No operation can be performed while it has its media disconnected

Fatty0312 said:

I'm doing a fresh install of Windows 11 Pro on a Intel i3 Nuc. Booted from the flash drive and trying to get around logging in with a Microsoft account using the below guide. Previously did this on my last Windows install on the NUC and it worked.

How to Install Windows 11 Without a Microsoft Account

Now this type, I can input the OOBE\BYPASSNRO command and the NUC will restart like it should, I will get back to the country/region select screen. I open command prompt, input ipconfig /release and I get this:

No operation can be performed on Wi-Fi while it has its media disconnected.
No operation can be performed on Local Area Connection* 1 while it has its media disconnected.

Any ideas on what to do so that I can get past this and install Windows without signing into Microsoft?

Thanks

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andrew129260 said:

You need to insert the command when no ethernet cable or wifi connected. As soon as the system detects any connection it's over, and you need to restart and input the command again. If that doesnt work, wipe and reinstall windows without inputting any network cable in and then run the bypass and it should work.

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hsehestedt said:

There is no need to disconnect the LAN cable! Of course, you could disconnect it, but even without disconnecting it you can use exactly the same procedure with one tiny additional step. EASY!!!

NOTE: I tested this with the Windows Pro edition, 24H2, build 26100.1150.

To summarize, this is exactly the same procedure as when you DO NOT have an Ethernet connection except that after the reboot from running "oobe\bypassnro" you perform an "ipconfig /release". This is effectively the same thing as having unplugged your Ethernet connection.

So, let's start with a reminder of what you can do if you DO NOT have an Ethernet connection or if you have unplugged your Ethernet cable:

You could open a command prompt and run "oobe\bypassnro". The system will reboot and you can proceed through setup but you will get an option that says "I don't have internet" allowing you to create a local account and bypass the need to create or sign on with a Microsoft account.

If you cannot disconnect your Ethernet cable, or you simply don't want to bother simply do this (these are the detailed steps for what I summarized above):

1) Just as before, when you get to the first static screen after the reboot during Windows setup (the screen that asks "Is this the right country or region?", open a command prompt by pressing SHIFT + F10 and running "oobe\bypassnro".

2) The system will now reboot. When you get back to the same screen again ("Is this the right country or region?"), once again open a command prompt by pressing SHIFT +F10.

3) Run this command: "ipconfig /release".

4) Close the command prompt and proceed with installation.

5) You will get the screen that provides the option that says "I don't have internet".

6) Select that option and continue as always.

Final Summary: As you can see, the procedure remains the same except that after the reboot from running "oobe\bypassnro" we perform an "ipconfig /release" which is effectively the same as disconnecting the Ethernet cable.

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Fatty0312 said:

I was connected to the Wifi before re-installing Windows though, could that be an issue and if so, is it possible to fix it?

Click to expand...

How to Install Windows 11 Without a Microsoft Account

Maintain only a local account on your Windows 11 PC.

www.tomshardware.com

Fatty0312 said:

I open command prompt, input ipconfig /release and I get this:

No operation can be performed on Wi-Fi while it has its media disconnected.
No operation can be performed on Local Area Connection* 1 while it has its media disconnected.

Any ideas on what to do so that I can get past this and install Windows without signing into Microsoft?

Click to expand...

andrew129260 said:

You need to insert the command when no ethernet cable or wifi connected.

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hsehestedt said:

Incorrect. If you cannot disconnect the Ethernet cable, or simply prefer not to do so, simply do this:

1) Run the oobe\bypassnro as usual.

2) After the system reboots and stops at the first static screen, open a command prompt once again and issue the command "ipconfig /release". You may see what looks like error messages. This is normal. By issuing the "ipconfig /release" you have effectively disconnected the Ethernet cable. You can now proceed with installation as usual.

Just tested and confirmed that this works yesterday on 24H2, build 1150.

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andrew129260 said:

ah alright. thanks for the correction. I had thought that even if you had done that the installer would be crazy enough to reject you. I just have seen that as soon as it gets a whiff of a connection it blocks it.

