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 Desktop.

When the OOBE first appears, the screen changes to white and displays a blue Windows 11 logo. Once this happens, you can step normally through the first three steps of this wizard: Is this the right country or region?, Is this the right keyboard layout or input method?, and Want to add a second keyboard layout? before landing on the fourth step, Let’s connect you to a network.

Type SHIFT + F10 to display a Command Prompt window, which lets you execute Windows applications using asx command line interface. Make sure Command Prompt is selected and then type the following command:

oobe\bypassnro

When you press ENTER, the PC will reboot and the Windows 11 Setup OOBE will start over. Step through it as before. When you get to the screen titled “Let’s connect you to a network,” you will see a new link near the bottom left titled “I don’t have internet.”

Click this link to display the “Who’s going to use this device?” screen.

Now, just enter a local account name (like Paul) in the Enter your name field and click “Next.” Then, you will be prompted to enter a “super-memorable password,” which is optional. Do so (or not), click “Next,” and then step through the truncated remainder of the OOBE. When you’re done, the Windows 11 Desktop will appear with a cleaner than usual Start.

From here, you should follow the instructions in the Windows 11 Personalization First Steps chapter to install Windows and app updates and perform other post-installation tasks.

If you do want to use a Microsoft account, you can optionally convert the local account you created into a Microsoft account (in the Settings app, navigate to Accounts and click “Sign in”), or perhaps just create a new Microsoft account sign-in (in Settings > Accounts > other users).

Overcome Windows 11 Setup annoyances with Rufus

You can optionally use a third-party utility called Rufus to create a customized version of the Windows 11 install media on a USB flash drive that can remove several Setup annoyances, most notably the Microsoft account requirement. The resulting installation requires a bit of extra post-setup work, however.

Rufus can also remove the Windows 11 Setup requirements for TPM, CPU, RAM, and disk space, and it can configure the install media to automatically skip over the privacy choices during Setup. If all you need is to remove the Microsoft account requirement, the method noted above is perhaps simpler.

We discuss how to create Windows 11 install media using Microsoft’s tools in the Create Windows 11 Install Media chapter.

To get started, connect a USB flash drive to your PC. Then, download Rufus and run the downloaded app (it’s a standalone app that doesn’t need to be installed).

If you already have a Windows 11 Setup ISO file, click the “SELECT” button to find it in the file system. If you don’t have this ISO file, click the drop-down control next to “SELECT” and choose “DOWNLOAD” from the menu that appears. This changes the label of the “SELECT” button to “DOWNLOAD.”

Click “SELECT” or “DOWNLOAD.” If you need to download an ISO file, you will have to make several choices in sequence in the Download ISO Image dialog that appears.

They are:

• Version. Choose “Windows 11” (the default).
• Release. There will likely only be a single choice here. If not, choose the latest version offered, some version of 24H2.
• Edition. Choose “Windows 11 Home/Pro/Edu.”
• Language. Choose as appropriate. Note that the default choice in the U.S. is “English/International,” which should be changed to “English (United States)” (if you live in the United States, that is).
• Architecture. Your only choice here is “x64.”

Once you get through all that, Rufus will display a “Download” button so you can download the ISO.

After the download completes–or immediately, if you already had your own ISO file–click the “Start” button. A Windows User Experience dialog will appear with several options to consider.

One of the two options that is selected by default, Remove requirement for an online Microsoft account, satisfies our needs. But you can examine the other options and determine whether you would like to include those workarounds as well. Click “OK” when you’re done, and then click “OK” in the warning dialog to start creating the install media.

When that’s done, you can for the most part set up Windows 11 using the new install media normally and as described in the Step-by-Step: Windows 11 Setup First-Boot Experience and Step-By-Step: Windows 11 Setup Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE) chapters.

That said, there are some differences when using a Rufus-customized install media.

The PC must be offline during Setup

The Microsoft account workaround requires that the PC on which you’re installing Windows 11 is not connected to the Internet during Windows 11 Setup.

Depending on which selections you made in the Windows User Experience dialog, some of the normal OOBE steps will be removed, resulting in a faster but potentially incomplete Setup experience.

You may find that the mouse cursor is unavailable during the Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE). Here, you can attach an external mouse or master some keyboard skills: In addition to using the arrow keys, you can TAB between on-screen controls and tap ENTER or SPACE to select them.

In general, the installation process works like that described in the previous section. When you get to the screen titled “Let’s connect you to a network,” click the “I don’t have internet” to proceed.

After that, you will be prompted to create a username–in the “Who’s going to use this device?” screen–and then an optional “super-memorable password.” And that’s pretty much it: After a bit of cleanup, the Windows 11 Desktop will appear with an extremely minimalist Start and, most likely, no Internet connection and missing drivers and other small issues that can be solved via Windows Update.

Connect to the Internet first, if required–using the “Wi-Fi” quick start button in Quick settings or by connecting to Ethernet–and then open Windows Update (in Settings > Windows Update) to get the PC up-to-date.

As with the OOBE, you may find that the mouse cursor is not available. You can use the keyboard to navigate, but if you have an external mouse, that might prove easier.

To open Quick settings with the keyboard, type WINKEY + A. To check Windows Update for updates with the keyboard, type WINKEY + I to open the Settings app, TAB to select the “Home” item in the sidebar, tap DOWN ARROW until “Windows Update” is selected, SPACE to open the Windows Update page, TAB twice to select “Check for updates,” and then “SPACE” to check for updates. You got this.

Reboot as needed and be sure to update all the in-box apps using the Microsoft Store. Depending on the PC, all these updates can take quite awhile. But when you’re done, you will have a clean install of Windows 11 that’s devoid of crapware and is using the local account you prefer.

If that’s not what you prefer, you can switch to a Microsoft account as noted above.