How to get through Microsoft’s sneaky Windows setup

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WINDOWS By Lance Whitney Trying to set up Windows 10 or 11? Microsoft steers you toward certain features and settings that will benefit itself more th
[See the full post at: How to get through Microsoft’s sneaky Windows setup]

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EDIT: I am unsure if this will work on Windows Home versions. I use Pro and Enterprise only.

 

My recent install of Windows 11 22H2 only required the following to skip the online account setup:

When you reach the “Let’s connect you to a network” screen with the grayed-out Next button:

1. press Shift + F10 to launch a command prompt.

2. In the command prompt, run the following command: oobe\BypassNR O

This will execute the OOBE BypassNRO command, bypassing the network requirement during Windows 11 setup.

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Fred R, NaNoNyMouse

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JMF Tek – At the end of your oobe\BypassNR O

is that the letter O or a zero?

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There’s no space, the actual command is oobe\bypassnro and UPPER/lower case doesn’t matter.

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Steve, glnz, opti1

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NRO (capital Oh, and no spaces)

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Steve, rc primak, glnz

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shift-f10 does nothing.  The laptop probably was deleted out of intune incorrectly.  Connecting still shows the company email address login.

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On some laptops, like Lenovos, you must ress the Fn key to get the F10 key to be F10 instead of a specialty function.

In those cases pres Shift hold while pressing the Fn key then hold both the Shift and Fn while pressing the F10 key.

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Hi Lance,

This is a great walk-through…if you are setting up a computer. What if you got snagged or, as in my case, thought you were using a local account only to find out it was a MS account. I was “forced” to change / update my log in password because it expired. WHAT? I thought I had a local account and this shouldn’t have happen. For the last few months now I have been frustrated that my log in shows an icon from a MS login for something like a Steam account game I used.

Can you show us how to change a personal computer using MS account to or, in my case, back to local account? And do it in a way that won’t cause you to lose anything? IE: installed programs, access to links, and local shares – like printers. I would bet there are a lot of home users like me that would love to “go back” but prefer not to have to go through the whole windows setup to do it.

Look forward to hearing if this is even possible.

Best,

DNev

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Good question. Yes, you can switch from a Microsoft account to a local account without losing any apps or settings that aren’t tied to your MS account. I explained how to do that in this article – https://www.askwoody.com/2023/how-to-set-up-a-local-account-in-any-edition-of-windows-11/

 

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I’m surprised you’re still publishing this procedure since Microsoft changed the rules in the latest version.

In all the Windows 11 installs I’ve performed in the past month or two, the a@a.com “trick” doesn’t proceed to allow you to create a local account (as it used to) after the Oops error page – it simply returns to ask for the Microsoft account.  It will continue to do this repeatedly.

The only solution is to to open the Command window to turn off the oobe network requirement, reboot, then repeat the account setup process.

Am I missing something?

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rc primak

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When last I did it a few weeks ago I used no@thankyou.com and had to enter it either two or three times and then it still let me set up a local account.

Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher

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Kathy Stevens, rc primak, opti1

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That’s odd. The a@a.com trick still works for me. I haven’t heard of any reason why it wouldn’t work. The only thing I can do is try it again and see if I can somehow trip it up.

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rc primak

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Try it with a fresh download of Windows 11 from Microsoft’s Media Creation Tool.

btw – the same problem occurs (for me) using no@thankyou.com

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rc primak

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I think 24H2 shuts down the option.  Probably best to use shift-F10 to bring up command prompt.  Then type the following at the prompt:

oobe\bypassnro

Then let the system reboot and proceed with the setup.  Select “I don’t have an Internet connection” when that option appears, which it will now do.

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Thanks for an excellent and helpful article. I’ve always found the setup prompts deceptive and confusing. Your article does a great job of explaining the pitfalls.

A tool I have found helpful when creating the bootable installation drive from an ISO image is Rufus. When you begin to create the bootable drive, Rufus offers the following prompt, allowing you to opt-out of many of the annoying installation prompts described above:

Rufus also eliminates the need (for me) to create an autounattend.xml answer file for unattended installation.

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Lars220, rc primak, WSSam Golden, opti1, T-J-N, Cybertooth

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Good suggestion. I’ve used Rufus in the past to install Win 11, and it is a good way to get past some of Microsoft’s barriers.

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rc primak

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Rufus has become even more useful with the choices it offers to customize Windows 11 (or 10) installation.  A time saver for me.

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rc primak

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My mistake.

When I installed Windows 11 I used my hotmail address, but said no to the rest, and was never asked to enter my user name.

When the desktop appeared my user name was t****, taken from my email address (***) not Troy as I would have set it.

I don’t think I can change it now, can I?

Moderator Edit: to remove personal information. Posting your email address is against security rules.

