This might be relevant to those who wish / have to use Windows 11:
This week, Microsoft made it very clear that it wants to block the popular BYPASSNRO workaround, used to skip the internet and Microsoft Account requirement checks during the Windows 11 installation OOBE (initial setup), although thankfully, the script can still be created using Registry edits.
A 7 step guide.
As a civilization, we need to accept that we can no longer continue to depend on Microsoft Windows to use our computers. Hopefully the transition will go through without Microsoft having the opportunity to try to save themselves.
I don’t think we are even close to getting critical mass but there gamers can be converted pretty easily now.
Each time micro-shit does a thing, Linux gets more users.
Prolly will take another decade or two but Linux will hit that critical mass.
Every day more people find out that Linux is part of the freedom tool set.
Bought an old laptop for my daughter’s first computer. She’s going to just learn typing and some simple stuff. Not able to install Windows with a local account. Fedora KDE it is then.
Recently needed to set up a Win11 VM. It worked after removing the network adaptor from the VM setup, and then using the bypassnro command.
Fucking Microsoft.
This is great. Most other comments only talking about how the solution is to “install Linux”. But thats not a viable solution for us Admins setting up PC’s for users in a company who barely understand how to use a Windows machine, never mind them ever even hearing of the word Linux.
I would love to install Linux on some users machines that dont use the PC for anything other than Internet Access. But I know they would still have a cow.
Since I saw they were getting rid of Bypassnro ive been panicking, wondering if I’m going to start having to set up a Microsoft account for all my users. I’ll test this on Monday and hopefully breath easy. That is until they decide to strip us of this solution as well.
The just install Linux crowd gets really old. How’s that gonna help on a work machine where I HAVE to use Office to collaborate? Oh right, it’s not! Totally unhelpful.
100% of my office relies on at least WSL.
All our servers are Linux.
Tons of huge multi-national companies are already using Google Docs which run great in Linux.
It’s coming.
Its a cybersecurity issue so it is inevitable, browser apps are the future because corporations don’t want files sitting on a filesystem, they want to keep them in their enterprise storage. ChromeOS is the future, or something like it.
The future is even more bleak. Touch screens only, no desktops. Only tablets everywhere. Everything on the cloud, everything locked down. Sideloading is banned, jailbreaking illegal. Everything runs on iOS or Android. Gen A will love it
Libre Office…
work machine where I HAVE to use Office to collaborate?
Taking the bait, what is specific to Office that is needed?
Sharepoint mainly. Mandatory at work. I don’t run IT.
AFAICT that’s supported https://rclone.org/onedrive/
Eh, depending on what’s being done office.com is fine for most.
That aside, if this is a business and you’re using office apps, you have an account that should be getting used during setup. Thats not who this workaround is for, and not who the “just install Linux” comment is for.
Edit: if you’re an admin with O365 and not using AAD on your devices, its your own problem.
If you’re using a personal device for work wanting to avoid AAD, you’ve made a mistake.
If this is somehow confusing to you, step back, re-read, and try again.
Eh, depending on what’s being done office.com is fine for most.
I want to live in your fantasy land.
if you’re an admin with O365 and not using AAD on your devices, its your own problem.
Why do I want even more shit in the cloud? Some stuff I want on-prem and don’t need it in the cloud.
Plus, it’s now Entra ID.
I want to live in your fantasy land.
Its not hard. Just have a production Linux desktop and a production windows laptop, and it becomes pretty clear what you can do. Basic memos and emails are no problem through the web, and thats a huge number of people.
Why do I want even more shit in the cloud? Some stuff I want on-prem and don’t need it in the cloud.
Why buy cloud shit and then not use cloud shit?
Just don’t buy cloud shit and join to a local domain.
Plus, it’s now Entra ID.
Let me know when I need to type that at the CLI and I’ll stop calling it aad.
If someone doesn’t understand how to use Windows, they’ll probably find Linux easier. Probably all they need is Firefox and Libre office.
I think libre office is even a maybe in this case. Give them a browser and they’ll be fine.