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hsehestedt said:

Yeah, it all gets confusing. There are so many different methods. I had to create a document for myself to keep this all straight.

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andrew129260 said:

is there a tutorial or link to that doc?

Click to expand...

hsehestedt said:

@andrew129260,

I have polished up my document a bit and posted it below.

To summarize, the purpose of this document was mainly to serve as notes to myself to remind me how to:

1) Bypass Windows 11 hardware requirements to allow installation on what is technically an unsupported system.

2) Create a local user account and bypass the need for a Windows account.

The document includes information for both clean installations of Windows 11 and upgrade installations.

If you have any questions at all, please do let me know. Likewise, if you see anything that could be improved, by all means point it out to me!

NOTE: I placed my document in a code block below simply because it looked so much more readable that way.

Code:

Last Updated July 16, 2024

NOTE: The procedures below will work with Windows 11 PRO edition including 24H2. All of the procedures for bypassing the Windows 11 system requirements should work for the home edition, but not all of the procedures for bypassing the need for a Microsoft account may work with the home edition. I have not done any testing with the home edition.

This document serves two purposes:

1) It describes how to install Windows 11 on systems that do not technically meet the Windows 11 hardware requirements. Both clean installation methods as well as upgrade installation methods are covered.

2) It describes how to create a local user account during installation rather than having to setup a Microsoft account. Note that this can be used whether or not the system meets Windows 11 requirements.

Before we begin, I would like to point out that there are other methods not covered here to accomplish both of these tasks. For example, the "Rufus" utility can create installation media to allow for installation on unsupported hardware. However, the goal with this document is to provide methods to install Windows 11 without the need for any third-party utilities.


********************************
* CLEAN INSTALLATION PROCEDURE *
********************************

IMPORTANT: Be sure to read both PART 1 and PART 2 below. Part 1 describes how to bypass the initial Windows hardware requirements. Part 2 describes how to create a local user account and bypass the need to login with a Microsoft account during a clean installation.


   ************************************************************************
   * PART 1 - This section describes how to bypass the initial Windows 11 *
   *          system requirements.                                        *
   ************************************************************************

Note: All methods below have the same goal, which is to set registry entries in Windows PE during setup to bypass the Windows 11 requirements. This will NOT affect the final installation of Windows. It only affects the registry entries of Windows PE during setup which is loaded in memory. As soon as the first reboot during installation occurs, these registry entries are lost, having already served their purpose.


      *****************************************************
      * Method 1 - Updating the Windows BOOT.WIM Registry *
      *****************************************************

Personally, this is my preferred method because it is 100% transparent to users but it requires the most effort. When booting from Windows installation media, Windows setup runs under Windows PE (Preinstallation Environment). This is contained within the BOOT.WIM file. By updating the registry for this environment, installation will look the same as always and no answer file is needed, nor is any other action required by the user.

This method requires a little bit of work to implement, but once the Windows image is updated, no action is needed by the user during Windows installation. If you are looking for "easier" methods, continue to the other available options.

To implement this method, use these steps:

1) Install the Windows ADK from here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/get-started/adk-install

NOTE: When installing the ADK, you will be shown a list of items that can be installed. You can choose to install only the Deployment Tools from this list.

2) Open a command prompt by running the "Deployment and Imaging Tools Environment" in elevated mode (as Administrator). You will find this item in Start > All Apps > Windows Kits. Again, make sure to run this elevated (as Administrator).

TIP: When you open the Deployment and Imaging Tools Environment, you can issue a "CD \" to change paths to the root of the volume. This makes the prompt at the command line much shorter and less obtrusive while you are working. Leave this window open until the very end. We will run all the needed commands from the Deployment and Imaging Tools Environment.

NOTE: This environment is basically like any other command prompt, except that various variables and paths are set so that the tools we need such as DISM.exe and OSCDIMG.exe are in the path, ensuring that the latest version of these utilities is run from the ADK location and that all utilities can be found.

3) We will now create the folders that we need for this project by running these commands. You can use other folders, but these are what I will use in my examples:

MD "C:\Project\ISO_Files"
MD "C:\Project\Mount"

4) Mount your Windows ISO image and copy ALL files to C:\Project\ISO_Files.

