Severe Windows 11 Pro Problem: Will having Windows 11 Pro allow me to opt out of cloud services?


Rolling1972

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Hi all,

I just upgraded my Windows 10 PC that was running Windows 10 Home Edition to Windows 10 Pro Edition.

The only reason I made this upgrade was that I could opt out of Windows 11's cloud services. I was told that Windows 11 Home Edition forces users to create a Microsoft account and make use of cloud services.

I really like keeping my Windows 10 PC running without any connection to the cloud.

I'll need to upgrade to Windows 11 soon so I just want to know if I'll be able to keep files and settings stored only on my PC and not to the cloud?

Thank you
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows
Hi all,

I just upgraded my Windows 10 PC that was running Windows 10 Home Edition to Windows 10 Pro Edition.

The only reason I made this upgrade was that I could opt out of Windows 11's cloud services. I was told that Windows 11 Home Edition forces users to create a Microsoft account and make use of cloud services.

I really like keeping my Windows 10 PC running without any connection to the cloud.

I'll need to upgrade to Windows 11 soon so I just want to know if I'll be able to keep files and settings stored only on my PC and not to the cloud?

Thank you
You are confusing cloud services with MS accounts. You do not have to use cloud services e.g. onedrive. You can just ignore it or uninstall it. You can just use a local account - even on Home. All Home does is insist you use an MS account to install it - you can immediately switch to a local account.

Same is true of Windows 11 - eventually, you will have to use an MS account to install it but there are ways around that. As above, you can always switch to a local account. Yiu can uninstall onedrive.

You just have to be careful when installing any version, you watch out for link that says to use local pc for your user files.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro + others in VHDs
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Vivobook 14
    CPU
    I7
    Motherboard
    Yep, Laptop has one.
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Intel Iris XE
    Sound Card
    Realtek built in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    N/A
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Optane NVME SSD, 1 TB NVME SSD
    PSU
    Yep, got one
    Case
    Yep, got one
    Cooling
    Stella Artois
    Keyboard
    Built in
    Mouse
    Bluetooth , wired
    Internet Speed
    72 Mb/s :-(
    Browser
    Edge mostly
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    TPM 2.0
I really like keeping my Windows 10 PC running without any connection to the cloud.

I'll need to upgrade to Windows 11 soon so I just want to know if I'll be able to keep files and settings stored only on my PC and not to the cloud?
A clean install of Windows 11, Home or Pro, will insist you sign in with a Microsoft account as the first account you set up.

But if you have windows 10 installed already and only using local accounts, then upgrading your Windows 10 to Windows 11 will retain your local accounts and not force you to switch to a Microsoft account. This applies to both Home and Pro.

My Sytem One in My Computers below was upgraded from 10 Home to 11 Home and only uses local accounts, as do all my other Windows 11 PCs, Home or Pro.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD
    Internet Speed
    50 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Lattitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround. In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround. Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
A clean install of Windows 11, Home or Pro, will insist you sign in with a Microsoft account as the first account you set up.

But if you have windows 10 installed already and only using local accounts, then upgrading your Windows 10 to Windows 11 will retain your local accounts and not force you to switch to a Microsoft account. This applies to both Home and Pro.

My Sytem One in My Computers below was upgraded from 10 Home to 11 Home and only uses local accounts, as do all my other Windows 11 PCs, Home or Pro.
Of course, anybody can use thr official but hidden bypassnro method.

MS had to introduce this as there are persons who do not have internet access, or are not allowed. PCs are often ussd aa standalone dataloggers in laboratories with sensitive data for example. MS did not want to openly publicise this of course - the intent of method was more geared to domestic users.

As an aside, I installed W11 on an incompatible pc, using the dism method (Kari's tutorial) and it just worked. I did not do any of the tricks needed to bypass restrictions.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro + others in VHDs
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Vivobook 14
    CPU
    I7
    Motherboard
    Yep, Laptop has one.
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Intel Iris XE
    Sound Card
    Realtek built in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    N/A
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Optane NVME SSD, 1 TB NVME SSD
    PSU
    Yep, got one
    Case
    Yep, got one
    Cooling
    Stella Artois
    Keyboard
    Built in
    Mouse
    Bluetooth , wired
    Internet Speed
    72 Mb/s :-(
    Browser
    Edge mostly
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    TPM 2.0
Of course, anybody can use thr official but hidden bypassnro method.

MS had to introduce this as there are persons who do not have internet access, or are not allowed. PCs are often ussd aa standalone dataloggers in laboratories with sensitive data for example. MS did not want to openly publicise this of course - the intent of method was more geared to domestic users.

