Stuck in OOBE on new Laptop

RH247a · Jan 23, 2024

I have a new purchase HP 17" Laptop Windows 11 (the box says nothing about a model, booted to Bios and it only says Notebook). I haven't been able to get out of the Factory startup OOBE from the store. Wasn't doing a clean install yet, it's just right out of the box. When I got to the point of being forced into the MS Acct sign in, I tried the Shift + F10 and nothing happened (The Shift + F10 works on my other Acer).
(Edit add, I tried the Function Key first, didn't help, also booted to bios and the F keys are set to work without FN key)
So seeing no options I just clicked the Access Icon at bottom and that took me to Settings->Access. From there I was able to move around in Settings and I then turned off my Wifi thinking that might help.
But when I closed settings and went back to the factory startup OOBE and it stopped dead at a screen that says your Wifi is turned OFF. Also says toTurn back on Manually, or 1 hr or 2 hrs . . but no matter which I select the screen is dead with NEXT grayed out. I.e. can't find a way to turn Wifi back on or get to cmd shell to try the bypass.
At this point I'm pretty much stuck, can't move forward at all. The access Icon is not visible on the screen I'm on, and there is no back arrow. Can't find a way to get past this. Anyone know how to get to cmd on an HP?

cereberus · Jan 23, 2024

I presume you are trying to get to command prompt at MS Acct sign in to install as a local account?

If so, there is an easier way - at MS account screen, enter fake address "fake@fake.com" and put any garbage as password.

It will reply oops, something has gone wrong, then you can enter a local account.

I suspect the reason you cannot get to a command prompt is that it is a Windows Home S mode installation (common for oem laptops), and you cannot get to a command prompt in S mode.

If it is S mode, you can revert to normal mode using this tutorial

Switch out of S mode in Windows 11 Tutorial

This tutorial will show you how to switch out of S mode in Windows 11. Windows 11 in S mode is only available in the Windows 11 Home edition. Some devices come preinstalled with Windows 11 Home in S mode by the original equipment manufacturer. Windows 11 in S mode is a version of Windows 11...

www.elevenforum.com

glasskuter · Jan 23, 2024

Just curious. Was this device a used device or possibly a refurbished one? I have never seen a factory box that didn't have the model and specs on it.

RH247a · Jan 23, 2024

cereberus said:
I presume you are trying to get to command prompt at MS Acct sign in to install as a local account?

If so, there is an easier way - at MS account screen, enter fake address "fake@fake.com" and put any garbage as password.

It will reply oops, something has gone wrong, then you can enter a local account.

----I tried that but it says no such MS Acct and I must create an new MS Account, so I click create new acct and it won't accept my fake@fake.com, says I can't use a work or school email for personal, gives gmail.com or Yahoo.com as examples to use. So if I type fakewhatever@gmail.com and put in any password gibberish, I surmise it will try to send something to that email to verify. And since it's not a real email won't I still be stuck waiting on a confirmation code etc?

cereberus said:
I suspect the reason you cannot get to a command prompt is that it is a Windows Home S mode installation (common for oem laptops), and you cannot get to a command prompt in S mode.

If it is S mode, you can revert to normal mode using this tutorial

Switch out of S mode in Windows 11 Tutorial

This tutorial will show you how to switch out of S mode in Windows 11. Windows 11 in S mode is only available in the Windows 11 Home edition. Some devices come preinstalled with Windows 11 Home in S mode by the original equipment manufacturer. Windows 11 in S mode is a version of Windows 11...

www.elevenforum.com

Reading that link it appears I have to be logged into the the MS store to get out of S-mode, Yes ? No?

If yes to above then again it appears I am forced to sign in or create a MS Acct. If I do sign into a MS acct with this computer, what ramifications are therein?
I.e. does that tie this Laptop to that MS acct forever OR can I somehow get out of that marriage later?

And if I decided to just keep logging into an MS acct for this Laptop, if one day my internet provider access is down, will I be able to use the device at all for getting anything done offline?

Right now I'm thinking a clean install of Win11 is about my only option, but I'm a bit leary since Shift F10 is not jumping to cmd shell, and no way to get out of the MS acct situation. I.e. starting to think about just taking the Laptop back to the store.

RH247a · Jan 23, 2024

glasskuter said:
Just curious. Was this device a used device or possibly a refurbished one? I have never seen a factory box that didn't have the model and specs on it.

