How to Restore Windows 8 Without User Access
If you happen to have your Windows 8 or 8.1 account associated with your Windows Live ID, you can end up getting completely locked out of your PC if you forget that password and can't recover it. This happened to me the other day at work (I'm in IT), and it was an outlook account create solely to get into Windows 8 -- nobody remembered the password for it. Unlike a local account which can be worked around, the Live account is stuck there until you can log-in and un-associate it.
There are a variety of other situations where this method may come in handy, and it's really easy to execute. You don't need a Windows 8/8.1 disc, and any basic PC user should be able to do this. By restoring your Windows 8 or 8.1, you'll essentially be doing a factory reset -- this will remove everything from your computer, but finally let you log-in again.
1. At the lock screen of your PC, click the power icon, then hold down shift and click "Restart". Alternatively, you can try restarting your computer and pressing either F1 or F12 repeatedly to get to the troubleshooting menu -- this may not work will all machines.
2. Your computer will restart, but instead of going back to the lock screen, it should bring you to a screen where you can either continue to your regular boot-up, or go to the Troubleshooting menu.
3. At the troubleshooting menu, you'll want to select the option that says "Reset your PC". If you are still able to access your account, you may want to try the "Refresh your PC" option as it will reset your settings without removing files. This is useful for fixing various issues with Windows 8/8.1, but won't remove an associated Windows Live account.
4. Your computer will restart again, and begin the process of resetting your PC. This could take quite a while depending on your hardware, but for the most part it is a completely automatic process. Once it is complete, you'll be able to go through the standard Windows 8/8.1 setup, and create a new account.
That's all there is to it! Feel free to leave a comment if you were helped by this tutorial, or if you are having problems -- we'll do our best to assist you.