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Microsoft used your email address as the Microsoft ID. So you were actually creating a Microsoft ID.

Back in 2015 when I set up my Windows Insider account, my email address was used an the Microsoft ID in a similar situation.

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rc primak, T-J-N, Ben Myers

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The progression of screens in this article looks almost exactly what I do somewhat routinely to install Windows 11 either on a new computer (to avoid all the junk often pre-installed) or a refurb.  Windows 11 Home is prickly when setting up a local account, more so than Windows 11 Pro.

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rc primak

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Hello Lance,

Thank you for an excellent explanation for setting up Win 10 or 11.

I have a Dell Inspiron 3471 Win 10 computer, and I am on 22H2 and staying the course until Susan Bradley tells me I shouldn’t delay going to Win 11 any further. Dell says it is a candidate for Win 11. I have a few questions.

1- This Dell computer came with Win 10 installed. If I were to get a new Dell computer with Win 11 installed, would it come with all the Microsoft goodies you said to avoid installed anyway?

2- The last 3 Win 10 updates really slowed down my computer. Is this Win 10 computer a poor candidate for Win 11 base on that alone? Could I get an image made of this 1 TB HDD and convert it to a 2 TB SSD to get the performance back?

3- When I went from Win 7 to this Win 10 computer, my Epson Perfection 3490 Photo scanner ran at half the speed that it ran on Win 7. My Canon Super G3 ImageClass printer didn’t work at all. I moved the Dell Win 7 computer and all the peripherals to a new location and still use if for the scanner and file backups. Am I going to experience the same printer and maybe other peripheral equipment issues?

Thanks for your help.

 

Charles

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IMO, a computer that meets Microsoft’s CPU requirements for Windows 11 should perform really well with Windows 11, if it has 16gb or more of ram and if you switch to only SSD drives.  However, Windows 10 may settle down and perform well after a few hours left on (one time only, not after every reboot of course) for index rebuilding and optimizations to occur even with a spinning hard drive.

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rc primak

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The reason “something went wrong” is that “a.com” is an illegal domain name. The second-level domain (“a”) is only one letter; Internet standards require a minimum of two.

I don’t believe a.com is an illegal domain name.

x.com is a valid name for what used to be twitter.com. Years ago it was a payment services predecessor of Paypal.

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FWIW, x.com does not open “x.com”,  it only triggers a redirect to twitter.com.

a.com produces “a.com’s DNS address could not be found”.

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rc primak

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I’m setting up a new Windows 11 PC today and the “trick” no longer works. I tried a@a.com and no@thankyou.com several times and it just goes back to the Microsoft sign-in page.

I unplugged the network cable and rebooted with “oobe\bypassnro” as suggested by Bob. Then I was able to create a local account.

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Just to be clear, you have to disconnect your router and be offline and then use the “oobe\bypassnro”?

This is a lot of work to set up a new computer.

I also read that a@aa.com would work?

An article online suggested not to select personal use, and then it will let you use a local account. I really do not want a Microsoft account.

The other alternative is to use an Android tablet or iPad if you have such accounts.

This is PERSONAL use, not ENTERPRISE.

I hope there is a work around soon if one would like to upgrade to Windows 11 with a new computer.

Win 10 Home 22H2

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There is an article that states to use double a instead of a single a dot com.

Any other work arounds?

Also, to be clear, completely shut down your router to use the bypass code?

Thanks in advance.

Win 10 Home 22H2

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If one works from home where no one else has physical access to the systems,  is it necessary to use a Win password (or PIN) on a new install? The password, which can easily be lost along with the 3 security questions/answers.

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rbailin wrote:

I don’t believe a.com is an illegal domain name.

You’re right in the sense that no RFC prohibits it. However, the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) reserved single-letter or single-digit SLDs to those already issued (for ASCII values only). You can see a list of the active single-character domains at Wikipedia.

You’ll note that a.com is not in the ASCII-only list.

This is simple enough to try – just type a.com into a browser and see what happens.

So effectively, a.com is not accessible and an attempt to provide an email address at the domain will fail. Failure to access the email address is all that is required in the process Lance describes.

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rc primak

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Boot into the OOBE first (Ctrl-Shift-F3) and run scripts like Spiceworks “Decrapifier” that delete all the crap-apps, and manually delete any others you don’t want from the default profile (this profile is what’s cloned to new user’s profiles every time a new user is created).

Reboot from the OOBE, then bypass the network requirement using oobe\bypassnro

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I used your article while setting up a Dell XPS desktop running Windows 11 Home two nights ago (May 28). The sequence of screens wasn’t exactly like yours, but the trick with a@a.com worked great and resulted in the “Oops, something went wrong” screen. I was able to set up a local account. Thanks!