You can use NTLite to set up local accounts during installation, skip the OOBE, remove TPM requirements, strip down some of the bloat, and disable some of the tracking. You can have it include driver packs and updates too. All I have to do after installation is log in, domain join if necessary, and set up user accounts.
Oh, yeah… Linux. I think I saw one of those at the zoo
Could you not use an outdated ISO of a windows that supports local accounts, and then apply updates ?
Don’t say Linux then. If they already barely know windows, that’s an ideal situation, it’s going to be similarly confusing either way.
If your concern is that you think they would run into more stability issues when using a linux-based OS vs Windows, that’s a reasonable concern. But if we’re comparing against a sufficiently stable distro release, I don’t think it’s well founded.
I agree. Lemmy is like. “Use Linux…”
“Oh you still want to use Windows? Why do you still drown puppies and club baby seals?”
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That’s right. Even if you have to use a windows app that Linux compatibility layers don’t support, you can banish Windows 11 to a virtual machine.
Oh, weird, even in a virtual machine it wants an account. Anyone know where I can find a bypass method? :-)
Just put Linux on the VM.
The number of Windows applications that don’t run via compatibility layers is small and shrinking. Unless everyone is a video editor who steams professional Valorant then they can find software to do what they need done.
video editor who steams professional Valorant
What about Kdenlive or OBS Studio for that?
It was more than kernel anticheat from Valorant that I was aiming at.
OBS works great (though it did have issues with Wayland) and kdenlive as well, but in these arguments the person is always going to insist that they can only use Adobe products, because they don’t work and they’re trying to prove that you can’t use Linux.
It was more than kernel anticheat from Valorant that I was aiming at.
There’s an easy solution to that too: Don’t buy games with kernel anticheat.
Thankfully valorant is free
The only cost is access to your whole-ass PC. Worth it!
Or use WinApps
This guy fucks!
Who actually uses Microsoft Windows?
Mostly companies who have platform specific software that would cost to much to replace or take to long to replace. There’s still companies that run ancient versions of OSs like Pre Mac OS X and Windows 95 because there’s simply no newer OS that can run a specific software besides that OS.
Isnt it still cheaper to run that legacy crap in wine or a VM?
There are some issues with VMs and WINE that make the actual hardware & OS more appealing. I’ve heard of issues like the VM won’t start or there’s instabilities in the VM itself that makes things more difficult. Wine and compatibility layers like it can and do have issues with obscure software or it can’t run the software properly or at all.
And very many small users who are used to it, buy it already installed and are unable to do anything about it. It seems people often forget normies exist.
Many
Meta : I’d be curious to know the ratio of people downvoting the “Linux!” suggestion who actually do so from Windows.
The more you guys say “Linux is the future”, the more money I make as a winadmin. Please continue 😗
fun fact Rufus already has all of this automated and even has steps to have the local account of your choice already as part of the image
People like to complain that Linux is complicated to setup and use. In recent years, it’s increasingly the opposite. Basic windows settings locations are shuffled around and hidden and you have to use the Windows Commandline/Powershell to get things done. And installing Linux is also much faster and most of all doesn’t ask you a hundred questions how to best steal your data.
Agree. The installation isn’t a barrier. Basic OS navigation probably isn’t either anymore. Its still having to use alternative software and work arounds that I think is the frustrating part for the average user attempting to switch. Also, it’s that they can’t use Linux at work in many cases and it’s uncomfortable to switch environments on a daily basis from home computing to workplace computing. You’d think with nonsense like the crowds trike crash more businesses would force the switch, but unfortunately I don’t get the sense that is happening.
uncomfortable to switch environments on a daily basis from home computing to workplace computing
How so? Most people just use a browser and edit basic documents. Once those apps are started the OS itself matters little, basic things like copy/paste or alt/tab work exactly the same. Chances are at work they don’t even have the right to admin their machine so for “complex” things it’s out of their reach there.
You are right. From what I saw Linux-based OSs have come a long way. The issue with Linux is when it comes to professional environments, that are not IT-related: There are niche programs that are used in certain professions that were written to work on Windows computers exclusively. They are not availiable for other OSs, because they are not wide spread or popular with non-professionals. Also, Microsoft Office (especially Outlook and Excel) is very dominant within the professional field - up to a point that it can’t be changed easily. All this does not apply to users who use Linux computers outside a professional enviroment, as there are alternatives for popular programs and services already.
