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Windows 11 Pro will soon require a Microsoft Account during initial setup

• deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
• Crontab 5y ago
  I have visions of a apocalyptic future where everyone has to run old operating systems because the Internet no longer functions.
• Khelavaster 5y ago
  This is terrible. Folks need to be able to install Windows on offline devices for maintainence...
• elorant 5y ago
  Well I have 3 years before Win10 reaches EOL and then I'm moving on to greener pastures. Linux desktop has matured enough for my needs.
  • gruez 5y ago
    >Well I have 3 years before Win10 reaches EOL You actually have quite a bit longer than that if you're willing to go with LTSC. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/windows-10-iot-enterprise-ltsc-2021 https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/windows-...
  • qbasic_forever 5y ago
    Might as well switch now, you can always run your win 10 install in a little VM. Ubuntu and PopOS are great and a nice step up from windows subsystem for linux if you're doing mostly development work.
• randomhodler84 5y ago
  Literally a trap to hand over your encryption keys. Never sign into an operating system with a cloud identity. You should have stopped using windows years ago. There is no excuse, especially thanks to Valve for their work enhancing wine ecosystem and making your games work.
  • theyeenzbeanz 5y ago
    Games may have gotten better on Linux, but that’s not the case with some programs. Usually riddled with obnoxious DRM that throws a fit in a VM or wine like program. That and nvidia woes are the only thing stopping me from using Linux.
    • larrik 5y ago
      The only thing stopping me from using Linux at this point is piss-poor 4k support, combined with the crap market for building your own PC (thanks Bitcoin!) I just couldn't beat the m1 Air for price/performance last year.
      • MH15 5y ago
        Yeah I was -this close- to buying the Framework laptop when my 2017 MBP died (I'm not gentle with my electronics) but I needed a laptop soon and the M1 Air was ~200 cheaper than the Framework would have been. It's the best computer I've ever owned hands down. I do wish I got the Framework for Linux but I can work fine in macos.
      • napkin 5y ago
        Hmm what do you mean by piss poor 4k support? I have a 27" 4k display and so far things have been great with debian/gnome at 200% scaling. From what I can tell at least integer scaling is pretty good in most Linux desktop environments.
        • colordrops 5y ago
          Gnome is the only linux desktop environment that got 4k (sort of) right. If you don't like gnome then you are on your own. I use sway/wayland for work and i3/xorg for home and I got them to work in 4k after days of customization. Wayland, X, sway, each version of gtk, qt, and various apps all have their own configuration, each which need to be configured separately, often with conflicting results, and when finally functioning, still don't work very well.
• isitmadeofglass 5y ago
  Microsoft is still kicking themselves that they didn’t think about making internet access a subscription service until the XBox, this will be the first step toward making windows a subscription service, since at this point they can’t do it just for the internet.
  • Dracophoenix 5y ago
    Have you ever heard of MSN?
• jjoergensen 5y ago
  So how would that work for people who only work in offline networks?
  • cute_boi 5y ago
    They will force it, probably. I think for enterprise edition, they will allow it. Also, guys be ready to make your phone number ready because Microsoft seems to require it. They have successfully impinged their tentacles on people's privacy.
  • imglorp 5y ago
    It appears they don't care about those people. Windows is not the product. If you are not consuming their cloud product AND providing a stream of your telemetry data for them to monetize, you are of no value to MS and so invisible.
    • grishka 5y ago
      I remember seeing "Windows is a service" update popups in my Windows 10 VM. That was the last straw before I went out of my way and disabled the deliberate RCE^W^W Windows Update services completely.
    • sneak 5y ago
      They care a lot about those people. The USG runs billions of dollars of MS software on classified/offline networks.
      • imglorp 5y ago
        I do wonder. The Windows 11 STIG says use the Windows 10 STIG. https://public.cyber.mil/?s=windows+11 The Windows 10 STIG says basically fix this stuff before using. CAT I (High): 26 CAT II (Med): 241 CAT III (Low): 18 https://stigviewer.com/stig/windows_10/ So it seems they have a high tolerance for shenanigans. But what will they do about the online part?