I ordered from Best Buy Online login after seeing the Laptop displayed in the store on sale for $299.99. It was listed as New not refurbished. They said they did not have any in stock but I could order it online which I did. The box and the device have nothing on them, not even on the bottom of the device. I just now searched in my email for the online order confirmation and found this,
HP - 17.3" HD+ Laptop - AMD Ryzen 3 7320U - 8GB Memory - 256GB SSD - Natural Silver, Model:17-cp2033dx, SKU:6554443
It's still for sale at the Best Buy Online but the price has gone back up to $349.99 Regular price was $549.99

Bree · Jan 23, 2024

RH247a said:
I just now searched in my email for the online order confirmation and found this,
HP - 17.3" HD+ Laptop - AMD Ryzen 3 7320U - 8GB Memory - 256GB SSD - Natural Silver, Model:17-cp2033dx, SKU:6554443
It's still for sale at the Best Buy Online but the price has gone back up to $349.99

Welcome to Eleven Forum.

That would be this one. Under 'Features' it confirms that it comes with Windows 11 Home in S Mode.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-17-3-hd-laptop-amd-ryzen-3-7320u-8gb-memory-256gb-ssd-natural-silver/6554443.p?skuId=6554443&intl=nosplash

RH247a said:
Reading that link it appears I have to be logged into the the MS store to get out of S-mode, Yes ? No?

Yes...

RH247a said:
If yes to above then again it appears I am forced to sign in or create a MS Acct. If I do sign into a MS acct with this computer, what ramifications are therein?
I.e. does that tie this Laptop to that MS acct forever OR can I somehow get out of that marriage later?

You can easily switch from a MS account to a local account. Windows Activation is tied to the unique hardware ID of the PC, not to any MS account, so Windows will always be activated. You can, if you wish, switch back to an MS account later. It doesn't have to be your MS account, if you wanted to pass on the PC to someone else they could switch to their own MS account.

Switch to Local Account from Microsoft Account in Windows 11 Tutorial

This tutorial will show you how to switch to a local account from a Microsoft account to sign in to Windows 11 with instead. You can sign in to Windows 11 with a local account or a Microsoft account. However, you can easily switch between using a local account or a Microsoft account to sign in...

www.elevenforum.com

RH247a said:
And if I decided to just keep logging into an MS acct for this Laptop, if one day my internet provider access is down, will I be albe to use the device at all for getting anything done offline?

If you keep the MS account you will still be able to sign in with your PIN or your MS account password when you are offline and don't have an internet connection.

RH247a · Jan 24, 2024

Bree said:
Welcome to Eleven Forum.
. . . . .
You can easily switch from a MS account to a local account. Windows Activation is tied to the unique hardware ID of the PC, not to any MS account, so Windows will always be activated. You can, if you wish, switch back to an MS account later. It doesn't have to be your MS account, if you wanted to pass on the PC to someone else they could switch to their own MS account.
. . . . .
If you keep the MS account you will still be able to sign in with your PIN or your MS account password when you are offline and don't have an internet connection.

(Apologize for late reply)
Thanks much Bree, you answered all my immediate questions.
Now as to doing a clean install on this device, I surmise the premise put forth by cereberus is that while I'm still in S-mode, Shift + F10 (or any other method) will not work to get me to a command prompt for the MS acct bypass. So maybe it will when I try a clean install via USB.
But wondering if maybe HP different on this?
I was a bit dismayed that the S-mode would not let me complete my initial power on setup without having internet access. Two weeks ago on an Acer Aspire 5 Windows 11, was able to complete my new (first) power on S-Mode by pulling the internet connection at the MS Acct point.
But on the first power on S-mode this HP stopped there and said not going to happen without internet access. Possibly the Acer was setup different for it's first S-Mode power on setup, I don't remember every step but I know it did complete without a MS acct.

Just wondering if anyone else had any problems with HP or any brand device getting around the MS Sign in S-Mode power up OR via the bypass on a clean install.

Megahertz · Jan 24, 2024

Before you do a clean install, why don't you first try to log in with a MS account, disable S mode and convert it to a local account.
If you don't like the results, make a drive image as a backup, save all drivers and do a clean install.

