top 49 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] 64 points 7 months ago (14 children)

Reset, once it's done downloading (if you go cloud), pull your network cable. When it gets to "let's get you online" hit shift f-10 which pulls up the terminal window. Type oobe\bypassnro and hit enter. Stay offline, and get back to the same spot in the install process but this time you'll have a "I don't have internet" link as an option. It'll protest, but you can then move forward with a local account. I literally did it yesterday.

Once you have a local account built, Windows will give you "sign in" alerts in settings and in security.

Just for the record, I use Linux. I do however work in a Windows shop and understand that "just use Linux" isn't at all helpful when someone asks a Windows question.

  • source
  • hideshow 14 child comments
  • [–] 15 points 7 months ago* (5 children)

    BypassNRO was removed from system files in 25H2 last year, unless you happened to be served an old ISO this won't work anymore.

    This is what I've been using since:

    • Complete the initial Windows 11 install and restart your PC.
    • When you reach the Secondary Keyboard Layout screen (before the Microsoft Account sign-up stage), press Shift + F10
    • In the console, type the command: start ms-cxh:localonly
    • Hit Enter, then press Escape to close the console.

    You can also use Rufus to make a setup drive which preconfigures the local account. This method and others are described in this article.

    PS: It still works if you copy the BypassNRO.cmd file from an old system to a new one when you're in OOBE mode (Ctrl+Shift+F3) during setup. It's just a powershell command that sets a registery key and reboots.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 5 child comments
  • [–] 3 points 7 months ago (3 children)

    Huh, that's weird that I've been able to use the bypass NRO trick pretty consistently at work and at home... I should have mentioned the Rufus thing too, but he was doing this as a reset, not as a new install, so I didn't.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • [–] 3 points 7 months ago (2 children)

    Yeah check which version of windows it installs, it'll be 22H2 or 24H2.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 4 points 7 months ago (1 child)

    I just got top work and asked a senior tech: 24H2 + a 25H2 enablement package to make bypassnro still work for us. Geez.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 1 point 7 months ago

    Honestly I have no idea how they keep getting away with adding more and more hurdles for local account creation. Literally no other OS for mobile or PC has this.

    I've seen anything from devices with a local account automatically enabling bitlocker with no way of recovering if bitlocker trips to devices with an MS account tripping bitlocker only to find out the recovery keys are not saved to the MS account, absolutely bonkers.

  • source
  • parent
  • [+] 6 points 7 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (2 children)
  • [–] 2 points 7 months ago (1 child)

    Hehe... Try installing VMware Player or Genshin Impact in Fedora! (Those are my two most recent headaches.) Any OS can be a pain, it just seems like Linux is getting friendlier every year and Microsoft becomes more overtly the enemy.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • load more comments (-1 replies)
  • [+] [S] 3 points 7 months ago (4 children)
  • [–] 6 points 7 months ago (3 children)

    I want to reiterate the importance of the "pull the network cable" part. If you fail to unplug the cable before the setup wizard detects that there is the possibility of a network connection, on some systems it will actually prevent you from making a local account altogether, as it will force you to connect to a network which will skip the shift-f10 step.

    We had this issue setting up demo models on laptops for awhile, if you didn't disable the wifi adapter before it saw there was networks available(even if they were password protected) it would require a second factory reset to even get to the point where it would let you setup a local account.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • load more comments (1 reply)
  • load more comments (-1 replies)
    [–] 16 points 7 months ago (10 children)

    You have to boot without network access then do the terminal command.

    What distro of Linux did you use that was so difficult? Something like Mint is very entry level and intuitive. You don't have to run any terminal commands if you don't want to, and the out of box configuration is good enough that you don't have to modify anything for a stable, up to date system.

  • source
  • hideshow 10 child comments
  • [+] [S] 16 points 7 months ago (3 children)
  • [–] 0 points 7 months ago (2 children)

    I just cannot imagine in any way microslop being more helpful in that regard or any, if there is any os where the magnifier is broken it is windows

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 7 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (5 children)

    Mint requires running a terminal command to disable the stupid printer notification.

    It also doesn't support Logitech mice out of the box, you have to search for the solution, which is a third party app to support a 10 year old (or brand new) mouse.

    Stop acting like it's a direct swap and people will be less hesitant to switch.

    Be open and honest that not everything is an easy transition, there will be hiccups, and there may be some things for which an easy solution simply doesn't exist.

    If you use Excel every day, switching is likely not pragmatic, as the OSS solutions simply don't compare yet and will always fall short if you use tables (about 90% of the spreadsheets I've ever been sent).

    Also, did you even listen to OP? Linux isn't an option. Wow.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 5 child comments
  • [–] 13 points 7 months ago (2 children)

    What do you mean by "support" here? I'm pretty sure Logitech mice will work fine, but you might need a tool to change on-device settings.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 12 points 7 months ago* (1 child)

    100%.

    Logitech mice work fine out of the box as a generic mouse. You only need third party software if you want to mess around with the Logitech special-sauce stuff.

    Neither Windows or Mac have 'support' for that either, until you install Logitech's software. Of course, Logitech as a company don't provide any software for Linux.

    So if anything, it's not that "Linux doesn't support Logitech" it's that Logitech doesn't Support Linux.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • load more comments (1 reply)
  • load more comments (1 reply)
  • [–] 22 points 7 months ago (2 children)

    My 80 year old mother switched to Linux this year and she's managing just fine.