5) Run the following commands. Note that you can copy and paste all these commands to your command prompt at once if you wish.

NOTE: Consider creating an antivirus exception for the C:\Project folder and all contents of that folder. The dism /unmount-image may fail if antivirus software interferes.

dism /mount-wim /wimfile:c:\project\iso_files\sources\boot.wim /index:1 /mountdir:c:\project\mount
reg load HKLM\offline c:\project\mount\windows\system32\config\system
reg add HKLM\offline\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassTPMCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
reg add HKLM\offline\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassSecureBootCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
reg add HKLM\offline\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassRAMCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
reg add HKLM\offline\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassCPUCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
reg unload HKLM\offline
dism /unmount-image /mountdir:c:\project\mount /commit
dism /mount-wim /wimfile:c:\project\iso_files\sources\boot.wim /index:2 /mountdir:c:\project\mount
reg load HKLM\offline c:\project\mount\windows\system32\config\system
reg add HKLM\offline\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassTPMCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
reg add HKLM\offline\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassSecureBootCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
reg add HKLM\offline\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassRAMCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
reg add HKLM\offline\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassCPUCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f
reg unload HKLM\offline
dism /unmount-image /mountdir:c:\project\mount /commit
oscdimg -m -o -u2 -udfver102 -bootdata:2#p0,e,b"c:\project\ISO_Files\boot\etfsboot.com"#pEF,e,b"c:\project\ISO_Files\efi\microsoft\boot\efisys.bin" "c:\project\ISO_Files" "c:\project\Windows.ISO"
rd /S /Q "c:\project\iso_files"
rd /S /Q "c:\project\mount"

NOTE: When the above commands have finished running, the updated ISO image file can be found as C:\Project\Windows.ISO.


      ****************************************************
      * Method 2 - Using an Autounattend.xml Answer File *
      ****************************************************

You can add the following entries to an autounattend.xml answer file to bypass the Windows 11 system requirements during an unattended installation. Note that you could craft an answer file that DOES NOT perform an unattended installation but does nothing more than bypass the Windows 11 requirements. Adding these entries to your answer file will bypass Windows 11 system requirtements.

Create a new answer file or modify an existing answer file with the following entries:

Add the component Microsoft Windows Setup\RunSynchronos\RunSynchronousCommand to Pass 1 windowsPE.

Set the following values:

Order: 1
Path: reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassTPMCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f

Repeat the above steps 4 more time (for a total of 5 "RunSynchronousCommand" entries) with the following entries:

Order: 2
Path: reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassSecureBootCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f

Order: 3
Path: reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassRAMCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f

Order: 4
Path: reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassCPUCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f


      *************************************************************
      * Method 3 - Manually Modify the Registry for Windows Setup *
      *************************************************************

Begin installation of Windows from your installation media. At the first static screen where Windows setup requests information from you during setup, press SHIFT + F10 to open a command prompt.

Type regedit and hit ENTER. Add the following entries:

HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig BypassTPMCheck reg_dword 0x00000001
HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig BypassSecureBootCheck reg_dword 0x00000001
HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig BypassRAMCheck reg_dword 0x00000001
HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig BypassCPUCheck reg_dword 0x00000001

Close the Registry Editor and the command prompt. Continue installation normally.


      ********************************
      * Method 4 - Using a .reg file *
      ********************************

Create a file with the extension .reg. Place the following text between the bars (----) into that file. Don't include the "----" lines.

----
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup\LabConfig]
"BypassTPMCheck"=dword:00000001
"BypassSecureBootCheck"=dword:00000001
"BypassRAMCheck"=dword:00000001
"BypassCPUCheck"=dword:00000001
----

Save the file, making sure to use a ".reg" file extension. Example: Bypass.reg

Drop this registry file onto your install media. After starting setup, when you reach the first static screen where information is requested by setup, press Shift + F10 to open a command prompt. Navigate to the drive letter where the .reg file is located and then run it. You can run it by simply typing the name of the file and pressing <ENTER>. Close the command prompt and continue installation of Windows as usual.