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Thanks so much!

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Later today I will setup a low-capacity Lenovo IdeaPad laptop for limited use in my wife’s SoHo.  It has Win 11 Home SE.  I really want to start with a local account.

First, What are the latest suggestions?

Second, if I want to try the “oobe\bypassnro”, at what point in the initial setup process can I do that, and how DO I do that?

Third, in the initial setup, when will Shift+F10 be available to me?

Fourth, later, if we wish to go to MS account for the first time, how do we do that?

Thanks.

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Well, it looks like I will make my life very complicated by starting out WITHOUT a MS account.

So, in Win 11 Home, if I start with a MS account, can I go to local later?  How?

Thanks.

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glnz wrote:

So, in Win 11 Home, if I start with a MS account, can I go to local later?  How?

Pretty sure all you have to do is sign out. I’ve found that the easiest way to install Win11 with a local account (as well as bypassing a whole bunch of questions) is to use Rufus to create a modified iso install image.

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So last night I set up our new Lenovo bargain laptop with Win 11 Home and yes a MS account because it would otherwise have been difficult to switch from Win 11 Home S Mode (can install apps only from the MS Store) to Win 11 Home (can install apps from anywhere).

Now that the laptop is up and running and being tested by staff in my wife’s new office (primarily to run a tiny-label printer of all things), what should I do later if I feel like going “local”?  (FYI The staff’s other three bigger PCs are all Win 10 Pro “local” – I think.)

FYI – On the new Win 11 Home Lenovo Laptop, I installed our last available “user” of our pre-existing MS Office Family 365 (five users total) for $99/year.  So the MS account is also its OneDrive storage account connected to that MS Office Family 365 .  If I go “local” later, will that interfere with the continued connection to the OneDrive storage account?

Thanks.

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glnz wrote:

So, in Win 11 Home, if I start with a MS account, can I go to local later?  How?

Per PL1 above, agree Rufus is good tool.

As for a broad overview on setting up Win 11, I’ve attached a PDF Susan B wrote back in April 2023. While some things have changed since then, it’s a good starting place. After that, suggest just searching the Awoody forums for the latest Win 11 setup info.

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glnz

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Additionally in this thread,

fisher75 wrote:

I unplugged the network cable and rebooted with “oobe\bypassnro” as suggested by Bob. Then I was able to create a local account.

Desktop Asus TUF X299 Mark 1, CPU: Intel Core i7-7820X Skylake-X 8-Core 3.6 GHz, RAM: 32GB, GPU: Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti 4GB. Display: Four 27" 1080p screens 2 over 2 quad.

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PL1 wrote:

glnz wrote:
So, in Win 11 Home, if I start with a MS account, can I go to local later?  How?

https://www.askwoody.com/forums/topic/windows-11-oobe-skip-internet-check/#post-2680521

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Hey Y’all,

I just got done setting up a new HP Laptop and here’s how it went.

1. Plugged it in.
2. Attached an external USB SSD.
3. Attached a Macrium Reflect V6 boot USB.
4. Turned it on and pressed the ESC key repeatedly until the Options Menu appeared.
5. Selected F9 to boot from my MR USB.
6. Made an image of the drive.
7. Shutdown the machine and pulled all drives.
8. Booted into the OOBE and answered the first couple of questions.
9. When the Connection screen appeared I pressed the Shift+F10 key combo.
10. I got the Command Prompt Window and entered oobe\bypassnro and pressed Enter.
11. The system rebooted into the OOBE and I started over.
12. When it got to the Connection screen I clicked on I don’t have internet.
13. On the next screen I clicked on Continue with limited setup.
14. Every thing proceeded as would be expected and I have a nice new Local Account w/o a MS Account!

The whole thing worked just as it is supposed to.

WinVer shows Windows 11 22H2 (Build 22621.1848) Home. Time to plug in the internet cable and update, AFTER I take another Image!

May the Forces of good computing be with you!

RG

PowerShell & VBA Rule!
Computer Specs

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windbg, TechTango, Lars220, opti1, Cybertooth, PL1

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Thanks for all the great tips and ideas on how to get past this latest Microsoft issue.  Here is what I have been doing (on laptop 3 of 31 devices to set up) for Windows 11 Pro:

1. Power up computer, answer all prompts until you get to the “Let’s get you connected” step.
2. Shift+F10 to get to command prompt.
3. Enter command  oobe\bypassnro
4. System reboots, answer same initial prompts again.
5. At the “Lets get you connected step”, click on “I have limited internet”.
6. Click on next prompt about limited experience.
7. Prompt will come up to create a local account.
8. Follow rest of setup prompts.
9. In Windows (finally), connect to internet to do updates and such.
10. Done!

