Microsoft issue (no verification email being sent) locking me out of my PC

I have a very odd issue. It seems my primary @live email i'm using for my new PC allows me to log in remotely but not on the PC itself.

been logging in remotely ever since i got the PC so i haven't really thought much about it. its a headless server living in my basement closet.

Well today I got a critical update from Dell to update the BIOS so I was going through the process when I got prompted "you cant install these updates via remote desktop". ..so i grabbed a monitor, mouse & keyboard & headed downstairs.

then the darkness began.

so my primary @live account that allows me to log into the PC (let's just call it CAD@live.com) wouldn't let me log in directly to the PC..it took my password then asked for the verification code sent to my backup email (lets just say its CAD@hotmail.com)

so i was like 'ok pain in the arse but i'll go get my phone and log into the hotmail account'.

but i never got the verification email from msft. in fact i went in and deleted all my 'spam' email lists & domains from the email whitelisting/junkmail settings just in case i accidently added one from microsoft.

no verification email.

no ability to log into my PC.

so i hit the 'dont have this info' and there was no other option. appears i never added my cell phone number as a legit backup to my main @live account.

so i go to my @live email account now to change my backup email.

well my @live account settings is requiring the same thing..verification to the @hotmail account to change my password, change backup email, etc.

bullshite.

so of course i dont get the email from that link either.

now i'm pissed.

so its about to get good---- somehow I managed to go into my @live account and add my CELL PHONE number and make it an option for verification email.

Well this works as I get the verification text right away. THE VERIFICATION THAT MY CELL NUMBER IS A NEW BACKUP ONLY.

Good to go right? NO.. No, not good to go. Now microsoft says WE LOVE YOUR NEW PHONE NUMBER... but wants me to wait THIRTY frickING DAYS to switch over to the phone number from the non working @hotmail account 'for my own good'.

30

frickING

DAYS.

Oh its about to get WAY better. So i go to my @hotmail account and see the 'did you mean to change the backup to a phone, hit this link' so i'm like HEY! i'm getting emails to @hotmail now. looks like its working!

so i go back to @live and cancel the change to my phone number.

try again to get the verification code..NO MOTHERGODDAMNfrickING email to my @hotmail account.

but wait..this is where it gets really good:

i said 'frick it i'm changing it back to my phone number again' and microsoft said "HA HA frick YOU JOKES ON YOU. YOU HAVE TO WAIT 30 DAYS BEFORE REQUESTING A CHANGE AGAIN"

Ok, are you keeping track yet? So I'm frickED for a minimum of 60 days to log into my PC. 30 days until i can change my primary email backup link to my phone number and another 30 days until I login to my PC with a verification code while it "thinks" about my new phone number backup request.

motherfrick shite damn. the cute thing is my seldom used @hotmail account had my cell phone number already listed as a legit alternative so i installed the microsoft AUTHENTICATE 2FA app and i can do shite 15 ways to sunday with my @hotmail account now...EXCEPT GET A MOTHERfrick EMAIL from my @live account so i can unlock my fricking PC.

this is shite. there are tons of support articles from people who just dont get verification emails from microsoft at all and nobody has an explanation why.

surely it must be because i'm using some non-standard email accounts..oh wait no they're BOTH frickING MSFT OUTLOOK ACCOUNTS and i've had BOTH frickING EMAIL ACCOUNTS for well over a decade.



someone tells me to just reformat my PC and imma lose it.