  • source
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 1 point 7 months ago (1 child)

    Experiences vary. My 67 year old mother requires my help every few months because Ubuntu managed to fuck up itself again. Or because she managed to do so. I wish I could switch her to something more stable (fuck, even Windows didn't give here that much trouble back in the days), but due to an accident she can't handle a change like that anymore. So fuck my life, I'm stuck with supporting that piece of shit excuse of a Linux distro.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 5 points 7 months ago (4 children)

    If it is "Pro" version of Windows then you don't need an account.

  • source
  • hideshow 4 child comments
  • [–] 3 points 7 months ago (3 children)

    You should never not buy the pro version.

    Group policies does a good job at keeping setting off when MS decides to shuffle them in their broken setting UI

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • [–] 3 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (2 children)

    You should never not buy the pro version.

    Counterargument: 🏴‍☠️ 🦜

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 3 points 7 months ago (1 child)

    They don't have a parrot version. Not much of a counter argument against pro version there mate.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 3 points 7 months ago*

    It was against the buying part.

    And the parrot isn't downloaded, it's earned. When you've flown the jolly Roger long enough, a parrot will start visiting you and a big hairy guy with a peg leg and eyepatch declares "Yer a pirate, Harry!"

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 5 points 7 months ago

    Just pull the network cable/disable wifi

  • source
  • [–] 4 points 7 months ago

    I just set up a Windows 11 PC this week for testing (did it through a USB installer upgrading from Windows 10 Pro) and I was able to use the bypass OOBE/BYPASSNRO in command prompt and was able to create using a local account. I kept it offline without connecting to the internet during setup into getting to the desktop. This was using the latest Windows ISO on Microsoft’s website.

    Safe to say, I think it still is doable even going the reset method in Windows. Just keep it offline during initial setup.

  • source
  • [–] 7 points 7 months ago (2 children)

    And because someone is going to say “Just use Linux”, believe me, I’d love to, but the user experience sucks for literally anyone who isn’t a software developer and the accessibility has actually gotten worse over the 15 years I’ve tried to use it.

    Don't listen to people who suggest Ubuntu (or its downstreams) and the clownshow GNOME desktop environment.

    If you have a spare USB lying around, try this live (without installing) to see if you like it and please do share your feedback: https://fedoraproject.org/kde/

    Or even just your general gripes with Linux. I had the same outlook when I first tried Ubuntu but I didn't realize it was just Ubuntu and GNOME being really crappy until I tried a different distro and DE.

    but does that still work when resetting?

    Yeah, once you reach the setup screen and it asks you to connect to the internet, hit Shift + F10 (sometimes CTRL + Shift + F10) and it'll pop open a CMD window in which you want to type in "oobe\bypassnro" and hit enter. PC should restart and when you reach the internet screen again, there should be an option that says "I don't have internet". Click that and make your local account.

    If it doesn't work, sometimes you have to do it twice. Just did it yesterday on a real machine and it worked first try, but every VM I've made had me do it twice.

  • source
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 6 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 child)

    It's not ctrl+shift+f10, but you may need to hold the FN button if your F keys are also media keys. Try restarting the computer if it doesn't work the first time. Does not work with S-Mode Windows

    You can also try the command

    start ms-cxh:localonly

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 2 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

    S-mode is cancer. An insult to intelligence and digital sovereignty. So is Windows in general, but I still can't believe they got away with S-mode.

    I once encountered a user whose laptop had been in s-mode for 2 whole years. I suggested that they should disable S-mode, and that would allow them to do what they were trying to do much more easily, and without installing random 3rd-party malware from the Windows store. They declined, citing safety concerns. This was a person with an advanced degree, and certainly old enough to know better. Some people should just avoid computers altogether.

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 10 points 7 months ago (1 child)

    I'm not a software developer and Linux has been fantastically easy for me to understand and use on my personal machine. Especially easier than windows 11 that my employer installed on my work machine.

    I would suggest that it would be more accurate if you would focus on your own experiences and difficulties with Linux instead of bringing up "anyone who isn't a software developer".

  • source
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 3 points 7 months ago

    No, no, the Linux USB stick can be inserted before you turn it off. That way windows knows what's coming. Maybe leave it in there and go to their page to ask "how do you boot from Linux USB" microslop loves that.

  • source
  • [–] 8 points 7 months ago (2 children)

    And because someone is going to say "Just use Linux", believe me, I'd love to, but the user experience sucks for literally anyone who isn't a software developer a

    well that's bullshit, I went to LMDE 3 years ago and all I did was install a new NVME, booted off a thumb drive and the os installed it, no issues since. Including an entire OS upgrade with a few clicks when Debian went from 12 to 13.

    I wanted a few YT videos on how to configure the GUI.

    Everything I need can be installed via Flat pack, which is a GUI software installer

    I have dicked around with the CLI but only as a curiosity.

    Thai said if you want to do exactly as you did in windows then ... stick to wibdiws, if you want a GUI and happy to change course on apps eg I went from Lightroom to Darktable, use Inkscpae and I used LibreOffice on windows anyway but Nemo shits all over Explorer

  • source
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 2 points 7 months ago

    Make the ISO with Rufus USB. Bonus points also for googling the “windows unattended script”

  • source
  • [–] 1 point 7 months ago

    Ubuntu is super easy

  • source
  • [–] -2 points 7 months ago

    Use Linux. Be a better person. No, accessibility has not decreased the last 15 years? That's on you. Where did you get that? Use opencode to fix any problems for free.

  • source
  • [–] 0 points 7 months ago

    sorry nothing for you but I think dropping zorin on a box gives you something more usable than installing windows on it.

  • source
  • [–] -5 points 7 months ago

    What has your own research found?

  • source