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Kathy Stevens, Cybertooth

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Before you do the above, BEFORE YOU TURN ON YOUR NEW PC FOR THE FIRST TIME, you might want take a preliminary step to give you the option of going all the way back to zero (virgin computer) should you hit a snag:

First (or zeroth) – and note that you don’t turn on your new PC normally for the first time until step d) below –

a)  On a different computer, use Macrium Reflect Free to “Create Rescue Media” on a USB stick.  Also get an external drive that you will use later to save a backup image of the new PC.  If your new PC doesn’t have enough USB slots for both the Macrium USB stick and the external drive at the same time, get a USB hub.

b)  On that different computer, research how you can boot your new PC directly into the USB stick when you turn on your new PC.  In my case, I needed to hit F12 (or F2 to re-sort the boot list) repeatedly (but not like a machine gun) immediately upon the first turn-on.

c)  On your new PC while still off and never turned on, connect the Macrium Reflect USB stick and the external drive.

d)  On your new PC, using the technique you found in step b), boot into the Macrium Reflect PE app on the USB stick and make a complete “image” of your new PC’s hard drive onto the external drive.  (Image, not clone.)  In my case, before starting the image, I first set the Macrium Reflect PE to “verify” the image to be 100% sure it would be a good image should I need to restore it.  Be patient to be sure Macrium Reflect completes and verifies.  Takes a while.  In my case, I made dinner.

e)  Shut down your new PC, disconnect the Macrium USB stick and the external hard drive.

f)  Now boot up your PC normally for the first time and try the local account setup tips in this thread.  If they work, great.  If they don’t and you get stuck, you can now use the Macrium USB stick to Restore the Macrium image from the external hard drive onto your new PC’s drive to try again from zero.

I did this just recently, not because I wanted a local account for the new Win 11 laptop but because I needed to convert its Windows 11 Home S Mode to plain Windows 11 Home.  The first time, the conversion failed, and an internet fix didn’t work.   But I was then able to Restore the virgin image onto the new laptop and try again, and the second time the conversion worked.

Happy Labor Day weekend, all!

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windbg, Cybertooth, opti1

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I found that my new hp inspiron 16 laptop doesn’t do it with Just shift and F10.

You need to press windows shift and f10.

oobe doesn’t work on cmd says oobe is not recognised.

so i ran regedit in cmd.

local computer>Software>Microsoft>Windows>Current Version>oobe

then create a new dword (32bit) called bypassNRo, then go into it and in the decimal place put 1, and then save and close regedit

close cmd and reopen cmd

type in ipconfig /release and then enter

then close cmd

then click back on your install and it should take you straight to create a username

 

(don’t forget when you get into windows to open cmd and type in ipconfig /renew in roder to turn on your wifi again

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Kathy Stevens, Cybertooth

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Matt Gordon wrote:

says oobe is not recognised

This is usually a typo on your part. Plenty of people have had trouble with that one.

cheers, Paul

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Any updates related to setting up a new Windows 11 computer and avoiding setting up a Microsoft account by using a@a.com or no@thankyou.com.

We very much want to use local accounts on our new workstations.

 

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Last I saw that method still worked (and you acknowledged it).
https://www.askwoody.com/forums/topic/windows-11-is-nothankyou-com-still-a-valid-setup-option/

cheers, Paul

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Paul T
I have seen a verity of posts related to the installation of Windows 11 without a Microsoft account.

Some say the using a@a.com or no@thankyou.com approaches works others not.

It appears to be a rapidly evolving issue – the war between Microsoft and users who only want local accounts.

See the discussion in tom’sHARDWARE at   https://www.tomshardware.com/how-to/install-windows-11-without-microsoft-account

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Kathy Stevens wrote:

We very much want to use local accounts on our new workstations.

I’ve found two that work.  One is to join a domain, which bypasses the need for a Microsoft account, but adds some business-related stuff to the installation, which in your case may be fine.

The second is to select Personal use, then use <fakename>@mail.com for the Microsoft account (I used imafool@mail.com for one) and proceed.  When the setup asks if you want to receive a verification email, choose Not now, and proceed.

Once the initial setup is totally complete, go into Computer Management, Local Users and Groups, create a new user of your choice, then add that user to the Administrators group.  Restart, login as your new user in the Administrators group, get through the “Hi” account setup, then back to Computer Management, Local Users and Groups.  In Users, right-click on the account you used to install, and select Delete.  You’ll be warned that all will be lost for that user, click OK, and you no longer have a Microsoft account, only a Local user in the Administrators group.  You can setup a Standard user (which is my preference for everyday usage), or as many as you wish.