        • 5y ago
• nickdurfe 5y ago
  I believe you can still choose the domain join option during install and still create a local account
  • TillE 5y ago
    Are there any simple domain server emulators out there which I could just run on a Raspberry Pi or whatever, like the fake KMS servers? That would be a decent workaround.
    • Melatonic 5y ago
      A fake local KMS server has been the way most activation hacks have worked for years actually If you want to get creative you can run your own KMS server and anyone who connects to your local network can now be assigned whatever microsoft license you want. You don't even need to fake it or use the hacked version - just run a real one and get a bunch of edu licenses for whatever products you want to activate for whoever connects to your local network.
    • candiddevmike 5y ago
      Samba can easily be configured as a DC.
    • rzzzt 5y ago
      Samba can work as an Active Directory DC, but I have never gotten around trying it: https://wiki.samba.org/index.php/Setting_up_Samba_as_an_Active_Directory_Domain_Controller https://wiki.samba.org/index.php/Setting_up_Samba_as_an_Acti...
    • tssva 5y ago
      This week I installed samba on a raspberry pi running Ubuntu server to provide active directory domain services to my home network. The Windows computers in the house are now joined to the domain. It was easy and quick to setup. There are a ton of guides to setting up samba as an AD domain controller on Ubuntu out there.
    • elcritch 5y ago
• otikik 5y ago
  Windows 7 still the best windows
• stuckinhell 5y ago
  Yikes, I don't like that at all. These days I only use windows for games, otherwise I'm mostly mac or linux. I guess I should learn how to develop unity games on linux sooner rather than later.
  • 13415 5y ago
    Gaming is not so bad on Linux but I wish I'd never bought any pro audio plugins for my home recordings. It's going to be a colossal waste of money and unfinished recording projects when I decide to get rid of Windows for good.
    • bepzi 5y ago
      If your plugins are VST2/VST3, then I can wholeheartedly recommend yabridge as a tool for using Windows plugins on Linux.
      • deleted 5y ago
        [deleted]
    • deorder 5y ago
      You can always try something like this: https://github.com/robbert-vdh/yabridge https://github.com/robbert-vdh/yabridge It may not work for VST plugins with certain DRMs though. Update: I see that bepzi was 1 hour ahead of me. I did not see it when I refreshed the page, only after I replied.
  • Melatonic 5y ago
    At this point a lot of the times microsoft will just keep updating the OS anyways even if you never activate it - I guess it is not worth the potential blowback to leave machines unpatched? There will be a small watermark in the corner and they do lock you out of some settings
• phreack 5y ago
  I'd like to thank Microsoft. Their constant bloating and nagging and hostility has finally convinced me to move to Mint and it's been just great. I don't think I'd have done it without their help, but now I'm glad I did and wish I'd done so earlier.
  • yjftsjthsd-h 5y ago
    I've always wanted to see FOSS options become superior to Microsoft's offerings... I have mixed feelings about it happening by MS getting worse more than FOSS getting better. (Although it is both; Linux hardware compatibility is way better than 15 years ago, and software compat via Proton and webapps eating the world has put desktop Linux in a much stronger spot.)
  • jimbob45 5y ago
    +1 for Mint. Couldn't have been an easier transition.
  • deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
• sash3202 5y ago
• carabiner 5y ago
  Satya... WTF?
  • jacquesm 5y ago
    Really, who didn't see this one coming a mile away? Or did you actually believe that MS was now some kind of benevolent open source company that meant to do right by their users?
    • carabiner 5y ago
      I didn't see it coming a mile away. Satya seemed to be a major departure from Ballmer.
      • jacquesm 5y ago
        He is. He is PR savvy, knows how to present stuff in a way that it gets lapped up and because Ballmer sucked at this he looks so much better. But Nadella was there during all of the bad tricks that Microsoft pulled, he's as much a part of the old guard as Ballmer was.
