Overcome Windows 11 Setup Annoyances (24H2)

With each passing version of Windows 11, Microsoft has made it ever more difficult for power users to configure the system to their liking so that it can steer them toward using more of its products and services. We see this hostility throughout the system, but in this chapter, we focus on Windows 11 Setup, as described in Step-by-Step: Windows Setup First-Boot Experience and Step-By-Step: Windows Setup Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE)c.

We see two key issues:

Crapware. PC makers have long installed crapware and other superfluous utilities in Windows, providing users with a compromised user experience that didn't reflect what Microsoft intended. But with Windows 11, now Microsoft installs its own collection of crapware too, in the form of sponsored apps and shortcuts in Start.
Forced Microsoft account (MSA) usage. While we feel strongly that most users are best off signing in to Windows 11 using a Microsoft account, we also acknowledge that experienced users should be able to use a local account (or what Microsoft sometimes calls an offline account) if they wish, and as they have in all previous Windows versions.

You can learn more in the Local Accounts chapter.
Though these issues may be of little concern to casual users, we think it's important to have the choice if you want it. On that note, we offer two methods for working around Microsoft's stubbornness.

The first method is recommended for most readers, as it doesn't require any work. But the second method, which relies on a third-party utility and a custom version of the Windows 11 install media, might be appealing to more technical users as it results in an even cleaner Windows 11 installation. That said, it requires extra on your part as well.
Overcome Windows 11 Setup annoyances using a simple hack
Windows 11 requires individuals configuring a PC for personal use to connect to the Internet and sign in with a Microsoft account (MSA) during initial setup. As noted earlier, this is reasonable and even desirable for most users, and we recommend that most readers simply do so as required.

But power users who prefer to sign in with a local account--what Microsoft sometimes calls an offline account to differentiate it from online accounts like Microsoft accounts and work or school accounts--will want to bypass these requirements. Interestingly, when you do so, you also get an installation of Windows 11 without most of Microsoft's installed crapware.

You bypass these requirements in the Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE) of Windows 11 Setup. This is the onboarding experience you get when you first turn on a new PC. But you will also encounter the OOBE when you perform a clean install of Windows 11 or use Reset the PC to return the PC to a pristine, error-free state.

This method has one requirement: Your PC must be offline when you run the OOBE. If you connect to the Internet with an Ethernet cable, unplug it unless you've fully installed Windows 11 and have arrived at the...