Don’t use the Microsoft account for anything other than installation; don’t go to Windows Update or do anything other than create a new Administrators account, then restart.  It works quite well.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

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Kathy Stevens

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Just FYI: The “Registered Owner” of the computer will be the first ID created. The Registered Owner can be changed in the Registry. Change the “OwnerID” to the new ID (spaces allowed, like “PK Cano”, whatever was used as the second Administrator created)

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion]
"RegisteredOwner"=sz:"OwnerID"

and

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion]
"RegisteredOwner"=sz:"OwnerID"

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Any updates on setting up a new Windows 11 Pro without an online account?

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Situation pretty much the same. I installed a new W11 Pro system yesterday with 24H2.  I used Shift <F10> to bring up the command window, entered OOBE\BypassNRO  (no spaces), and it rebooted.  When it got to the account login, it just asked for the local user name, and proceeded normally from there.

 

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Just setup a new HP Z2 G9 Tower Workstation (SKU: 4N3U9AV_MB).

All went well using oobe\bypassnro.

Only impediment during setup was an unexpected series of HP registration pages at the tail end of the process.  Just clicked through the HP pages without entering data and all is well.

Now I have to figure out how to use Windows 11 and make it look like Windows 10.

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opti1

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Try this KB: https://www.askwoody.com/forums/topic/6000011-resources-to-adjust-windows-11-menu-and-file-system-to-be-more-like-10/

cheers, Paul

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Once I have the first of several new workstations setup with Windows 11 – the way I want it – can I clone the Windows drive onto another SSD and use the cloned drive on another brand new (identically configured) workstation?

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Kathy,

Yes you can. However, I would suggest rather than clone do an Image backup. Create a bootable rescue USB. Start each machine using the USB with the external drive containing the image connected and restore from that.

One thing may be an issue is your windows licensing (Clone or Imaging). I would guess that each of the machines has an embedded key for its Windows installation so it shouldn’t be a problem. But it might be prudent to do the basic installation on each machine and use software to grab the keys and record them, JIC!

May the Forces of good computing be with you!

RG

PowerShell & VBA Rule!
Computer Specs

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Hi,

Sorry if 2 questions came through odd, I think I did something wrong.

I bought a Windows 11 pro installed on a lenovo m720s sff off Ebay and a mate of mine did a system restore, we are now stuck on the school or work login screen and unable to get by this in any way I have found on the web.

Im not very computer savvy so please bear with me, I’m sure it came up as version 23h2 or 24h2 in the Windows pro version, I have been too-ing and fro-ing with the company I bought it off without much joy.

It seems locked to an IT company and brings their logo up as I try and boot up, then I get the school or work password screen to which I have no idea, and cannot proceed in any way, tried all the troubleshoot and restore Windows that everyone suggests etc.

Any ideas before I start the refund return process from EBay?

Many Thanks

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Uh oh you have a computer connected to a firm’s autopilot installation.  Either get a refund or have the vendor at ebay dis-enroll that computer from their intune/autopilot deployment.  You can’t get around this.

Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher

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Am setting up a secondhand PC Windows 11 Home 23H2 or a work user.  I want a local account with with the user’s work account only.   I have set up several PCs using these methods in past six months, but they no longer work.

ipconfig/release or ipconfig /release no longer work.  On hitting Enter, the message that comes up says that no operation can be performed while media is disconnected.  A dummy email address did not work either.  For both options, it simply returned to original screen asking for MS account log in details.  Only way to proceed was to put in my own personal MS account details.

Are you able to suggest another method?  Would signing in with personal account, creating local account, and then signing out of personal account work?

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Drew wrote:

Are you able to suggest another method? Would signing in with personal account, creating local account, and then signing out of personal account work?

https://rufus.ie/en/ (By default, it downloads 24H2, but you can use your own 23H2 .iso to create the USB installer.)

If you do need the 23H2 image:

https://massgrave.dev/windows_11_links

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Lars220

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Hey all and love all the good info you have here. I too am trying to install windows 11 on a new HP laptop WITHOUT an MS account and am running into all sorts of roadblocks. My plan was to setup windows without connecting to the internet… but of course that fails as I have no option to continue from the ‘Lets connect to the internet’ screen. I heard the ‘continue without internet’ button was removed.

So I wanted to run that ‘oobe’ command but no combination of F10 gives me a command prompt. I managed somehow to get to a semi-desktop and tried to start cmd.exe, which windows refused and said it can’t be trusted. Huh??? So I have that stupid S mode BS.

In the BIOS I turned off ‘secure boot’ but that didn’t change anything.

So… how can I continue? I can’t consistently get back into that semi-desktop windows where I can access settings. It randomly has come up a few times but I can’t find the exact keystrokes needed. I’m trying every combination of shift, alt, ctrl, Win, FN keys and can’t get it.

Any help would be appreciated! Thx in advance!

