I do computer service but I have no experience with this particular device. My customer (who, for a change, is fairly computer-savvy) swears up and down that she never assigned a PIN. The tablet used to just go into her sign-in screen, but now it demands a PIN. She says she never assigned one. There seems to be no way out of the PIN screen. Under each number there are three letters but there seems no way to switch to alpha. I can get to the notification panel/pinch zoom/power-off menu -- but any of the buttons there which might be helpful (for example, SETTINGS) do not do anything. On the power-off menu, the "restart" button doesn't do anything either. I can't get out of the lock screen to anywhere else. I've tried all kinds of key combinations to achieve a hard reset and nothing works. Any ideas?
Yes, sorry, I should have mentioned that. I have seen the "default" PIN listed variously as 0000, 1111, and 1234. I tried all of those. Is there no way, though, to get rid of this PIN screen altogether and log in "normally?" In Windows 10 or 11 on a PC, if a Microsoft Account is established on the PC and a PIN is assigned, the lock screen defaults to PIN entry, but there's a pair of icons underneath the input field, and you can click on them to toggle between PIN entry and password entry. I have the customer's password, but there's seemingly no way to get to a screen where I could enter it.
Sominex -- you didn't post this question to the forum -- you put it in the comments on MY question. No one will see it here. You have to delete it here and repost it in the forum itself. Although, from what I've seen here, you're less than likely to get an answer. I'm very disappointed in Samsung's entire support system. I'm not blaming the forum users -- my problem should have been a really simple one and should have been covered in troubleshooting tips...
Again -- somebody, PLEASE, tell me how to do a hard reset (or even reSTART) when I can't get past this PIN screen? (NO, I can't effect the reset from another computer -- the tablet has to be online in order to receive that command and I CAN'T GET ONLINE. I CAN'T DO LITERALLY ANYTHING without this fictitious PIN!
One more thing (although it really looks like only one person has even read this, I live in hope) -- yes, I know you can command a hard reset by using another device, IF you have the owner's login and password (which, for a change, I actually DO) -- but that only works if the tablet is online (or you can get it to GO online.) I want to make sure I made it clear -- this tablet will not do ANYTHING, at all, but go to this PIN screen. There are no function keys I can press. There are NO KEYS I can press except 0 through 9.
I've been trying to solve this issue since October with no help from Samsung. Hard restart and reset mode do not work. Nothing works. I put it away for the past month because it's so frustrating.
I can use my phone to Google-find the tablet but the tablet doesn't recognize it and therefore cannot be opened, etc. using that method either.
At this point it is a nice paperweight. Thankfully nothing was on there that isn't accessible by phone also.
WOO-HOO! Well -- just in case anyone else has this problem, I've found a solution. Unfortunately the ONLY solution I managed to find, did involve a hard reset. But at least it's possible. No thanks to Samsung. Some helpful fellow has put up a how-to video on YouTube, which shows how to do a hard reset when all other methods fail and you can't even turn the @#$% thing OFF without the PIN. It's an utterly ridiculous combination of multiple manipulations of the power key and the vol. up/down keys. NOTE, before you even try this -- he is really not kidding about the amount of time each manipulation involves. I suggest you have a digital clock or watch in front of you -- (and I ALSO am not kidding.) It took me four tries to get it right.
