Do you want to install Windows 11 without internet access or without an online Microsoft Account? It seems Microsoft really doesn’t want you to, as it has removed a very common and popular way of bypassing this requirement. In the release notes for the latest builds from the Dev and Beta channels, the company notes:
We’re removing the bypassnro.cmd script from the build to enhance security and user experience of Windows 11. This change ensures that all users exit setup with internet connectivity and a Microsoft Account.
Let me blow your minds and state that I don’t think online accounts for an operating system are inherently a bad idea. I would love it if I could install Fedora KDE on a new machine, optionally log into some online “Fedora Account”, and have my customisations and applications synchronise automatically. It would save me some time and effort, and assuming it’s all properly encrypted and secured, I don’t think the risk factors are particularly high. The keyword here is, of course, optionally. Microsoft wants every Windows 11 user to have a Microsoft Account instead of a local account, and would rather not make it optional at all.
Of course, this is still Microsoft, a company wholly incapable of doing anything right when it comes to operating systems, so even making this script available again during installation is stupidly easy. It took a few nerds mere moments to discover you could just make some registry changes during installation, reboot, and have the script return to its rightful place.
Oh Microsoft. Never change.
There are lots of technical scenarios where one would want or need to avoid or delay Internet connection, specially on fresh deployments.
We are surely well into the age of institutionalised dumbification, and I’m not even implying this is truly intentional on their end, as MS might have already truly zombified itself…
If you want that you have to stump up for enterprise. None of these restrictions apply.
Adurbe,
Honestly they should not apply to “pro” either.
Absolutely right. It should not apply to pro.
Good news is that Microsoft cannot change all those Windows 11 22H2 ISOs people have already downloaded on their hard drives, so all you have to do to bypass this silly restriction is to install the OS using a Windows 11 22H2 ISO and then let Windows Update bring you to the latest Windows 11 with the local account preserved.
So, even if they completely remove OOBE\BYPASSNRO from subsequent ISOs of Windows 11, it’s more of a middle finger to power users than a real attempt to eradicate local accounts.
Predict increasing rate of piracy for LTSB, and more users seeking escape as *well fertilized* pastures have long ago verged into being manure dumping grounds.
Apparently new workaround is already here https://www.xda-developers.com/windows-11-users-fight-back-against-microsoft-local-accounts/
I have a crazy idea. Maybe just don’t use Windows! It’s never been easier to switch to something else.
Sure, but what can run your Windows programs flawlessly and without compromise ? How your corporation is going to deal with its IT infrastructure the way Windows does ? Be realistic…
Kochise,
I thought this article was about home users. Corporate users are very likely to be using windows enterprise logging in using active directory. If we want to open the scope of discussion to corporate environments, I’d say support for linux depends heavily on the company in question. Many companies only support windows and random employees aren’t going to make much headway with linux. Other companies, especially in hosting services are quite familiar with linux.
I concede there is an element of “if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail” at play, but sometimes I do find it useful to use linux VMs in corporate windows environments. After all Linux has lots of powerful tools that can be easily automated. I can set up linux to be the router for windows, which opens up the flexibility of using iptables. I can set up stunnel daemons to facilitate debugging encrypted HTTPS traffic, etc. This setup got us out of a bind when wireshark on windows failed to capture the traffic over a VPN, for example.
Yea, if my stupid Canon photo printer and my stupid Epson scanner would work properly on Linux/FreeBSD, I’d not need to keep a dual boot machine.
Yea, generic drivers work for the scanner, but I need ALL the features for my photography work.
(I managed to abandon photoshop for gimp, though)
Shiunbird,
Sometimes even I end up in those situations too that can be hard to avoid. I do try to make sure hardware will be compatible with linux, but it doesn’t always work out.
I encourage people try to linux if they’re open to it, but I think it’s important not to misrepresent it with an expectation that it’s all roses; niche platforms simply don’t have support through most manufacturers and software developers. There are hurdles and I think it’s in our interests as linux promoters to be up front about these.
The average user cannot bypass anything whatsoever and would not understand any steps of the process – and would probably just ask their techie uncle to do it. If even.
The need for windows is the same as android.
The most popular platform will try to lock you in and collect all the more telemetry.. and ppl just have to deal with it.
Not sure it’s getting harder,
“Shift-F10” at the region prompt,
“start ms-cxh:localonly” at the CMD prompt,
That seems easy to me, as far as I know works for Home and Pro!
But windows is “easy to use” and “never requires typing arcane commands like linux”…
This is the frog being boiled slowly. Ultimately a gov ID will be required to go online.
Each time Microsoft or Apple (or any closed source software vendor) does something stupid (for the user, but good for themselves) there is one or ten dudes saying that they will use old copy, they have it already installed, they will find a way to “fix” it.
Dude, your vendor shits on you and you are trying to figure out how to swim in liquid shit. Why are people like this? Why would you accept this? this is why Microsoft is such a widely used platform. NOT because it’s good, but because people are affraid of change AND because they would rather sacrifice everything to stay with whatever they know. But guess what – Microsoft keeps making little unpleasant changes, so I’d rather jump shimps and use something predictable and customizable instead. People are really weird.