  • NeoVeles 5y ago
    His nickname was 'Mr Cloud' for a good reason. Finally got what he wanted.
    • carabiner 5y ago
      "Cloud" is apt, for he is the one who brings darkness... May the fates hold off the coming of the storm.
• causi 5y ago
  On the upside, when Windows 10 is no longer supported I run out of reasons not to go back to Windows 7 like I always wanted.
  • larrik 5y ago
    Here's one: Linux is better. A lot better. If you are worried about gaming or other apps, Win7 won't be much better than Linux (won't have latest DirectX or anything), and may end up far worse by then.
    • causi 5y ago
      I've dual-booted Linux for many years now but I can never get fully comfortable. I always get the creeping sensation that there's too many layers between what I'm seeing and what the computer is doing, like some button will just stop working and there's no way for me to ever figure out why, or I'll hit some truly baffling design choice and the only way to change it is to throw out my whole configuration and use a different distro.
      • larrik 5y ago
        I feel that way after being on OSX for a year. At least on Linux you can access the magical underpinnings. OSX and Windows have all the same problems to me and far less ability to fix them.
        • Underphil 5y ago
          Yep. Every OS has abstractions, but with Windows you can't see them. It works great 99.9% of the time but the 0.1% leaves you high and dry.
      • progman32 5y ago
        I get that feeling with Windows, especially with the "tweaks" such as this one MS likes to do as of late. Can't say I like computers these days.
      • 5y ago
• Melatonic 5y ago
  I feel like I see this exact article every year or two and then it always comes out that you can easily get around this with some type of easy loophole. Of course that might still get the majority of people switching to an online account but..... if you are practically giving away an OS for free is that really so bad? Not that I am saying I support this change personally of course - I would much rather have microsoft give a CLEAR and easy way to set up a "pro" OS without internet. Why am I paying for something that spys on me again? For a completely legal way to get around this: Get a copy of Windows 10 LTSC 2019 or 2021. LTSC 2019 is officially supported and updated for 10 years until 2029 LTSC 2021 is officially supported and updated for 5 years until 2027 (confusing I know) LTSC 2019 IOT is supported even longer but I have not tested it and it may have additional restrictions that make it not useable as a desktop OS (2032) Microsoft will officially try to steer you away from LTSC by saying it is for embedded devices and whatnot - this is basically just a straight up lie. LTSC functions much more like Windows 7 in that it gets all of the regular security updates without the yearly giant "feature" updates. Managing it is much easier but you may not get the latest and greatest shiny microsoft new features. I have deployed it extensively in a corporate environment to certain people / situations and not run into any pieces of software that will not work on it. LTSC also comes fairly stripped down compared to Windows 10 enterprise (a good thing in my opinion). However if you want things like the Windows 10 store its not hard to add it. If you enjoy talking to dumbest of the cousins in the Siri family then you can probably find a way to add Cortana back too :-D . It runs quite lean comparatively and with a few tweaks you can disable almost all Microsoft telemetry. If you liked Windows 7 then LTSC is the closest you can get to that experience. LTSC generally is only available to enterprise customers and education - no idea if you can purchase it stand alone. However an easy way to get a legal copy is simply to find someone with a valid school email or take some classes yourself - the microsoft volume licensing center generally gives away almost all of their software completely for free to students (even including their very expensive datacenter hypervisor licenses / server licenses / Config Management).
  • opencl 5y ago
    The loophole for years has been not being connected to the internet, they're getting rid of that. Buying LTSC licenses as an individual is not particularly easy or cheap.
• alanwreath 5y ago
  while just about all my computing I can do elsewhere. There is one aspect where I feel more confident in windows: VR. Sure you can run off an oculus - but the applications are still significantly better on a dedicated machine. I may be wrong though now (what is the linux or Mac way of doing this?) or later (Apple, c'mon don't disappoint).
