enter wrong password, and it accept it after 1 or 2 repeats, i may be wrong by a friend of my notice the same and tells me about it. My password is 8 symbols - small and big case and special symbols, and digits.
Maybe i enter my password too fast, but notepad have time to understand what i typed! I am sure thats a bug!

P.S. I upgraded from windows 7 ult. to windows 8 pro! Maybe it's important!

Me too. Often after starting up and every time I login from a sleep state "Password incorrect..." & works second time. Been happening far too long. Still nothing being done about it. Windows 7.

I am also having the same issue!!!

This is insane. Since few days ago my desktop PC with Win8 is reporting the wrong password error message on booth, and it accepts is after I type it again. I've checked all passwords in the system and changed few times but the issue remains. This is like a nightmare. It was booting fast, and now I need to go trough login screen every time even if I choose the option not to type the pass.

Please help! 

I am also having the same issue!!!

This is insane. Since few days ago my desktop PC with Win8 is reporting the wrong password error message on booth, and it accepts is after I type it again. I've checked all passwords in the system and changed few times but the issue remains. This is like a nightmare. It was booting fast, and now I need to go trough login screen every time even if I choose the option not to type the pass.

Please help! 

Same issue happens to me, I always get the error message, and after inserting the password it boots OK

- Provide your computer make/model and whether 32-bit/64-bit. - Desktop, not sure about the model
- Can you log in with your local account on your computer? - YES
- What is the exact error message you get when you try to log in with your Microsoft account? - Your password is wrong...
- What have you done prior to experiencing the error with log in? Did you reboot? Did you install software or Windows Updates? Please describe. - I choose not to insert password, and it worked in the beginning, but now it gives me the error
- Is your date/time correct? Do you use a 3rd party program to sync the time? - all OK
- Is your password unusual in some way such as length or characters? Is it over 16 characters in length? - simple 10 characters pass

please help! this is really annoying bug

My case:

I was suffering the problem now and then. One day I realized that there is "show my password"-button to show what I really had typed. I noticed that the numlock etc. was on and "the right" password was totally wrong. After that no problems.

HP 620, Win 8 Home Pro, 64 bit, pw length 16

this may or may not work, you  may want to give it a try. if your password has special characters like (!@#$%^&*) then remove it. Use other combination without those characters. 

Hi, I had the exact same problem as you too. But I found a temp solution for me. (Use on screen keyboard for typing in passwords) I logged in on Christmas morning and it worked fine, logged in the afternoon to play my new game, password incorrect. Tried it a few more times before thinking that my computer had a virus in it. So I unplugged the wireless card, started up with my boot disk and went to work trying to find a virus. Couldn't find one. I eventually gave up and decided that I was going to call Microsoft support tomorrow, the day after Christmas. But that same night, I decided to give it one more try. I booted it up, tried my password. "password incorrect" But I considered it being a language input error, so I tried the on screen keyboard from ease of access center button. Entered in password, and it worked! I also figured out that typing in a password for anything didn't work without using the on screen keyboard, yet I can type this up just fine with the regular one. :/   Something weird is going on, I even tested my password with a different keyboard and got the same results. I'm going to try it with a sata keyboard instead of a usb, and see if that works.

 

WHY IN THE WORLD DID I "UPGRADE" TO WINDOWS 8.1?!?!?!  windows 7 was perfectly fine and then i threw this garbage and don't even have a BACKUP PC to test things on!  THANKS ALOT FIX YOUR OS

I found that numlock was on on the laptop and due to it not having a numbpad I was putting in the wrong password.

From what ive read this is an issue mainly on laptops....

Also before I figured out the numlock issue it worked if I choose login as different user and enter the same credentials. So im not sure if the numlock is somehow locked to the logged in profile? I know it should not be.

Hope that helps!

Dec 2014 - I have same issue , intermittent 'incorrect password ' response upon initial login but lets me in after retyping the exact same password a second time.

Not a num lock or caps lock problem and not a laptop. Run AVG viruschecker, no issues showing  up.

Not a fat fingers issue.

No new software installed. Machine only running what it came with and religiously upgraded (save for win 8.1 which I refuse to use because I hear it is worse than Win 8 - which sucks by thte way.)

Clearly this is a bug and I have not yet heard anyone report if there is a fix.

MICROSOFT - are you listening?

FIX IT, and post the FIX!

This issue was first posted in 2012 and MS have STILL not identified the cause?? Where has 'Diana' gone? Will other MS engineers respond with anything other than yet more steps to 'try'?

Mine is an Asus Win8.1 64bit personal laptop connected to my home wifi. I have photo recognition login enabled but that hardly ever works. But I too ALWAYS have my first password login attempt rejected after which I can log in. This happens whether I'm using the laptop keyboard or the USB keyboard, makes no difference. My typical routine is to work on the laptop, put it in Sleep until I use it the next time.

If you cant reproduce on any MS employee machines then this suggests to me you need to test using a shop purchased machine like the rest of us, and on a network outside the MS firewall. That would be a good start, to test in a like for like scenario instead of asking us to blindly try alternatives hoping that one might avoid the problem. I for one am not prepared to re-install the entire system just to try a few things nor spend endless hours in the hope I might stumble on a work around.

Perhaps you should start with the assumption that this DOES happen in normal use and set about focusing on reproducing the same conditions and outcome ALL of us are experiencing. I think that would a better plan of attack, that MS engineers set about reproducing the problem first so we can then have a shared discussion on possible causes and most importantly a FIX!

thanks guys.

(if you DO have a fix by now then please add a link here to it?! thanks)

I am the guy who placed the original post in this thread.

The same issue has now occurred during my upgrade from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10, and this has been happening during every upgrade since Windows 7.

I am amazed that over the last 3 years a whole lot of other people have come forward with the same problem, and Microsoft have simply gone into denial phase and have not responded to a single post in 3 years. Is Microsoft waiting for 'customer driven R&D' to resolve their problem for them?

This fault has major implications. Lots of users who cannot recover from it lose their data.

If the administrator performs a password reset on a user account with the problem, then all resources linked to SSL certificates are lost: i.e. email passwords, access to Bitlocker encrypted data, etc.

As I intend to do, I urge everybody with this problem to:

• Write to the Microsoft CEO (bypass the bureaucracy. Even if he personally doesn't read it, a directive from the CEO's office gets things moving)
• Write to the IT news services that cover this sort of topic. Initiate press articles.
• Post the problem on other Windows forums. Get the word out.

.... Para Dox

• Edited by Para Dox 23 hours 30 minutes ago

I should add that creating a 'Password Reset Disc' before the upgrade does not resolve the problem either. The password reset wizard bombs out when attempting to reset the password.

.... Para Dox

• Edited by Para Dox Sunday, September 13, 2015 9:53 PM

I have "English - Australia" as primary language and "English - UK" as secondary.

But I don't believe it is that, because I login fine with my administrator user ID, but get the corrupt password problem when I attempt unsuccessfully to login as my UAC user ID.

... Para Dox

• Edited by Para Dox 21 hours 38 minutes ago

This problem sucks, and most because there is no answer from the Microsoft for the reason.

Sometimes other language goes on.

Try to change language setting with (Left) Alt + Shift, and then type in. 

• Edited by Maxis77 Monday, September 14, 2015 5:09 AM