Backup and Restore Device Drivers in Windows 11 Tutorial

This tutorial will show you how to back up and restore all 3rd party device drivers on your Windows 10 and Windows 11 PC. If you clean install Windows, you will need to install drivers for each device in the system. Some of these device drivers may no longer be available from the manufacturer...

www.elevenforum.com

bfunke · Jan 24, 2024

The newer HP laptops have such faint tiny model numbers on the back that are hard to read even with magnification in good lighting conditions

cereberus · Jan 24, 2024

RH247a said:
(Apologize for late reply)
Thanks much Bree, you answered all my immediate questions.
Now as to doing a clean install on this device, I surmise the premise put forth by cereberus is that while I'm still in S-mode, Shift + F10 (or any other method) will not work to get me to a command prompt for the MS acct bypass. So maybe it will when I try a clean install via USB.
But wondering if maybe HP different on this?
I was a bit dismayed that the S-mode would not let me complete my initial power on setup without having internet access. Two weeks ago on an Acer Aspire 5 Windows 11, was able to complete my new (first) power on S-Mode by pulling the internet connection at the MS Acct point.
But on the first power on S-mode this HP stopped there and said not going to happen without internet access. Possibly the Acer was setup different for it's first S-Mode power on setup, I don't remember every step but I know it did complete without a MS acct.

Just wondering if anyone else had any problems with HP or any brand device getting around the MS Sign in S-Mode power up OR via the bypass on a clean install.

You cannot use cmmd prompt in S mode.

Well, I have just installed Windows 11 Home in S mode, just entering fake@fake.com as email account and asdf as password (password does not matter), oobe replied "oops", and at next screen, I could set up as local account - see clips below.

If you cannot bypass the MS account, do as @Megahertz says in post #8.

mackie · Jan 24, 2024

I recently helped a relative, over the phone, with her new HP laptop. She used her MS account and went quickly through the oobe setup. Then she checked to find out she was running Windows 11 Home in S mode. That was changed quickly via the MS store to Windows 11 Home. After that, all the updates started installing. One of several was the 22h3 update. They were done reasonably quickly and without any problems. I don’t think she’s changed to a local account though.

MisterEd · Jan 24, 2024

mackie said:
I recently helped a relative, over the phone, with her new HP laptop. She used her MS account and went quickly through the oobe setup. Then she checked to find out she was running Windows 11 Home in S mode. That was changed quickly via the MS store to Windows 11 Home. After that, all the updates started installing. One of several was the 22h3 update. They were done reasonably quickly and without any problems. I don’t think she’s changed to a local account though.

One thing that is not talked about is even if you use a local account to log in you can still use a Microsoft account for other things that need it. For example, I always use local accounts for my computers. However, if need to buy something on the MS store I log into it with my Microsoft account. That is separate from how I log in. The same for MS Office.

Bree · Jan 24, 2024

MisterEd said:
One thing that is not talked about is even if you use a local account to log in you can still use a Microsoft account for other things that need it. For example, I always use local accounts for my computers. However, if need to buy something on the MS store I log into it with my Microsoft account. That is separate from how I log in. The same for MS Office.

Yes, you can use all the features of an MS account without actually switching from a local account to an MS account. That includes OneDrive. I do that for most of my machines.

Add Microsoft account to Local account for Hybrid account in Windows 11 Tutorial

A Microsoft account (MSA) is a good choice if a user wants to use the same account on multiple devices, or wants to make it easy to use all / any Microsoft services. Setting up a preinstalled Windows 10 on a new device, after a clean install, or creating a new user on existing Windows...

www.elevenforum.com

RH247a · Jan 24, 2024

bfunke said:
The newer HP laptops have such faint tiny model numbers on the back that are hard to read even with magnification in good lighting conditions

For sure they are tiny, not sure what HP was thinking there. But the 17in display is great and my wife can use a smaller resolution without the desktop screen narrowing. Her eyes are not what they used to be. And I got a great price on it at $299.99

Megahertz said:
Before you do a clean install, why don't you first try to log in with a MS account, disable S mode and convert it to a local account.
If you don't like the results, make a drive image as a backup, save all drivers and do a clean install.

Backup and Restore Device Drivers in Windows 11 Tutorial

This tutorial will show you how to back up and restore all 3rd party device drivers on your Windows 10 and Windows 11 PC. If you clean install Windows, you will need to install drivers for each device in the system. Some of these device drivers may no longer be available from the manufacturer...

www.elevenforum.com

Thanks so much those are excellent ideas and will note them and pursue all of those options. Thanks loads for the link on saving the drivers.
And to thanks to everyone, all the replies have been a great help. This is a great forum just like Windows Ten is. Both have excellent tutorials and members.

cereberus said:
You cannot use cmmd prompt in S mode.

