Solved Does win 11 Pro still allow you to setup with a local account?

Ok Guys, my eyes are crossed and I've gotten confused from reading @Brink's clean install of 11 tutorial and all the answers in this and other threads relating to clean installing 11 as local account. Some say Brink's method still works on 22H2 but other's say it doesn't. I'm on the release channel so I do not have 22H2 as of yet. I have Pro and always register my devices using a MS account and then change to a local account later so this issue won't affect me personally.

But, here's my situation. As more people are now buying new computers, I am asked to set up their systems for them. As well, I both upgrade and clean install Windows (of all versions). Most have Windows Home and don't want or need MS services. To add to that, it's very difficult for me to to set up someone else's system from my home with a MS account when 2 step verification is involved. I need to get all this straight in my mind before 22H2 comes out.

Will Brink's method of using a dummy email address during 22H2 setup still work or not? Or am I going to have to go to the trouble of clean installing Windows 10 and then upgrading to Windows 11 or clean installing 11 using the Rufus method to get rid of MS account crap requirement? I know the Rufus method still works (right now) for a clean install but it doesn't help me when all I'm trying to do is set up a brand new system.

All workarounds still work for me.

I find using the specific fake email address at step 21 works best.

To help, I just updated the Clean Install tutorial above to help make the steps easier to follow along with the current workarounds that still work.

Brink said:

To help,

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As always you do. It's an amazing thing how you stay on top of everything while the rest of us flounder to keep our heads above water. Shawn, what you do is taken for granted by the faceless people you help, but not by me. This forum would go nowhere without what you contribute. For me to say thank you every time is inadequate.

I have a Windows 11 21H2 image in which the setup is replaced with that from Windows 10. It does not check the hardware requirements and allows local accounts. It is also less than 4 GB so it is bootable even on very old systems that need FAT32 partition to boot from a USB drive.

glasskuter said:

As always you do. It's an amazing thing how you stay on top of everything while the rest of us flounder to keep our heads above water. Shawn, what you do is taken for granted by the faceless people you help, but not by me. This forum would go nowhere without what you contribute. For me to say thank you every time is inadequate.

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Yep +1 (to the gazzillion power.. LOL) for Shawn's help :)

The fake email would be the cleanest - I just developed the BypassISO script as a conceptual to bypass all MS restrictions including internet connection.

idgat said:

What methods did you try ?

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Pulling up CMD during setup. . Was just easier for me to do the latter

idgat said:

As of yesterday, the old Shift+F10 bypass during installation worked a treat. Love the thrill of telling MS to mind their own business, you don't need my email !!

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That didn't work for me at all.

JMedlock83 said:

That didn't work for me at all.

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Not sure why/how this doesn't work ....

Are you doing this on a laptop? Some laptop brands require the Fn key as well as whatever Fx key, i.e. this process would require Shift+Fn+F10.

Also, on some laptops, an external (USB) keyboard may not yet be "identified" and this process has to be done on the device keyboard

Also, bluetooth keyboards won't work during the setup process (desktop and/or laptop).

Brink said:

You can still clean install Windows 11 with a local account using a workaround below.

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Rufus now includes an option to skip Microsoft account and just create a local account.

Alas, you can no longer use RUFUS to create an install image that bypasses the configuration check. See these recent stories to that effect:
1. Microsoft banned Rufus from downloading Windows ISOs
2. You can no longer download Windows 11, 10 ISOs via Rufus as Microsoft blocks Fido [Update]
And, just as I'm writing this -- wouldn't you know it! -- word comes through that a fix is in for Fido 1.31. See note just added to WinAero story above. Sigh.
--Ed--

Guys Google is your friend LINK

Just tried and of course a restart of the setup is required but works then it it'll skip the WIFI Part

Any reason you can't just install the OS with the MS account and then add a local account? You would then delete the MS account leaving you with the local account only.

fdhealy4 said:

Any reason you can't just install the OS with the MS account and then add a local account? You would then delete the MS account leaving you with the local account only.

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Yes, that would work. It does require that you have an MS account to use though, and some who prefer local accounts don't want an MS account in any shape or form.

You also have to be very careful to remember to make the new local account an administrator before you delete the initial MS account you used for the OoBE setup. It's an easy step to forget, with the consequence that you'd not be able to administer the PC any more.

Ed Tittel said:

Alas, you can no longer use RUFUS to create an install image that bypasses the configuration check. See these recent stories to that effect:
1. Microsoft banned Rufus from downloading Windows ISOs
2. You can no longer download Windows 11, 10 ISOs via Rufus as Microsoft blocks Fido [Update]
And, just as I'm writing this -- wouldn't you know it! -- word comes through that a fix is in for Fido 1.31. See note just added to WinAero story above. Sigh.
--Ed--

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I've never downloaded the ISO via/through Rufus, always downloaded the ISO separate and then added it to a Rufus creating USB.

Still works as of .. now.

Ed Tittel said:

And, just as I'm writing this -- wouldn't you know it! -- word comes through that a fix is in for Fido 1.31. See note just added to WinAero story above. Sigh.
--Ed--

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LOL. I dunno why Microsoft bothers. Windows is bordering on open-source software given the speed at which bypasses/workarounds are so quickly and easily applied following one of Microsoft's attempts to bolster it's ersatz "security".

Ed Tittel said:

Alas, you can no longer use RUFUS to create an install image that bypasses the configuration check. See these recent stories to that effect:
1. Microsoft banned Rufus from downloading Windows ISOs
2. You can no longer download Windows 11, 10 ISOs via Rufus as Microsoft blocks Fido [Update]
And, just as I'm writing this -- wouldn't you know it! -- word comes through that a fix is in for Fido 1.31. See note just added to WinAero story above. Sigh.
--Ed--

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The option to bypass comes up after loading an ISO when you start to create the USB from the ISO.
Do not have to download the ISO thru rufus for the options to appear.

Brink said:

All workarounds still work for me.

I find using the specific fake email address at step 21 works best.

Clean Install Windows 11 Tutorial

This tutorial will show you step by step on how to clean install Windows 11 at boot on your PC with or without an Internet connection and setup with a local account or Microsoft account. Windows 11 has all the power and security of Windows 10 with a redesigned and refreshed look. It also comes...

www.elevenforum.com

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Just want to confirm the fake email address method is still working. I used the Windows 11 ver10.0.22621 build 1702 media from about a month ago.

geobrick said:

Just want to confirm the fake email address method is still working. I used the Windows 11 ver10.0.22621 build 1702 media from about a month ago.

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Thanks for the feedback. That's the way that I install without an MS account myself.