• legrande 5y ago
  Windows 7/8 are the last good versions of Windows IMHO. Yeah they have security issues, but I run them in a virtual machine not connected to the Internet where I need things like iTunes and MS Office. Some games don't run in a VM very well because of the overhead and abstraction (unless they're lightweight or not resource intensive). I have a separate Alienware laptop for gaming on Windows however. My hypervisor OS is a Linux Mint install, with Virtualbox. I use Mint as a daily driver. I also use Cloudready[0] for interacting with the Google ecosystem. I can't recommend Cloudready enough, although I think Google bought out[1] Cloudready and it's now called Flex[2] [0] https://www.neverware.com/freedownload https://www.neverware.com/freedownload [1] https://cloudreadykb.neverware.com/s/article/Neverware-is-now-part-of-Google-FAQ https://cloudreadykb.neverware.com/s/article/Neverware-is-no... [2] https://edu.google.com/intl/ALL_us/products/chromebooks/chrome-os-flex/ https://edu.google.com/intl/ALL_us/products/chromebooks/chro...
  • MrStonedOne 5y ago
    I still run windows 7 as the primary os on my daily driver.
    • Koshkin 5y ago
      Soon enough you will be better off running ReactOS as your daily driver.
      • jksmith 5y ago
        I'd love to, and support the project with my bucks, but that seems a bit optimistic in the short term. Getting more and more work done with linux in the meantime. With these efforts, at least my craving for sovereignty is mostly satisfied. With windows I feel like a crofter living on someone else's land.
        • oblio 5y ago
          > seems a bit optimistic in the short term ReactOS was started in 1998, 24 years ago. Just saying :-)
• alanwreath 5y ago
  Wishes: Microsoft just buy a linux distro. Bless it, so MS Apps only run on Windows. Make it free for home installs and remove these cloud login shenanigans. Friggin' keep charging Amazon and GCP for running it virtually (unless you actually want mindshare). I'd totally flock to Windows (and its paid services). I guess I just don't see why an operating system is still their cash cow. Feels like the stupid that is: buying your ticket and then paying for placement in an aircraft. Anyone remember when you could buy an airplane ticket and choose your seats because you're booking now vs later? 2020 on has been nothing but nickel and dime-ing.
  • flibbityflob 5y ago
    Microsoft has a(t least one) Linux Distro: CBL-Mariner [1]. Not a desktop offering, obviously, but I felt like it was worth pointing out. [1] https://github.com/microsoft/CBL-Mariner https://github.com/microsoft/CBL-Mariner
  • zamadatix 5y ago
    The consumer licensing of the OS isn't their cash cow, the subscription revenue from tied services is, so changing the OS base doesn't change the subscription push. A very small portion of the market is even aware a Windows license costs money. If they've bought a Windows PC since 7 it's pushed them for free all the way to 11 and the vast majority don't build their own to find out they need a license (and heck it really doesn't do much against you if you don't buy the license these days anyways). The real money in the consumer side is in the services and data, O365/teams/onedrive/bing/edge(browsing), which is why they push these so hard on default installs. It wouldn't matter if they used Linux as a base, their push would still be to push users towards these services. That a few people who even know what Linux is would be more likely to use thire services if they stopped pushing them to the average user isn't going to sound enticing to Microsoft as they'd be losing a lot more than gaining.
  • WalterSobchak 5y ago
    They do have a Linux distro. https://github.com/microsoft/CBL-Mariner/ https://github.com/microsoft/CBL-Mariner/
  • 5y ago
• criddell 5y ago
  If we assume Microsoft is doing this with good intentions and in good faith, why are they requiring a Microsoft account?
  • m463 5y ago
    I believe, like apple, microsoft sees their future as a service provider instead of a software company. I always wonder when I see stuff like this - isn't this a business opportunity? but then the businesses that do it with linux start doing the same things (like canonical getting ubuntu to phone home and force updates, etc)
• stinos 5y ago
  those hoping to avoid that will have to use a dummy Microsoft Account to then create a local one afterwards. And then delete the Microsoft Account? Would that leave traces?