      *********************************
      * Method 5 - Using a Batch File *
      *********************************

Create a text file with the extension .bat. Example: Bypass.bat. Place the following six lines in that file:

@echo off
reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassTPMCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f > NUL
reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassSecureBootCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f > NUL
reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassRAMCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f > NUL
reg add HKLM\System\Setup\LabConfig /v BypassCPUCheck /t reg_dword /d 0x00000001 /f > NUL

NOTE: The "> NUL" simply suppresses the output from being displayed for "silent" operation.

Drop this file onto your install media. After starting setup, when you reach the first static screen where information is requested by setup, press Shift + F10 to open a command prompt. Navigate to the drive letter where the .bat file is located and then run it. You can run it by simply typing the name of the file and pressing <ENTER>. Close the command prompt and continue installation of Windows as usual.


   ************************************************************************
   * Part 2 - This section describes how to create a local account during *
   *          a clean installation and bypass the requirement to logon    *
   *          with a Microsoft account in Windows 11 Pro.                 *
   ************************************************************************

In Part 1 above, we dealt with how to bypass the Windows 11 system requirements. One of the other annoyances is that Windows now tries to force you into using an existing Microsoft account or creating a new Microsoft account during installation. Regardless of which method you used above, you can use one of these procedures to allow you to create a local user account during setup. Please note that you can use these procedures even if you have a system that meets Windows 11 requirements and you did not need to use any of the procedures in Part 1.


      *************************************************************
      * If you have a network connection allowing Internet access *
      *************************************************************

NOTE: If you do NOT have an Ethernet or WiFi adapter please skip to the section below called "If you do NOT have an Internet connection".

Perform ANY ONE of the four options below. You may want to read all options before choosing. Make sure to use an option that applies to your situation which is stipulated at the start of each section.

1) Use this option if you have an Ethernet cable that you can unplug or if your system has a WiFi adapter. You can also use this option if your system has no Ethernet adapter or WiFi adapter, or if your system has WiFi only with no Ethernet.

If you have an Ethernet cable, unplug the cable. Begin installation of Windows by booting from your Windows installation media. During installation, the system will reboot one or more times. Once the system has rebooted at least once, installation will eventually pause at a static screen where it asks you "Is this the right country or region?". At that screen, press SHIFT + F10 to open a command prompt. Click on the command window to make it active, type "OOBE\BypassNRO" and then press ENTER. The system will reboot. You will once again see the screen where it asks "Is this the right country or region?". Continue with setup until you get to a screen that says "Let's connect you to a network". Select "I don't have internet" on that screen. Choose that option. On some versions of Windows you will be shown a screen where you can select "Continue with limited setup". If you see this option, select it. Enter your local user account name, and then continue with setup as usual.

2) Use this option if your system has an Ethernet adapter connected to a network that will allow access to the Internet and you cannot disconnect this adapter or you prefer not to disconnect it.

This procedure is very similar to option #1, but you can use this procedure to disable networking if you have an Ethernet adapter that is plugged in. During installation, the system will reboot one or more times. Once the system has rebooted at least once, installation will eventually pause at a static screen where it asks you "Is this the right country or region?". At that screen, press SHIFT + F10 to open a command prompt. Click on the command window to make it active, type "OOBE\BypassNRO" and then press ENTER. The system will reboot. You will once again see the screen where it asks "Is this the right country or region?". Once again, open a command prompt by pressing SHIFT + F10 and then click on the command window to make it active. Type the command "ipconfig /release" and then press ENTER. This has the same effect as disconnecting the Ethernet cable. Close the command prompt. Continue with setup until you get to a screen that says "Let's connect you to a network". Select "I don't have internet" on that screen. Choose that option. On some versions of Windows you will be shown a screen where you can select "Continue with limited setup". If you see this option, select it. Enter your local user account name, and then continue with setup as usual.

3) This option can be used if you have an Ethernet adapter that is connected and that Ethernet adapter has access to the Internet but you cannot disconnect the cable or prefer not to disconnect it. This method will NOT work if you have a WiFi adapter installed in the system.

