Issue with Logging into Windows (Sometimes)

Question

Issue with Logging into Windows (Sometimes)

TechykidYT 0

Hello guys,

My laptop running Windows 11 Pro Edition 25H2 (Build 26200.9278) has been experiencing issues with logging in (Local Account). Sometimes when I try to log into my account, it won't let me and say "Credentials invalid", and this goes for Face Recognition, Fingerprint, Pin, and Password. Whenever I'm trying with Pin or Password, I get an error message such as

Something went wrong and your pin/password isn't available. (Status: 0xc0000234)

I don't know what to do, because it lets me login after force restarting the laptop around 3-6 times.

Incase its needed, here's my laptop specs:

Lenovo ThinkPad L13 YOGA Gen1
System Model Number: System Model 20R50007UK

CPU: Intel Core i5 10th Gen (i5-10210 @ 1.60GHz (Base Speed: 2.11GHz))
Ram: 8GB of DDR4

Hard Drive: SAMSUNG 256GB NVMe SSD

Wi-Fi: Intel Wireless-AC 9560 160MHz

GPU: Intel UHD Graphics (i5-10210)
Sign In Options: Pin, Picture Password, Password, Fingerprint, Face Recognition

Please let me know what's going on, I don't know if this is a common issue with 25H2 or not.

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Answer 1

Ian-T 10,695 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi @TechykidYT

Since the PIN, password, fingerprint, and facial recognition all fail at the same time, this probably is not an individual Windows Hello sensor problem. Status 0xc0000234 normally means that the account is locked, possibly after repeated authentication attempts or because a service is repeatedly submitting incorrect credentials.

Once you can sign in, I suggest:

Install all available Windows Update, Lenovo firmware, BIOS, chipset, and biometric-driver updates.
Temporarily disable facial recognition and fingerprint sign-in, then restart and test using only the local-account password.
Open Event Viewer > Windows Logs > Security and look for repeated failed-sign-in events around the time the problem occurred.
Run these commands from Terminal (Admin) one by one: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth sfc /scannow

I could not find this exact behavior listed as a current general 25H2 known issue, so identifying when it occurs and what the Security log records would help narrow it down. The documented Windows Hello guidance recommends updating the device and recreating the affected sign-in methods, but in this case I would first investigate the account-wide failure because the password is also rejected. Windows Hello common issues and troubleshooting tips

I hope this helps, feel free to leave a comment if you need further help.

Ian-T 10,695 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-10T00:00:27.7766667+00:00

Hi @TechykidYT

Just checking in to see if my answer is helpful - please feel free to let me know if you need any further help
TechykidYT 0 Reputation points

2026-09-10T06:04:18.3033333+00:00

Hi @Ian-T

Temporarily disable facial recognition and fingerprint sign-in, then restart and test using only the local-account password.

I don't think it would be how I'm signing in, because even without fingerprint sign in (facial recognition has already been disabled), it still gives me an error.

Even when I restart and use password or pin, it also still gives me an error

Install all the available windows updates, Lenovo Firmware, BIOS, Chipset, and biometric-driver updates.

It can't also be this. I know sometimes that Firmware and BIOS and Chipsets can affect windows, but I don't think that's the case since it most likely affect the Windows Login Manager.

Open Event Viewer > Windows Logs > Security and look for repeated failed-sign-in events around the time the problem occurred.

I've looked through it, and found these logs from AAD:

Warning 31/08/2026 17:39:08 AAD 1097 AadTokenBrokerPlugin Operation Warning 15/06/2026 22:06:09 AAD 1097 AadTokenBrokerPlugin Operation Warning 15/06/2026 22:06:09 AAD 1097 AadTokenBrokerPlugin Operation Warning 31/08/2026 17:39:09 AAD 1097 AadTokenBrokerPlugin Operation Warning 31/08/2026 17:39:09 AAD 1097 AadTokenBrokerPlugin Operation Warning 31/08/2026 17:39:09 AAD 1097 AadTokenBrokerPlugin Operation Warning 31/08/2026 17:39:09 AAD 1097 AadTokenBrokerPlugin Operation Warning 15/06/2026 22:06:09 AAD 1097 AadTokenBrokerPlugin Operation Warning 15/06/2026 22:03:16 AAD 1097 AadTokenBrokerPlugin Operation Warning 15/06/2026 22:03:16 AAD 1097 AadTokenBrokerPlugin Operation Warning 15/06/2026 22:03:16 AAD 1097 AadTokenBrokerPlugin Operation Warning 15/06/2026 22:03:16 AAD 1097 AadTokenBrokerPlugin Operation Warning 15/06/2026 22:06:09 AAD 1097 AadTokenBrokerPlugin Operation Warning 15/06/2026 22:06:09 AAD 1097 AadTokenBrokerPlugin Operation Warning 15/06/2026 22:03:16 AAD 1097 AadTokenBrokerPlugin Operation Error 31/08/2026 21:12:15 AAD 1098 AadTokenBrokerPlugin Operation Error 31/08/2026 21:13:25 AAD 1098 AadTokenBrokerPlugin Operation Error 31/08/2026 21:13:25 AAD 1098 AadTokenBrokerPlugin Operation Error 31/08/2026 21:08:22 AAD 1098 AadTokenBrokerPlugin Operation Error 31/08/2026 21:08:22 AAD 1098 AadTokenBrokerPlugin Operation Error 31/08/2026 21:12:15 AAD 1098 AadTokenBrokerPlugin Operation

Could this possibly link to it?

Thanks
Ian-T 10,695 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-10T06:39:27.64+00:00
Hi

Thanks for checking. The AAD 1097 and 1098 entries are related to the AAD token broker, so they are unlikely to explain why a local account is intermittently rejected. The event numbers alone are not enough to identify their cause because the full error code and description can vary.

When the problem happens again, after you regain access, please check Event Viewer > Windows Logs > Security for an Event ID 4625 recorded at the same time. Please share the following fields from that event:

Failure Reason

Status and Sub Status

Logon Type

Account Name

Process Name

Please remove the account name or any other personal information before posting. Those details should show whether Windows is actually locking the local account and what process is submitting the failed sign-in.