Solved New Computer, Can't Get Past "Add your Microsoft account."

New HP Envy desktop, built 3 yrs. ago. Don't yet know the Windows 11 version. I have a Windows 10 computer (up and running) with a Microsoft account with a password, security code, and recovery code. Windows 11 requires a Microsoft account, but I can't enter that account without a security key on an external device.
I have my two computers and a cell phone--no other devices. No smart phone, laptop, tablet, or whatever. I considered opening a new account, but anticipate problems with being unable to open a new account sharing the same email address and having no device to download an app for a security key.
What I'm looking at now is adding the new computer to my original account, but I'm concerned that Windows 11 will still ask for a security key. Sorry to be so long-winded. Can someone please help me get past this obstacle?
Thanks, Henry.

Do you not know the password for your MS account? Were you not able to insert that password during account setup in 11?
Question: You say New HP Envy desktop, built 3 yrs. ago. So it's not a new computer. Did you recently buy it used.. Give us a little more background info as to what led up to the step where it asked for a recovery key.

I can, and did, login to my MS account on the Win 10 computer. I do have password, security code, and recovery code for that account. The new computer, newly-purchased, new-in-box, from Costco has a tag stating manufacture date. (But don't know when Windows was installed or updated) I'm doing the initial set-up. Microsoft doesn't ask for a recovery key--it asks for a security key which I don't have. The only other option is to open a new account. So, all I can figure out is that I can either try to open a new account or try to add a device to the existing account and see what happens.
And thanks for your response.

Windows 11 requires a Microsoft account

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you can get around that and start with a local acount

II would much prefer a local account, but I can't find any option to refuse an MS account or to open a local account.

There's a couple of things that deeply concern me about this. If it has a date stamp 3 yrs ago, I would seriously doubt it has sat on Costco's shelf for 3 years. Costco sells too many for that to happen. I would suspect it is refurbished. If you paid a 'new' price for a 3 year old computer, return it and either get your money back or purchase something else. Something is not kosher on Costco's part if it was sold as new. I don't think HP is shipping old systems out to be sold as new. Keep in mind that upgrades to future versions of windows will be severely impacted by the missing 3 years as the hardware in it is 3 years older.

I'm also bothered by it asking for a security key. A security key is a special physical device (not a regular usb flash drive) you would have had to make when you initially created your MS account.
Such as this. USB-C & Lightning YubiKey 5Ci Security Key | Yubico

If you decide to disregard my advice about returning it, try this. Maybe you will hit it lucky in that the version of Windows 11 that's on it is an older version. Go thru setup again but do not connect it to the internet. If you connect with ethernet cable, disconnect it. When it gets to the network step and recognizes wireless networks, do not select one. Select I don't have internet. If this is an old 21h1 or older version of 11 you should be able to set up a local account there. Once the local account is established, you can then manually connect to the internet.

If that doesn't work, it would indicate it has a later version of 11 installed. Microsoft has clamped down on bypasses in recent builds. Set it up with a new MS account when it asks. You can then login to the account and create a new local account with administrator privileges.(settings>accounts>other users) Log out of MS account, log in to new local account, and delete MS account.

This hasn't been on the shelf. It's not a used-refurbished computer. It's purchased on sale from costco.com. The date on the tag could when the case came off the assembly line-you might get a better idea of when it was assembled or upgraded from it's current specs. I will, later this evening, start over with the computer off line, and I'll let you know what happens.
I appreciate your advice.

LittleRadioMan said:

The date on the tag could when the case came off the assembly line-

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I've always found it to be the date it was assembled. Manufacture date of components are inside the case. You can also verify it using the serial number. How to Find Out the Date of Manufacture on an HP Computer

If you decide to keep it, disconnect the LAN cable, if you have WiFi turn it off. At the Network screen press SHIFT+F10 to open a Command Prompt window. Execute the following without spaces and with \ not /

oobe\bypassnro

This will change some settings and restart your computer. Stay disconnected from the internet. The computer will ask you again for the Country and keyboard layout but this time on the Network screen there should be a blue text "I don't have an internet connection". Click on this text and you will be warned for missing some features if not using a Microsoft Account. Ignore this warning and click to proceed with "limited" features. You should be prompted to create a local account. Proceed to finish until you are at the desktop. After that you may connect to the internet. Then, if you really want, you can convert the local account to Microsoft account, but I personally prefer a local one.