Moderator Edit: to remove HTML. When you copy/paste, please use the “Text” tab in the Entry box, or the “Paste as text” button in the menu.

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Shift F10 at the “let’s connect” prompt should open a Command Prompt.
If this isn’t working for you, use the 2nd method posted by @bbearren above.

cheers, Paul

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Check out my  recent post here for video #2752301  suppose to still work for new computer setup.

 

Windows 10 Pro x64 v22H2 and Windows 7 Pro SP1 x64 (RIP)

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If we start with existing Win 10 Pro machines that were set up WITHOUT MS accounts and let them upgrade themselves to Win 11 by setting their TRV permitted upgrade versions to Win 11 23H2, will the Win 11 OSes demand MS accounts?

If yes, what steps then to make them skip the requirement?

Thanks.

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My answer here.

 

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@Lance Whitney and/or Others:

In the original Newsletter article a string of screens were posted to show the Window 11 setup progression but utilizing the old trick a@a.com which no longer works.

Could you please update the setup screens to  show where utilizing the new/current method of hitting the F10 button and entering oobe\bypassnro comes into play?  It seems that it is right before a screen that asks you to “choose a country or region”, but none of your screens show that point.

Also, at what point do you disconnect from internet, before the F10 entry or after the entry and reboot up?  And, at what point do you reconnect to the internet to allow the setup program to setup/install/make an internet connection?

Windows 10 Pro x64 v22H2 and Windows 7 Pro SP1 x64 (RIP)

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Read RGs post above for a tested install without MS user.

cheers, Paul

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RG process adds complexity by interjecting the Macrium backup routine into the setup (I am still sorting out Macrium for Win 11 in another posting). My computer company will be providing a good old backup/recovery usb with the build.

Would just like to see revised screens that lead up to where the new F10 process comes in to know when it is coming up to be prepared.

From RG above,  More details and screen shots for these steps please.

• Booted into the OOBE and answered the first couple of questions.
• When the Connection screen appeared I pressed the Shift+F10 key combo.
• I got the Command Prompt Window and entered oobe\bypassnro and pressed Enter.
• The system rebooted into the OOBE and I started over.
• When it got to the Connection screen I clicked on I don’t have internet.
• On the next screen I clicked on Continue with limited setup.
• Every thing proceeded as would be expected and I have a nice new Local Account w/o a MS Account!

Thanks

 

Windows 10 Pro x64 v22H2 and Windows 7 Pro SP1 x64 (RIP)

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Tex,

It’s a little difficult to take screen shots when Windows isn’t installed yet!
Now if I had a video capture device installed I could get them, unfortunately I don’t.

You can, at your own risk, eliminate the system images from the instructions easily enough.

May the Forces of good computing be with you!

RG

PowerShell & VBA Rule!
Computer Specs

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RG  Sorry, I didn’t intend to make my request specifically back to you at this point. Just thought maybe some member would be able to add context or screen shots they may have acquired to elaborate on the steps that you had taken.

Thanks

 

Windows 10 Pro x64 v22H2 and Windows 7 Pro SP1 x64 (RIP)

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Tex265 wrote:

Would just like to see revised screens that lead up to where the new F10 process comes in to know when it is coming up to be prepared.

@Tex265, this article from How-to-Geek may provide many or all of the screenshots that you’re asking for. Focus on the first two sections, “Can you skip” and “How to bypass”. Note that the third screenshot actually contains two images; you can switch back and forth between them by clicking on the left/right arrows in black boxes at the bottom right corner of the image.

Do bear in mind that this article was published last July, so it may not reflect experience with the most current version of Windows 11. However, it should provide you with enough information to feel comfortable proceeding with the installation.

Good luck, and give us a holler if you run into any snags.

 

Keep Running Windows 7 Safely for Years to Come  
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Tex265

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Could someone clarify when you are to press the Shift > F10 keys during the installation process.

The How-t0-Geek article shows to press at the “Lets connect you to a network” screen while another article at Tom’s Hardware and a You Tube by Ask Leo show to press it at the “Choose a country or region” screen which I think is a bit earlier in the installation process.

Which point/screen is it?

Also, since you are disconnecting the internet: does the rest of the install proceed properly? At what point do you re-connect to the internet?  Do you just plug the line back into the computer?  Or do you need to do something to make the computer re-connect to the internet?

 

Windows 10 Pro x64 v22H2 and Windows 7 Pro SP1 x64 (RIP)

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Just to test, I did a “Shift > F10” on my currently running Windows 10 Pro desktop computer with logitech keyboard and it does not pull up a Command Prompt window!

It simply pulls down a mouse right click screen menu depending on what screen I am on at the time.

Is the key combo only good during Windows 11 installation or do I have some type of problem?

