Microsoft removes documentation for switching to a local account in Windows 11
- Thread starter JournalBot
- Start date
Gentle reminder that when they first introduced Microsoft accounts for Windows, they were completely optional. Now they're all but mandatory unless you're a fan of registry hacks and custom boot images.
It's important to consider this history when Microsoft talks about being able to opt out of features like Recall.
It's important to consider this history when Microsoft talks about being able to opt out of features like Recall.
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I was just working on fixing a computer for a family friend. I installed a fresh SSD with a fresh install of Win 11, and yeah, this person did not want to share his MS creds with me (I, in fact, advised him not to), so I had to download tools to make a custom ISO to install Windows without the MS account requirement.
I realize my use case is a little niche, but it does make it harder for techs to fix people's computers in a secure fashion (a fresh install of Windows is fairly common).
Just . . . why? Oh yeah, because "user data." Data = $$$.
I realize my use case is a little niche, but it does make it harder for techs to fix people's computers in a secure fashion (a fresh install of Windows is fairly common).
Just . . . why? Oh yeah, because "user data." Data = $$$.
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I’m trying to remember what year it was the last time I had fun using Windows. 2015, maybe?
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Microsoft... Doing all they can to make sure I switch to Linux when Windows 10 goes EOL
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Crying Croc
Wise, Aged Ars Veteran
Hey Microsoft, you know CandyCrush, 3D Paint and Edge? Right, I don't use any of them! And the more you're in my face, the more I will refuse to use your apps, your accounts, whatever!
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Hi, windows abandoned here.
If you can get your home at least to switch without main issues, do it. Make
Them feel some pain.
If you can make your job switch to something else, do that even more, that’s where their real pain comes from.
If you can get your home at least to switch without main issues, do it. Make
Them feel some pain.
If you can make your job switch to something else, do that even more, that’s where their real pain comes from.
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TheMolesRevenge
Ars Centurion
If I used Office365, OneDrive, and Gamepass I wouldn't mind signing in, but since I don't and have no interest in those products, all MS is achieving is to keep me on Win10 as long as possible, and make me view their company in a much more negative way. At this point I'm probably too set in my ways to quit Windows and start learning Linux (I tried that 10-12 years ago and did not enjoy it) but it feels like MS is trying to make having Windows on my PC as unpleasant as possible.
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Crying Croc
Wise, Aged Ars Veteran
It's not about the merits, it's about respecting users and giving them choices.
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This sign-in nonsense is annoying, but yeah, if Win12 or whatever doesn't come out with significant UX improvements over Win11, I'll probably invest in switching to Linux. Ironically at this point, the thing I'll miss most about Windows is Edge. Seriously -- the Workspace feature in Edge is so profoundly useful, it'll be hard to go back. But the UX defects in Win11 are profoundly annoying..
Edit - thanks to everyone for educating me that Edge is available on Linux. I had assumed that "old Microsoft" would never do such a thing - so it's nice to see that new Microsoft is winning. That said new Microsoft is probably responsible for the atrocious ux in 11 so...
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Microsoft: we're going to see just how many ads and how much data collection we can stuff into Windows 11.
Me: So it's ad-supported, that mean the OS is free now right?
Microsoft: Haha, no. Pay us $160 for a machine-locked OEM license.
Me: So it's ad-supported, that mean the OS is free now right?
Microsoft: Haha, no. Pay us $160 for a machine-locked OEM license.
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Why are you pretending NTPASSWORD and other various standard registry hive editors and dictionary attacks on BitLocker don't exist.
A user should never have to format Windows over a forgotten password, and they don't.
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Man I used to be such a Windows fanboy... now I can barely stand it. I only use it on my gaming pc anymore.
I miss when I felt like products were made simply to be as good as they can be, instead of vectors for upselling, subscriptions, ads, data collection etc... Was that ever the case or was I just too young to notice...
I miss when I felt like products were made simply to be as good as they can be, instead of vectors for upselling, subscriptions, ads, data collection etc... Was that ever the case or was I just too young to notice...
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Maybe they (the EU) should assign Microsoft and Apple gatekeeper status and require Microsoft to support Apple ID and Apple to support a Microsoft ID.
I don’t think it will happen but there is no reason it couldn’t.
I don’t think it will happen but there is no reason it couldn’t.
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In addition, don't you have to explicitly enable bitlocker if you aren't using a Microsoft account? So all you have to do is move the drive to another computer that can read the files, change the permissions, and you have access to all of the data that way (or inject a new account onto the same machine), if you can't figure out any of the other multitude of ways of force-resetting a local account password.
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Really? I have an A34 5G, and it didn't require that. Still a current model I believe.