  • yepthatsreality 5y ago
    Define “traces”. If it hits Microsoft servers with your reg key, then you’re cooked.
    • selfhoster11 5y ago
      It's not that dramatic. They can't do much with just the reg key.
      • yepthatsreality 5y ago
        They can identify you if you’ve ever used any other information with it. Why do you think they want you to have a Microsoft account? It isn’t dramatic at all, it’s the blatant truth.
• Egoist 5y ago
  “The changes will mirror the same requirements Microsoft originally added to Windows 11 Home last year, meaning you won’t be able to avoid Microsoft Accounts by creating a local user account during setup.” If I remember correctly, when you install Win11 Home, it forces you to login with a Microsoft account. But the easy workaround is to unplug the ethernet cable, windows will realize it can’t connect and the local account option should appear. Nevertheless, It’s stupid that MS wants this behavior by default
  • ethbr0 5y ago
    My last round of Windows 11 installs, I just created a new MS account for the install, created a local admin user, and then deleted the MS account from the machine and built local accounts out normally. I'm sure, somewhere, there's a Microsoft VP whose "New MS accounts" KPI looks great...
    • zeusk 5y ago
      Well it's all a part of them trying to turn Windows into iOS like device management system, including the "family" aspect of app store and subscriptions. When was the last time you used an iOS device without an Apple ID?
      • newbamboo 5y ago
        “When was the last time you used an iOS device without an Apple ID?” So that’s what I’m doing wrong!
      • LeoPanthera 5y ago
        > When was the last time you used an iOS device without an Apple ID? That's not the point. The point is that Apple gives you a choice.
        • zeusk 5y ago
          Have you actually used the device with that choice? Pretty hard when every app and functionality expects some sort of cross device or global identity tie in. BTW, the choice still exists but is only readily shown on enterprise sku
• nemacol 5y ago
  Can you use Apple products without an account? If not*, what version of Linux should I get setup with. Casual web development. I mostly use my personal machine for gaming. Edit - Typo
  • MrStonedOne 5y ago
  • kettro 5y ago
    The obvious choice is Ubuntu. Works, is easy to use, and help is everywhere for it. Later on, you may want to branch out to More complicated Distros, but Ubuntu (or Debian) is the easy choice.
    • cheese_van 5y ago
      >Works, is easy to use, and help is everywhere for it. It's so easy you can't even be smug anymore using nearly any linux distro. Damn their eyes, I worked hard in the 90's getting my linux cred. Now, grandma is using it. Time to switch to Gentoo I suppose.
  • petepete 5y ago
    You're best starting with Ubuntu. It has the biggest userbase which makes googling for answers easier. It'll handle casual web dev without breaking a sweat.
  • fuzzy2 5y ago
    Depending on your hardware, you may be able to utilize Looking Glass[1]. It’s software for running games in a virtual machine that has a dedicated graphics card. I do not meet the requirements myself (and will not anytime soon with current graphics card prices), but the concept looks somewhat solid. [1]: https://looking-glass.io/ https://looking-glass.io/
  • ognarb 5y ago
    Ubuntu or one of the main derivatives depending on the user interface you want: Kubuntu, Xubuntu, ...
• fortran77 5y ago
  Why wouldn't you want your preferences to sync across your machines? I love the functionality.
  • progman32 5y ago
    I use different machines differently.
  • pritambaral 5y ago
    Good for you. Use the functionality. But you don't need it to be shoved down other people's throats for that, do you?
  • selfhoster11 5y ago
    It's amazing. If you trust Microsoft, that is, and they haven't shown themselves as a company worthy of trust since Windows 8/10 came out.
