Solved (Needs Confirmation) I think Microsoft just disabled bringing up CMD during OOBE phase of Windows installation

AsadAlrafidain · 2025-06-28T09:09:49-0400

I downloaded an updated ISO of Windows 11 from UUPDump ( 24H2 OS Build 26100.4482). during installation, when reached OOBE, I tried hitting shift+f10 to bring up cmd to circumvent mandatory Microsoft account like I always do, only to be suprised that CMD won't launch..... anybody else got/noticed this?

FreeBooter · 2025-06-28T09:52:02-0400

I have no such a problem with ISO image downloaded from Microsoft so it must be the ISO image you downloaded you can use Rufus to create bootable USB.

AsadAlrafidain · 2025-06-28T10:31:46-0400

FreeBooter said:
I have no such a problem with ISO image downloaded from Microsoft so it must be the ISO image you downloaded you can use Rufus to create bootable USB.

It might be because the ISO provided by Microsoft is old and doesn't contain the latest updates (and preventive measures from MS). and the ISO is already processed by Rufus to create bootable USB.

I'm still investigating this, it may turn out to be a bug....who knows.

Tester · 2025-06-28T11:07:58-0400

AsadAlrafidain said:
, when reached OOBE, I tried hitting shift+f10

You have to Press Shift+F10 at the Time and Currency page. (to do registry hack) And then later at the page Country or Region. (for bypass obbe command)

garlin · 2025-06-28T11:31:14-0400

Either way, BypassNRO's reg value can be integrated into the offline image or updated by the unattended file. Rufus does the second option.

There's no real need for someone who prepares customized install images to do Shift-F10.

AsadAlrafidain · 2025-06-28T11:32:43-0400

Tester said:
You have to Press Shift+F10 at the Time and Currency page. (to do registry hack) And then later at the page Country or Region. (for bypass obbe command)

Circumventing the Microsoft Account requirement is not the issue here...CMD is useful in many ways during the installation process, and preventing users from using it during OOBE is a limitation to user freedom....you and me might not be heavily affected by this, but I'm sure if proven to be true, this will be a major annoyance to many.

garlin · 2025-06-28T12:06:54-0400

From time to time Shift-F10 may stop working in OOBE, but usually that's fixed in later updates.

I agree that MS would never remove it completely because legitimate IT admins would have no way to debug broken installs.

AsadAlrafidain · 2025-06-28T12:19:22-0400

garlin said:
From time to time Shift-F10 may stop working in OOBE, but usually that's fixed in later updates.

let's hope it's just a bug.

Tester · 2025-06-28T12:23:06-0400

AsadAlrafidain said:
, when reached OOBE, I tried hitting shift+f10 to bring up cmd to circumvent mandatory Microsoft account like I always do,

AsadAlrafidain said:
Circumventing the Microsoft Account requirement is not the issue here...

First post says you wanted to do shift+f10 to circumvent microsoft account.
Then now circumventing microsoft account is not an issue?

I am a bit lost. Anyway will be downloading a new ISO after dinner and test shift+f10 in a fresh vm to see if it is really the case.

AsadAlrafidain · 2025-06-28T12:35:56-0400

Tester said:
First post says you wanted to do shift+f10 to circumvent microsoft account.
Then now circumventing microsoft account is not an issue?

you've misinterpreted my intentions....my post was just for information sake, and to confirm that the issue is not singular to me.

AsadAlrafidain · 2025-06-28T12:36:29-0400

Update: it seems the issue is specific to this version (24H2 OS Build 26100.4482)
tried a more recent version (24H2 OS Build 26100.4484) and the issue is gone.

garlin · 2025-06-28T12:37:01-0400

Earlier this year, one of the Insider builds broke Shift-F10 for a while, and a lot of panic ensued.

MS would never permanently break Shift-F10 because IT folks who use Autopilot or MDT would be very upset. Retail users only think OOBE is a candy-colored set of option screens, but a lot more Autopilot functionality is hidden behind the scenes. You can't debug a halfway broken AP process without being able to check the current state of Windows.

hsehestedt · 2025-06-28T14:41:27-0400

Out of curiosity, are you doing this on a laptop where it might be necessary to press the Fn key? In other words, you may need to press Fn + Shift + F10.

TairikuOkami · 2025-06-28T15:05:29-0400

AsadAlrafidain said:
my post was just for information sake, and to confirm that the issue is not singular to me.

As long as utilman/sethc methods still work in the latest canary ...

hsehestedt · 2025-06-28T15:11:28-0400

I just tried this with a 26100.4484 ISO image and I too get no command prompt by pressing SHIFT + F10. Note that earlier in setup SHIFT + F10 does work.

But as Garlin noted, you can simply use an answer file.

NOTE: If you still prefer to do a manual installation of windows, you can still do that. You can craft an answer that does as little or as much as you want. For example, you can create an answer file that does nothing more than bypass Win 11 requirements, or bypass Win 11 requirements and create a local user account.

AsadAlrafidain · 2025-06-28T17:48:50-0400

hsehestedt said:
Out of curiosity, are you doing this on a laptop where it might be necessary to press the Fn key? In other words, you may need to press Fn + Shift + F10.

no... I'm doing this on a desktop PC, no extra buttons required

AsadAlrafidain · 2025-06-28T17:59:34-0400

update: I was wrong, the issue is not resolved on version (26100.4484).. I think I tried an older ISO by mistake and thought the issue is resolved....this is supposed to be a release preview chanel update, and (26100.4482) is supposed to be a retail channel update..... let's just hope it gets fixed soon.

hsehestedt · 2025-06-28T18:56:36-0400

AsadAlrafidain said:
update: I was wrong, the issue is not resolved on version (26100.4484).. I think I tried an older ISO by mistake and thought the issue is resolved....this is supposed to be a release preview chanel update, and (26100.4482) is supposed to be a retail channel update..... let's just hope it gets fixed soon.

You have so many different options, so even if this change is permanent, it's no big deal.

Solved (Needs Confirmation) I think Microsoft just disabled bringing up CMD during OOBE phase of Windows installation

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