spapakons said:

If you decide to keep it, disconnect the LAN cable, if you have WiFi turn it off. At the Network screen press SHIFT+F10 to open a Command Prompt window. Execute the following without spaces and with \ not /

oobe\bypassnro

This will change some settings and restart your computer. Stay disconnected from the internet. The computer will ask you again for the Country and keyboard layout but this time on the Network screen there should be a blue text "I don't have an internet connection". Click on this text and you will be warned for missing some features if not using a Microsoft Account. Ignore this warning and click to proceed with "limited" features. You should be prompted to create a local account. Proceed to finish until you are at the desktop. After that you may connect to the internet. Then, if you really want, you can convert the local account to Microsoft account, but I personally prefer a local one.

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Sometimes it would double prompt you to make a Microsoft account but if you insist that you don't have internet it would let go and let you make a local account. Once you reconnect it will try to get you to make a Microsoft account again, but this nagware can be bypassed. I prefer a local account also. Funny thing is that I do have a registered Microsoft email account and yup, Microsoft made the connection the moment I logged into my email on a local account. They really sink their hooks in. lol IMO Win 11 is still running an unofficial "Beta" and we the paid users, are the ones who pay them to test their unfinished product. This is a revolution in perspective: We pay them to test their OS. When the product is finished there's no more support for it because it is finished. That's the whole idea behind the telemetry and probably the reason why they fired their beta testers.

Any time you use your Microsoft Account, such as to download an app from Microsoft Store, you will be given the choice to use the account for this app (Store) only or to switch your local account to Microsoft account. Be careful to select the "only for this app" option!

according to Intels website that CPU was launched Q1 2022

I shouldn't be surprised that so many TPM2 platforms are producing the same issues with Win 11 as TPM1.2 platforms. Microsoft really needs to drop this TPM nonsense.

It is very unusual for an OOBE to require an External, 2FA, USB key.
What was previously on this comp
I would also view the Bios security settings, IF you can access them without also requiring a password/USB key

torchwood said:

It is very unusual for an OOBE to require an External, 2FA, USB key.
What was previously on this comp
I would also view the Bios security settings, IF you can access them without also requiring a password/USB key

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Yup if PW is being set in BIOS that needs to be fixed for sure. Let's hope they don't have to pull the battery and clear CMOS.

Refurbished computers are frequently computers originally bought from a company. After some years the company decides to replace their computers and give back the old ones to manufacturer or third-party refurbishers. These don't bother to format the disk, they only run some tests to replace parts as necessary. A company may require their employees to sign in with a USB dongle and I suspect this is that OP faces. Just format the disk and clean install Windows 11 to get rid of all that. Windows should automatically install most drivers, for the rest (assuming you have internet access) go to HP support site, type the S/N or SKU and download them. You may not find any Windows 11 drivers, download Windows 10 64-bit or Windows 8 64-bit drivers instead. Even Windows 7 64-bit drivers should work in 11.

spapakons said:

Even Windows 7 64-bit drivers should work in 11.

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I wish they would work for my turbo boost technology in Win 11

Open a command prompt or Powershell/Terminal as Administrator and execute this command to enable "Ultimate Power Plan"

powercfg -duplicatescheme e9a42b02-d5df-448d-aa00-03f14749eb61

Then go to Control Panel, Power Settings and switch to the Ultimate Power Plan. This will force Turbo Boost to be always on, regardless if the computer is idle or you are playing a game and the CPU will always run at its maximum speed. Of course this will consume your laptop battery faster and heat it more, so it is not recommended for a laptop, unless you remove the battery and use it with the power adapter.

← 'Tis an 82 pound energy guzzling beheomoth on a 1200 W sine wave UPS. Thanks. I'll give it a go. Not a big laptop fan anyway although I do have a newer laptop with Win 11 already on it. Could care less about turbo boost on that laptop. Can't even adjust to the touch screen lol.

Well, that seemed to work as far as performance goes but it still didn't get rid of my oglee little triangle :) As far as Win 11 "thinks" there's no functional driver running there.