Solved What is "oobe\bypassnro"

cereberus · Oct 20, 2022

Of all of all of the usual workarounds, the oobe\bypassnro is actually the official method introduced by MS at request from business IT depts as some pcs are air gapped for security reasons. Fortunately, MS never restricted it to Enterprise versions.

mpcsaz · Oct 20, 2022

That only comes up with windows pro. This is home... With pro, you don't need to run about script, it gives you the option to use offline account out of the box... I was replying to the context of the conversation... Using the oobe\bypassnro script

hsehestedt · Oct 20, 2022

mpcsaz said:
That only comes up with windows pro. This is home... With pro, you don't need to run about script, it gives you the option to use offline account out of the box... I was replying to the context of the conversation... Using the oobe\bypassnro script

Not true with 22H2. 22H2 does not display an option to create a local account any longer, even with Pro. You need to use one of the "workarounds" now to do so.

Another method that works regardless of whether the edition is Home or Pro, network connected or not, is to use a simple unattended answer file. I say "simple" only because you don't need to perform a full unattended installation, you can use a short, simplified answer file that does nothing more than create a local user account. The rest of the installation can be a guided setup as usual if you so wish.

mpcsaz · Oct 20, 2022

I just did a test install of pro to confirm, you CAN get local account on pro. Choose Work, then click Sign in Options, next choose "Domain", and it will take you to closing a local account user and password.

Of course, these options are missing from home. And home is where I also can't get any work-arounds to work, now that I've updated my installer to 22h2... I used to be able to boot install with Ethernet cable connected, then disconnect it during user setup and it would say, oops, something went wrong. Then it would send me to local account user...

Bree · Oct 20, 2022

mpcsaz said:
I used to be able to boot install with Ethernet cable connected, then disconnect it during user setup

When clean installing don't connect the WiFi when asked to, instead use bypassnro at this point.

hsehestedt · Oct 20, 2022

mpcsaz said:
I just did a test install of pro to confirm, you CAN get local account on pro. Choose Work, then click Sign in Options, next choose "Domain", and it will take you to closing a local account user and password.

Yes, that is one of the "workarounds". The point is that it doesn't make that choice obvious. Also, be aware that this option only works if you have an Internet connection.

jimbo45 · Oct 23, 2022

Hi there
If you just want to skip the Internet thing just to avoid having to use an Ms account then (OK you still need internet) but the old rubbish email address and password still works OK -- you'll get "OOPS something went wrong" and then you can select next and it carries on setting up as a local account. (Nobody@nobody.com with pw Boll--ks works).

I'm not sure though how people in future are expected to install this stuff on "secure" systems which for one reason or other aren't allowed access to the Internet,

Cheers
jimbo

Smurf22 · Oct 27, 2022

Will this OOBE\BYPASSNRO method still work in my use case.
I cannot go up to 22H2 just now as it breaks things on my pc. I have a new ssd I want to clean install Win11 on, I have an old USB drive with the original version of Win11 on it. Will this workaround let me install Win11 offline, then go online with my MS account, and get updates excluding 22H2?
I rolled-back 22H2 to the previous version as I had that option, but a clean install won't have that, and I assume an internet connection will automatically put me on 22H2.

R4th13U · Dec 2, 2022

I was installing a brand new laptop with Windows 11 and happened to appear the Connect to a Network dialog.
I pressed F10 to open the command prompt and typed OOBE\BYPASSNRO.
It returned "OOBE is not recognized as an internal or external command" I felt disappointed thinking Microsoft changed or didn't include it anymore on new equipment.
I also thought it was actually a command but thanks to this post, I navigated to the OOBE path and ran the Bypassnro.cmd script.

Thanks a lot!

Computer Pro · Jan 14, 2023

NavyLCDR said:
When installing Windows 11, if you want to get around having to connect to the internet and login with a MS account, you can enter the command prompt and run:
oobe\bypassnro

I always thought oobe was the command and \bypassnro was an option switch, and I found it completely odd there was no space in there. I was wrong. The command prompt opens in C:\Windows\System32. In \Windows\System32, is a folder called oobe. And inside the oobe folder is bypassnro.cmd. So, that is what you are running with the command oobe\bypassnro.

The bypassnro.cmd is a script which contains:
@echo off
reg add HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\OOBE /v BypassNRO /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
shutdown /r /t 0

So, it is really a registry key that causes oobe to not require a network, and then subsequently allow you to create a local account on a clean install.

On some HP models, the OOBE is actually MSOOBE, in the c:\windows\system32\OOBE directory.
If you type in the OOBE /bypassnro, it will simply tell you that the file or directory does not exist.
If you type in MSOOBE /bypassnro, it will work.

Try3 · Jan 14, 2023

CPUPROHKY said:
On some HP models, the OOBE is actually MSOOBE, in the c:\windows\system32\OOBE directory.
If you type in the OOBE /bypassnro, it will simply tell you that the file or directory does not exist.
If you type in MSOOBE /bypassnro, it will work.

Is the script itself still the same?

I've passed Brink a link to your post along with the suggestion that your information is included in the Clean install tutorial.

Denis

Computer Pro · Jan 15, 2023

Try3 said:
Is the script itself still the same?

I've passed Brink a link to your post along with the suggestion that your information is included in the Clean install tutorial.

Denis

I'd also like to add, that on the HP in question, while you are in the command line, go ahead and drop a net user owner /add to the deal, to prevent it from creating a "generic" account upon reboot, and telling you the password is incorrect.
If you create a user with no password at the command line, it will boot straight into the new profile.
I ended up using a bootable utilities disk, from sergeistrelec.name, and the password unlocker program on the machine, to create a new profile, and wipe the password from the $DefaultProfile that the machine made upon reboot.