As an aside, I installed W11 on an incompatible pc, using the dism method (Kari's tutorial) and it just worked. I did not do any of the tricks needed to bypass restrictions.
Quite true - I've done a couple of assignments at NATO sites and the typical desktop computers are all "Air-gapped" and security is obviously important -- perhaps never more so than now as the current action in Crimea, Russia and Ukraine unfolds.

As far as dism /Apply-Image is concerned I find that by far the most flexible way of installing Windows -- especially as I invariably use VHDX files now. Easy also for creating Windows to go equivalents too as you can install to external drives as well -- remember to install of course the correct boot manager. One thing though to be aware of - if using Macrium to "Fix windows boot problems" you might lose other boot options if you have more than 1 Windows system on the device. Using bcdboot to install the correct boot manager avoids that proiblem. You can change, re-order, delete entries also simply via bcdedit.

cheers
jimbo
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows XP,7,10,11 Linux Arch Linux
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    2 X Intel i7
Windows 10 may be like Windows 7 and 8.1 where users can use the OS beyond the support period.

Support is through October 14, 2025.

 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4800MQ CPU @ 2.70GHz
    Motherboard
    Product : 190A Version : KBC Version 94.56
    Memory
    16 GB Total: Manufacturer : Samsung MemoryType : DDR3 FormFactor : SODIMM Capacity : 8GB Speed : 1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Quadro K3100M; Intel(R) HD Graphics 4600
    Sound Card
    IDT High Definition Audio CODEC; PNP Device ID HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_111D&DEV_76E0
    Hard Drives
    Model Hitachi HTS727575A9E364
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
    Other Info
    Mobile Workstation
Windows 10 may be like Windows 7 and 8.1 where users can use the OS beyond the support period.

Support is through October 14, 2025.

Even then you can always run it as a VM for as log as you like.

I'm still often running an XP VM to create Vinyl discs from custom music tracks and to print "Album Covers". The studio hardware still works brilliantly for cutting the disc together with the D/A (digital to analog -- Vinyl uses analog recording) software which is fine. The only problem was being able to source enough blank vinyls -- solved now with a ready supply from S.Korea . Diamond cutting tool lasts for years on this type of material. To upgrade hardware and software I'm looking at 35,000 USD or more -- not worth it for running a small part time "Fun business" especially when the current hardware I'm using is perfect.

Sharing data with XP is simple enough too -- doesn't have to go near the Internet. SAMBA from NAS will connect or if you are totally bonkers about security try "Footnet" -- i.e stand alone removable device plugged into the XP system as a physical device. Though remember on XP there's no USB 3 support -- USB 2 is the best you'll get on that.

Cheers
jimbo
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows XP,7,10,11 Linux Arch Linux
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    2 X Intel i7
Quite true - I've done a couple of assignments at NATO sites and the typical desktop computers are all "Air-gapped" and security is obviously important -- perhaps never more so than now as the current action in Crimea, Russia and Ukraine unfolds.

As far as dism /Apply-Image is concerned I find that by far the most flexible way of installing Windows -- especially as I invariably use VHDX files now. Easy also for creating Windows to go equivalents too as you can install to external drives as well -- remember to install of course the correct boot manager. One thing though to be aware of - if using Macrium to "Fix windows boot problems" you might lose other boot options if you have more than 1 Windows system on the device. Using bcdboot to install the correct boot manager avoids that proiblem. You can change, re-order, delete entries also simply via bcdedit.

cheers
jimbo
If the other windows instances are installed directly on drives, Reflect will pick them all up.

You can pick up vhds as well but you have to manually attach them from the Reflect command prompt.

I only use the "fix windows boot problems" if the host bcd has got so mangled, you cannot boot into pc. It was never really designed for multiple native boot vhds.

I prefer to use easybcd when managing multiple boot entries (I have 6 vhds as well as Host). It is just so easy to rename and reorder. Far quicker than faffing with bcdboot commands.

The one thing that funnily enough that slightly irritates me, is if you have a Macrium boot entry, when you run the fix boot option, it does not -reinstate the boot entry.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro + others in VHDs
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Vivobook 14
    CPU
    I7
    Motherboard
    Yep, Laptop has one.
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Intel Iris XE
    Sound Card
    Realtek built in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    N/A
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Optane NVME SSD, 1 TB NVME SSD
    PSU
    Yep, got one
    Case
    Yep, got one
    Cooling
    Stella Artois
    Keyboard
    Built in
    Mouse
    Bluetooth , wired
    Internet Speed
    72 Mb/s :-(
    Browser
    Edge mostly
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    TPM 2.0

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