First boot and your PIN

The first time Sinty OS starts after installation, it runs a short setup. This is where your account and your encryption are created, so a couple of the choices here matter more than a usual first-run wizard.

Setting your PIN

Sinty OS does not use a traditional login password. You set a PIN, and that single PIN is what unlocks the machine. It does three jobs, all from the one code:

• it decrypts your files when you log in,
• it confirms destructive actions (like a wipe or reinstall from recovery),
• it is the key to unlocking the machine’s protected settings.

Choose a PIN you will remember. Because it is also your decryption key, there is no separate “reset password” that a support person can do for you: if the PIN is lost, only your recovery code can get you back in. See Your PIN, password, and encryption.

Your recovery code

During first boot Sinty OS generates and shows you a recovery code: a one-time string, unique to this installation, that can recover your data if you ever forget your PIN.

Write it down and keep it safe

The recovery code is shown once, at setup. Copy it somewhere safe and offline (on paper, or in a password manager on another device). It is not stored anywhere you can look it up later. Without your PIN and without this code, encrypted data cannot be recovered.

Keep the recovery code as private as the PIN itself: anyone who has it can recover the machine. What it is and how to use it is covered in The recovery code.

Logging in

After setup, Sinty OS presents its greeter. Enter your PIN to unlock and sign in. From then on, your PIN is all you need to start a session.