Locked Out of Xbox: My Tale of Frustration and Determination
Ugh, now I know how Ray Arnold felt in Jurassic Park.
"Let me in! Let me in! Open up! Open up! Why don't you open up that door? Let me in!" - Yvonne Baker, Let Me In
In our digital world, forgetting a password to an online account is easily remedied. Simply answer a security question or click the "forgot my password" button to receive an email with a reset link. Open sesame! Problem solved.
But what would happen if you forgot your password, couldn't remember the answer to your security question, and the email linked to your account no longer existed? That was the mega pickle I found myself in when I got locked out of my Xbox account.
Christmas season, 2011. My Xbox 360 was my favourite console, and I had a bunch of games for it I was excited to play and complete (I even asked Santa for some new ones). Then, without warning, it happened: the dreaded Red Ring of Death. In an instant, my beloved console was kaput.
To add insult to injury, it expired just after my extended warranty. Having no clue what to do, I regrettably boxed my Xbox and moved on. Still, I continued holding on to my busted console, unfinished games, and most importantly, hope.
Several years later, I found a solution to my problem: transfer the hard drive from my defunct console into a working model, a la Frankenstein's monster. The experiment was a success, but I then faced a new hurdle: the log-in screen.
After all that time, I forgot my password and the answer to my security question. To top things off with a cherry, the email linked to my Xbox account was long extinct, as I changed service providers. It appeared I was screwed, but I stubbornly refused to give up.
I tried troubleshooting on Xbox's website. No luck. I tried contacting Microsoft. It's impossible to reach anybody there. I tried filling out those annoying recovery forms. All rejected. I tried Google. No answers. My issue seemed extremely uncommon. Out of options and refusing to give up, I tried brute forcing my way back in. I just had to guess my password or the answer to my security question. Know thyself.
I kept track of all my incorrect guesses. After reaching my daily quota of failed attempts, I waited until I could try again. Lather, rinse, repeat. This went on for months. Then, earlier this year, I finally guessed correctly and regained access to my Xbox account, yay! I was ecstatic.
At long last, I was finally reunited with my Xbox 360. I felt like Fievel and Tanya at the end of An American Tail. I played and completed my backlog of games from 2011 and continue discovering new ones to this day. In closing, never give up hope, and NEVER set up an account with an email that could become obsolete. Until next time, love, peace, and chicken grease.