Edit: https://techpp.com/2024/04/16/use-a-galaxy-phone-without-a-samsung-account/
"When setting up a new Galaxy phone, you’ll be prompted to sign in to your Samsung account or create one if it doesn’t exist. This step isn’t mandatory, though, and you can skip it "
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Yet another reinforcement of why, in the past two organizations for whom I've led IT, I've mandated "no Windows except in necessary compatibility labs, and never for desktops/laptops". Microsoft (just like Adobe, Facebook/Meta, Twit/X and Google) is not to be trusted to have access to proprietary information.
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I switched to Fedora some time ago and have not missed Windows much.
Except for Visual Studio in my case, which is not available for Linux, Linux really has come a long way. All the drivers worked which was a pleasant surprise. If you setup KDE, its remarkably similar to Windows UI.
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You can install Edge on Linux. Whether it has the same features I can't say.
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I keep windows only for games - I use Linux for everything else. When Proton, Wine or similar tools progress enough to run AAA games, I'll switch to Linux entirely and won't miss Windows.
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Just checking here, but does this mean that if you just don't have a Microsoft account, the default installer experience is to prevent you from installing Windows until you find another computer to make a Microsoft account on? If so that's absolutely incredible, but I can't seem to verify that this is indeed the case from internet searches.
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Windows...was fun? Really?
I think the last version of Windows I considered "fun" was NT 3.5.
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We'll always be resistant when something NEW is required of us. On the other hand, signing up for some account to use just about any service has been ingrained in the minds of at least the younger generations.
If William Gibson or his peers were writing about dystopic cyberpunk future today, I'm sure Big Data vs Privacy Activists would provide plenty of conflict.
If William Gibson or his peers were writing about dystopic cyberpunk future today, I'm sure Big Data vs Privacy Activists would provide plenty of conflict.
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04/24/23: The day I permanently left the Microsoft world.
This shit today comes as absolutely no surprise to me. Microsoft has been heading toward Google Chrome levels of evil ever since Win8, with the only thing holding them back from doing it faster being the business world's notoriously slow adoption of change.
Now, my system is dressed by Tux, and Microsoft's bullshittery never, ever, impacts my world.
I offer this as a strong urging for those who are disaffected by Microsoft's bullshittery to take a VERY serious look at what Linux can do for you today. I get the financial pains of not being able to port your "Windows-only" programs, but you'd probably be very surprised by how many of them WILL port and work just fine, even if they weren't intended to be running with Penguins.
As Microsoft slides ever deeper into the Dark Side of the Force, Linux stands as a very viable alternative for the computer savvy. If you're NOT computer savvy, someone you know can probably help you with it. Once you're set up, and get used to your UI of choice, you'll never know the difference in performance. And your stuff will never be possessed by the Evil Empire again.
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The article in this case is about defaults that would protect the user from needing your data-saving services, so weird flex, bro.
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My work does use O365 and OneDrive and I do have a Gamepass subscription
But here's the thing: I use them on seperate accounts. If Windows were smart enough to be able to juggle two accounts at the same time that would be great. But it's not. If I try to sign into work things while on my gaming account I can pretty much guarantee the XBox app will lose its mind and tell me I don't have a subscription next time I try to launch a game.
About the only way it works is to do all the work stuff in Firefox and never use the work account as a local login, but then I lose all the nice file sync features.
My use case is hardly unusual, but the fact MS can't get it to work smoothly is making me think I might end up paying for Win 10 LTSC
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Attention Microsoft : STOP THIS FUCKING SHIT.
I don't want to have to sign in with an online account to use a computer... ever.
I don't want to have to sign in with an online account to use a computer... ever.
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Yes you do, and if you go through the process of setting up bitlocker, it forces you to store the backup key. The only silly thing is that it lets you save it onto the drive you are encrypting. So as long as you actually bothered to save the recovery key onto another device, you can use that to unlock your pc and then work on password recovery.
The official method is you were supposed to make a password reset disk. I'm sure you did that when you set up the pc, right? Right?
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At this point the issue isn't that Linux can't run the games, it's that some publishers are actively preventing it.
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I've been waiting for the day that Apple pulls this and requires you to use your AppleID to setup your Mac/accounts on the Mac. I've been pleasantly surprised for a good long while now that my local account has NOTHING to do with my AppleID unless I chose for it to. And with some of the development I do for my side hustle, it's been very beneficial to me that I can have an additional account on the machine that is clear of AID.
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In my opinion, it's simple:
Ask me to sign into your account to use your services? Not a problem.
Ask me to sign into your account to use my property? Big problem.
Ask me to sign into your account to use your services? Not a problem.
Ask me to sign into your account to use my property? Big problem.
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Nope. We're not going to be "fair" about this BS. They can stick their sign in wherever they're going to bury Recall!!!!
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