Well, I have just installed Windows 11 Home in S mode, just entering fake@fake.com as email account and asdf as password (password does not matter), oobe replied "oops", and at next screen, I could set up as local account

Well yesterday was my day for chain yanks I guess. I tried what you said again to see why it did not work for me yesterday. This time I typed exactly as you said fake@fake.com and it went straight to the password entry. So puzzled I remember yesterday not typing exactly what you said but something similar, so to test this out I hit back and typed fakebakery@fake.com
it pops msg up saying That Microsoft Account doesn't exist. Enter a different account or create new one.
But if I type in fake@fake.com (exactly as you said) then upon enter it does not give said msg and then asks me to enter a password.
So (on another device) I checked, and there is an actual site named fake.com. So (back on the S-Mode Laptop) I type in
no-pswd-4-you and it then gives me the Oops something went wrong. And it continues to the Who's going to use this Device and I set up my local acct. All while my ethernet is plugged in and connecting also.

So I'm guessing there really is a MS acct with an email login of fake@fake.com (? if not, why does it pass by the popup msg ?)
In any case fake@fake.com does work. I should have typed it exactly as you said, but all the chain yanks from Microsoft had flustered my aging brain and I just typed in something similar. (kinda wondering though as unlikely that could happen what if we'd typed in the correct password?)
Thanks cereberus

MisterEd · Jan 24, 2024

I have installed both Windows 10 and 11 at least a dozen time and have always have been able to bypass the requirement for a Microsoft account. When it asks for me to create or login with a Microsoft account I just keep it simple and try to log in with the following fake Microsoft account:
Username: username
Password: password

I then always get the message, "Oops, something went wrong." It then asks me to create a local account.

I think some people try to be too clever about this. I keep it simple by using a username and password that are easy to remember.

mackie · Jan 24, 2024

My relative uses OneDrive. She used it on the old laptop and it's 'on' in the new HP.

She was happy to see that on the new HP laptop all her apps and settings from the old laptop were now available.

cereberus · Jan 24, 2024

RH247a said:
For sure they are tiny, not sure what HP was thinking there. But the 17in display is great and my wife can use a smaller resolution without the desktop screen narrowing. Her eyes are not what they used to be. And I got a great price on it at $299.99

Thanks so much those are excellent ideas and will note them and pursue all of those options. Thanks loads for the link on saving the drivers.
And to thanks to everyone, all the replies have been a great help. This is a great forum just like Windows Ten is. Both have excellent tutorials and members.

Well yesterday was my day for chain yanks I guess. I tried what you said again to see why it did not work for me yesterday. This time I typed exactly as you said fake@fake.com and it went straight to the password entry. So puzzled I remember yesterday not typing exactly what you said but something similar, so to test this out I hit back and typed fakebakery@fake.com
it pops msg up saying That Microsoft Account doesn't exist. Enter a different account or create new one.
But if I type in fake@fake.com (exactly as you said) then upon enter it does not give said msg and then asks me to enter a password.
So (on another device) I checked, and there is an actual site named fake.com. So (back on the S-Mode Laptop) I type in
no-pswd-4-you and it then gives me the Oops something went wrong. And it continues to the Who's going to use this Device and I set up my local acct. All while my ethernet is plugged in and connecting also.

So I'm guessing there really is a MS acct with an email login of fake@fake.com (? if not, why does it pass by the popup msg ?)
In any case fake@fake.com does work. I should have typed it exactly as you said, but all the chain yanks from Microsoft had flustered my aging brain and I just typed in something similar. (kinda wondering though as unlikely that could happen what if we'd typed in the correct password?)
Thanks cereberus

Yeah good point - if there really is an account fake@fake.com, and you got the password right, that would be funny.

Maybe there is some poor guy in the world who gets bombarded with millions of "somebody tried to access your account" messages LOL.

This is interesting. I just sent an email to fake@fake.com and of course delivery failed but what was odd was statement message was blocked.

I did same to a totally fictitious account and got normal reply no user found.

So it seems to me that fake@fake.com is a genuine email address but hidden behind some server?

So I am purely guessing here if you put any old fake email in, oobe rejects it as it knows it is a fake address but if you fake@fake.com oobe thinks it is genuine but falls over as it is blocked somehow - hence forcing "oops something went wrong"?

This is inline with your experience.

Of course, sooner or later, this loophole will get blocked.

spapakons · Jan 26, 2024

As discussed on other similar threads, the command trick only works if the computer is disconnected from the internet. That means don't connect to your Wi-Fi and don't connect the network cable until you have successfully created the local account and you login to the desktop. At the network screen press SHIFT+F10 to open a Command Prompt. If that doesn't work press SHIFT+FN+F10. Then execute the command oobe\bypassnro This will make some changes and restart back to the initial configuration screen (aka OOBE). This time at the network screen you should see the text "I don't have an internet connection" (provided you are disconnected from the internet). Click on that and you should be offered to create a local account and "miss" some features. Ignore that and proceed.