Windows 10 Pro x64 v22H2 and Windows 7 Pro SP1 x64 (RIP)

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Only during the installation process.
Windows is not running at this point, just the install routine.

cheers, Paul

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Tex265

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Tex265 wrote:

The How-t0-Geek article shows to press at the “Lets connect you to a network” screen while another article at Tom’s Hardware and a You Tube by Ask Leo show to press it at the “Choose a country or region” screen which I think is a bit earlier in the installation process.

FWIW, Paul Thurrott at thurrott.com says that for 24H2, you should press Shift + F10 at the screen for “Let’s connect you to a network”, and then you only connect the PC to the Internet once the Windows desktop is up. As Paul says, simply plug the Ethernet cable back in.

(I would provide a link to his page, but that particular post is behind a paywall.)

The reason there is so much confusion over the exact procedure is that Microsoft keeps changing/limiting the methods by which users can set up their new computers without a Microsoft Account. As Paul’s article is from November and it references 24H2, with any luck this does represent the current state of things.

 

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Tex265

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Tex265 wrote:

Could someone clarify when you are to press the Shift > F10 keys during the installation process.

The How-t0-Geek article shows to press at the “Lets connect you to a network” screen while another article at Tom’s Hardware and a You Tube by Ask Leo show to press it at the “Choose a country or region” screen which I think is a bit earlier in the installation process.

Which point/screen is it?

Also, since you are disconnecting the internet: does the rest of the install proceed properly? At what point do you re-connect to the internet?  Do you just plug the line back into the computer?  Or do you need to do something to make the computer re-connect to the internet?

 

It doesn’t matter when you do it. You can do it right away on the first screen if you like. Once you pull up the command prompt and enter oobe/bypassnro, the OOBE/Setup Screens reset back to the beginning and you go through everything again, only this time an option will appear to skip the internet connection.

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That’s a new wrinkle.

I assume you still disconnect from the internet before pressing the Shift + F10 keys combination?

 

Windows 10 Pro x64 v22H2 and Windows 7 Pro SP1 x64 (RIP)

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This was covered in the third line of the first paragraph in this reply. You can disconnect the PC at any point during the process before you reach the “Let’s connect you to a network” screen. Paul Thurrott says you can even start already disconnected the first time you turn it on to go through the OOBE (Out Of the Box Experience).

 

Keep Running Windows 7 Safely for Years to Come  
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Cybertooth wrote:

This was covered in the third line of the first paragraph in this reply. You can disconnect the PC at any point during the process before you reach the “Let’s connect you to a network” screen. Paul Thurrott says you can even start already disconnected the first time you turn it on to go through the OOBE (Out Of the Box Experience).

Cybertooth, thanks for adding this part as your “this reply” addresses at what screen to hit the Shift + F10 keys and when to plug the internet cable “back in”, but not when to unplug the internet cable.

This is getting stranger because other sites claim that unless you started out with an internet connection that the install would not proceed at all!!

This video from Ask Leo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62w1rKxOZMs clearly shows to hit Shift +F10 BEFORE disconnecting from the internet (so assumption is he is connected up to that point).  Thurrott  says you can be disconnected to begin with, or at least BEFORE hitting Shift + F10 keys.  Uaasv above seems to say you don’t need a connection at all, just enter the Shift + F10 key and you can get the “I don’t have internet” screen.

Does anyone actually know:

Do you need to begin the oobe with an internet connection?

At what screen do you hit Shift + F10 to enter oobe\bypassnro?

Hit Shift + F10 when?   Before or After disconnecting from the internet (assuming you need to be connected at all).

 

Windows 10 Pro x64 v22H2 and Windows 7 Pro SP1 x64 (RIP)

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Tex265 wrote:

Does anyone actually know: Do you need to begin the oobe with an internet connection?

Yes, it’s in RGs post above, as I said.

As the setup was a laptop there was no internet connection, because Shift F10 is pressed at the “Connection screen”.

cheers, Paul

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I’m hoping RG and/or uaasv can chime back in to confirm that he was not ever connected to the internet throughout the entire install process as that is totally in conflict with the instructions provided by How-to-Geek, Tom’s Hardware, & Ask Leo video, who all say to start with a connection, enter Shift + F10 then enter oobe\bypassnro.  After the re-start, disconnect from the internet and proceed to the screen that allows the selection “I don’t have internet” in the lower right side. Then proceed with remaining Windows 11 set up for a Local Account.

How-to-Geek specifically notes that Windows 11 will throw an error screen “Oops, you’ve lost internet connection (lets go back and connect to your network again)” if you don’t proceed as above initially with a connection.

Paul T wrote:

Yes, it’s in RGs post above, as I said. As the setup was a laptop there was no internet connection, because Shift F10 is pressed at the “Connection screen”.