Proceed with installation of Windows until you arrive at a screen that asks "How would you like to set up this device?". You will have an option to "Set up for personal use" or "Set up for work or school". Select "Set up for work or school" and click on "Next".

On the next screen, click on "Sign-in options", then click on "Domain join instead". Don't worry, we are not joining a domain!

On the next screen, supply the local username that you want to create and then continue through setup as normal.

4) This method can be used regardless of network status.

You can use an autounattend.xml answer file. Normally, such a file is used to automate the installation of Windows. However, you can create an answer file that simply allows you to create a local user account and does nothing else. Feel free to contact me directly (hsehestedt) if you need help creating such an answer file.


      *********************************************
      * If you do NOT have an Internet connection *
      *********************************************

During installation, Windows will reboot. After a period of time you will be presented a screen asking "Is this the right country or region?". At that screen, press SHIFT + F10 to open a command prompt. At the command prompt, type "OOBE\BypassNRO" and then press ENTER. The system will reboot. When you get to the "Let's connect you to a network" screen, you will have an option to select "I don't have internet". Choose that option. On some versions of Windows you will be shown a screen where you can select "Continue with limited setup". If you see this option, select it. Enter your local user account name, and then continue with setup as usual.


****************************************
* END OF CLEAN INSTALLATION PROCEDURES *
****************************************




***********************************
* UPGRADE INSTALLATION PROCEDURES *
***********************************


      ********************************************
      * Method 1 - Updating the Windows Registry *
      *            PREFERRED METHOD              *
      ********************************************


You can bypass the Windows 11 requirements for an upgrade installation by adding the entries below to your Windows registry.

You can make this into a .REG file if you wish. Then, simply double-click that file to merge the contents into the registry. If you want to do this, open notepad, paste in the following lines between the "----" lines (not including those lines), and save it to a file with a .REG extension, then double-click that file to make the registry change:

----
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PCHC]
"UpgradeEligibility"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup\MoSetup]
"AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup\LabConfig]
"BypassCPUCheck"=dword:00000001
"BypassDiskCheck"=dword:00000001
"BypassRAMCheck"=dword:00000001
"BypassSecureBootCheck"=dword:00000001
"BypassStorageCheck"=dword:00000001
"BypassTPMCheck"=dword:00000001
----

NOTE: It is my understanding that the "BypassDiskCheck" and "BypassStorageCheck" no longer do anything, but it won't hurt anything to keep those entries. If you prefer, you can omit those two lines.


      ********************************************
      * Method 2 - Updating the Windows Registry *
      *            Alternate Method              *
      ********************************************

This method is similar to method 1 above, but it bypasses only the need for a TPM 2.0 and the CPU requirements. I present it here as an option but would suggest using method 1 instead since it is a more comprehensive solution but requires no more effort than this method.

You can bypass just the TPM 2.0 and supported CPU requirements for an upgrade installation by making the following change to the registry:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup\MoSetup]
"AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU"=dword:00000001

NOTE: This registry setting bypasses the need for a supported CPU and a TPM 2.0 but a TPM 1.2 would still be needed.

You can make this into a .REG file if you wish. Then, simply double-click that file to merge the contents into the registry. If you want to do this, open notepad, paste in the following lines between the "----" lines (not including those lines), and save it to a file with a .REG extension, then double-click that file to make the registry change:

----
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup\MoSetup]
"AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU"=dword:00000001
----

References
==========

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/ways-to-install-windows-11-e0edbbfb-cfc5-4011-868b-2ce77ac7c70e

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antspants said:

Would be good as a whole thread/tutorial?

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netsh interface show interface

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netsh interface set interface "NIC_NAME_HERE" disable

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dacrone said:

enter
annotate your nic (the active one)

Then run the bypass

Once into windows, simply re-enable nic via device manager

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hsehestedt said:

Yeah, it all gets confusing. There are so many different methods. I had to create a document for myself to keep this all straight.

Click to expand...

garlin said:

It's not confusing.

21H2 BypassRNO works, regardless of network status
22H2 and later BypassRNO doesn't work if Windows detects a working connection (route back to MS)

Click to expand...