Yeah, I know. Especially the MS Office dominance is still a problem in business scenarios. For private use though there are office solutions which are “good enough” (Office 365 and Google Docs, Spreadsheets etc in a Browser, Libreoffice to name a few)
Just turned a Win10 machine into Ubuntu not too long ago. It took all day, broke several times, and still has issues booting remotely. It is getting easier, but a 30 minute Windows install with a few button presses is still easier, unfortunately
Maybe you were just unlucky in your specific hardware combination? I did literally dozens of Ubuntu installations on very different hardware over the years. Most of the time it was a matter of minutes, and without any glitches or need for troubleshooting.
Next time try Mint.
That’s not a Linux problem, that’s a PEBKAC or hardware problem.
L
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XBut that’s only 5 steps!
L I N U X I N U X L N U X L I U X L I N X L I N U
Damn, forgot about formatting. Well it looks dope on my screen, you’ll just have to imagine it.
I work at an MSP 99% of all machines we deploy for our clients are windows based. The oobe /bypassnro is just mandatory for initial setup. Yes, there are ways around it post setup but it’s just that much extra to do.
Having a local admin account for domain or azure/entra joined is still very useful. I don’t get why MS refuses to accept this. (Money/data harvesting aside, we all know the real reason, just wish they’d just admit to it).
This. When the user hasn’t even showed up yet, setting up a local account out of the box saves a bunch of time.
Honestly, guys, gals and others, Microsoft is making it crystal clear they don’t want you to use their OS. It’s not your OS, it’s theirs. Stop trying mangle it into something it is not. If you need registry edits just to make the OS usable, it’s not worth it. It’s not for you. Please, please, please look at alternatives that respect you, your intelligence, your privacy and your data. One day Microsoft will push an update that will lock you out of your machine unless you create an account. Jumping through these hoops is just delaying the inevitable. Using an OS is not worth all this effort and stress.
People who can’t or don’t want to use Linux should just use Windows LTSC or IOT. It’s honestly the next best thing. I just set it up for my brother. When you open up the start menu on the fresh install and there is nothing there out of the box, it’s such a nice feeling. No ads, no games, no onedrive, nothing. The only thing LTSC has is Microsoft Edge but even that one you can uninstall.
Licenses are expensive, but you can easily activate it with mas.
How expensive is expensive? And you usually can’t just buy a single license, right? You have to have an enterprise agreement and buy some minimum number.
Enterprise is a bit funny with how it works, there is a 5 license minimum, but they don’t all need to be Enterprise. You can get 1 LTSC upgrade license (±$300), then on top of that get 4 of the one user Microsoft Identity Manager CALs to become compliant (4x ±$10). This also still requires you to have a Professional (not Home) license already as it is an upgrade.
Microsoft is not selling the licences to individuals, you need to buy it as a business, or buy it somewhere else. You can try this. https://www.cdw.com/search/?key=ltsc Idk if or how it works. I just install iso, and use mas command, and it is activated. I don’t care that I “stole” from microsoft.
I don’t really get it why people jump through these major hoops just to get Windows working the way they want it to. Just ditch the problem.
I have software I need that doesn’t run on Linux, and doesn’t have a Linux equivalent.
This is very understandable.
It takes me 10 seconds to remove internet access from yet another windows process, it takes weeks if not months to re-download the 2 point something TB of games I have installed.
People who have a real internet connection need another excuse but my internet isnt good for 2005, let alone 2025.
Sure that’s ok for your personal machine. Now convince leadership that your 500 machine fleet needs to be switched over to Linux.
Well, if a company with 500 machines need to go through a process like in the op to get rid of an unwanted login feature then my guess is that Microsoft isn’t the right partner for them or something else is wrong with the IT department.
Well, if a company has 500 machines and all of them having microsoft online accounts raises no security questions, I ain’t working there, simple as that