Regarding above, selecting Shift F10 (Shift + F10) only pulls up a Command Prompt to enter the oobe\bypassnro, he does not say whether or not he does, does not, or ever had an internet connection.

Is RG and uaasv (and maybe Paul Thurrott per last post by Cybertooth) saying that it does not matter at all whether there is, at any point, an internet connection during the entire Windows 11 setup procedure. That the only thing that matters is entering Shift + F10 oobe\bypassnro at some/any point early in the setup process?

Windows 10 Pro x64 v22H2 and Windows 7 Pro SP1 x64 (RIP)

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Deo, opti1

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I always start with the Internet DISCONNECTED!

May the Forces of good computing be with you!

RG

PowerShell & VBA Rule!
Computer Specs

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Cybertooth wrote:

what exactly are you worried about here—why do you think it’s so crucially important whether the PC is disconnected at the outset or at a certain precise moment in the OOBE process?

Thanks for the links.  I am a very detailed type and not a youngster any more. It is also just me about to wrangle with a new computer due to the age of my current Windows 10 system and the inevitable Windows 11.  I can’t afford messing this up, experimenting ways, or getting sucked into the Microsoft Account trap.  Same for automatically getting BitLocker encrypted.

So when so many respected people write so many detailed, differing opinions of how to properly go about setting up a Local Account, it creates cause for concern/confusion.  How can they all be correct?  How did they arrive at their method? Why do some folks detail where/when/and absolutely that you have to start with an internet connection while other’s actions seem to indicate it doesn’t even matter?

That’s my ongoing dilemma as there is no consensus.  Is Microsoft so stupid as to allow bypassing the Microsoft Account by simply booting up and then at any time pressing the Shift + F10 entry trick?

Doesn’t anyone who is not at all connecting to the internet receiving the How-to-Geek article error screen notice:

“Oops, you’ve lost internet connection (lets go back and connect to your network again”

 

Windows 10 Pro x64 v22H2 and Windows 7 Pro SP1 x64 (RIP)

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opti1

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Tex265 wrote:

I’m hoping RG and/or uaasv can chime back in to confirm that he was not ever connected to the internet throughout the entire install process as that is totally in conflict with the instructions provided by How-to-Geek, Tom’s Hardware, & Ask Leo video, who all say to start with a connection, enter Shift + F10 then enter oobe\bypassnro.

@tex265, what exactly are you worried about here—why do you think it’s so crucially important whether the PC is disconnected at the outset or at a certain precise moment in the OOBE process?

The computer isn’t going to attempt to connect to a Microsoft server until the point where the screen “Let’s connect you to a network” appears, and even then not until you actually connect the computer to a network. But if you’re concerned about that, then the “safe” approach is to leave it disconnected from the Internet from the beginning until that screen appears.

You’ve been agonizing over the exact procedure for at least a week now. If you do this wrong and it turns out that you needed to connect it first and only then disconnect it, the worst thing that’ll happen is that you’ll get some kind of error message. If you mess it up, I have not read anywhere that you cannot simply turn off the PC and start over to do it a different way. It’s not like you’re getting ready to demolish a building. 

If you’re still feeling uncomfortable about this, check out here and here and here.

 

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Andy M

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Sorry, my response to you landed one post above under RetiredGeek.

 

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Tex265 wrote:

I can’t afford messing this up

Yes you can.

Make a bootable USB of your backup software.
Boot the new PC from the USB and make an image backup to an external disk.

Now you can mess up as much as you like because you can always restore the original factory software.

cheers, Paul

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Cybertooth

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Hey Y’all,

Just for clarification I just finished setting up Windows on a Dell Laptop.
When I got to the Connection screen I disconnected the cable.
Hit the Shift+F10.
Entered the oobe\bypassnro command.
System Rebooted and when I got back to the Connections screen I had the “I don’t have Internet” link.

All is well…

May the Forces of good computing be with you!

RG

PowerShell & VBA Rule!
Computer Specs

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opti1, Cybertooth

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When I got to the Connection screen I disconnected the cable.
Hit the Shift+F10.
Entered the oobe\bypassnro command.

@retiredgeek  Thanks for your update, I assume this means you started the install with an internet cable connected.  The only variation from some others is that you disconnected the cable before performing the Shift + F10 then oobe\bypassnro command while some others advise to disconnect the cable after first entering the command and the computer restart.

RetiredGeek wrote:

I always start with the Internet DISCONNECTED!

I assume this previous comment is/was incorrect, or did that also actually work?

 

Windows 10 Pro x64 v22H2 and Windows 7 Pro SP1 x64 (RIP)

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It works BOTH ways!

May the Forces of good computing be with you!

RG

PowerShell & VBA Rule!
Computer Specs

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Cybertooth

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