• amanzi 5y ago
  Using Windows with a Microsoft account introduces all sorts of issues that only power users tend to come across, and power users are who Windows Pro is targeted for. For example, RDP'ing to a Windows Pro computer with a Microsoft account becomes a lot more difficult. Another example is that Windows still needs a local username and password, even if you've logged in with a Microsoft account, and this can get out of sync if you change your Microsoft account password online, meaning you now have a different local password to your online account. It's a frustration that power users don't need and this is probably going to force me to relegate Windows to a VM.
  • gilrain 5y ago
    This is how I wound up becoming so annoyed that I finally switched to Linux. It’s been great. I haven’t even missed out on gaming.
    • mark-r 5y ago
      I keep hoping Microsoft will go one step too far and everyone will be forced to switch. Hasn't happened yet.
      • Kye 5y ago
        Linux really doesn't have good alternatives for most of the tools I use, and none of it runs in Wine and similar, so I hope not.
        • flatiron 5y ago
          It’s hard to beat windows native office. MacOS version stinks and the web version is pretty slow on complicated stuff. That’s why I use windows on my work PC ans WSL for the dev stuff.
          • smoldesu 5y ago
            It's not everyone's favorite answer, but LibreOffice works fine for me. I've set a number of documents with it (including my own resume) and it works perfectly fine. It's not the most intuitive program ever made, but it's nothing if not comprehensive.
• throwawayboise 5y ago
  Windows Pro is aimed at business users. Most of them will have moved or are moving to Office 365, so they will have (or need) a Microsoft Account anyway.
• vjust 5y ago
  Dialing up the annoyance level to a 11. Microsoft has spent the last 6 years or more glacially gravitating its OS-developer features towards Ubuntu. Because they couldn't do better - VSCode being the one crowning glory - and not an insignificant one. The side annoyances of a barely functional Cortana & Edge, were things I looked past, now add one more, a required account - we'll be led into unknown realms of integration (not of tools) but of 'marketing identity' and SSO . Developers by the very nature of their job are OK with torture, so I guess this will go un-noticed. Hopefully it will be unobtrusive as well, I mean how many more roadblocks can MS put up on that path to WSL prompt/environment. Its a small price to pay - (negative shout-out to System 76). But hopefully Win11 is more intuitive/bearable for people who live on the CLI.
  • bakuninsbart 5y ago
    VSCode is great, Github only got better under Microsoft, and I'm actually one of the people who likes Teams... But even as a general fanboy (Win98 was the system that really got me into computers), it is just too much bullshit at this point. While before I had a Linux partition for specific work, and my main "digital life" on windows, I'm going to switch this around now. And it sucks so much, there is no good reason but short-sighted greed to push for this, I'm happy to pay for a windows version I own and feel like an owner of, this kind of product just isn't developed anymore apparently.
    • fartcannon 5y ago
      In WinXP there was something about WMP checking for the rights to MP3's that were already on your computer to verify that you were legally allowed to play them. I don't think users of Windows have been the primary focus for a long time.
      • chinl_lee 5y ago
        That's a common misconception. What it would do was when indexing a folder with DRM'd music files, it would automatically try to add the rights to the store on your local computer. They weren't using that specific functionality to scan and report. And, it was opt in (when you first started wmp) Getting track titles automatically (gracenote, etc) might be what you're mixing in - and that was also opt in, and even open source software has that functionality now (VLC, for example)
• swarnie 5y ago
  Windows 10 for life then, cheers for making it easy lads.
• amriksohata 5y ago
  Mac it is then
• zozbot234 5y ago
  The referenced blog post is still not clarifying whether this requirement will only apply to current and future "Window Insider flights" (which require a M$ account anyway to join the program in the first place), or be released to public builds as well. Everyone is kinda assuming that this requirement is going to apply to actual Windows 11 Pro releases, but the way they're phrasing this does not seem to imply that at all.
• aerovistae 5y ago
  I hate it, not because it requires an account, but because Microsoft is nightmarishly bad at account management and has been since I was a little kid in the 90s. They somehow make it possible to have multiple different unsynced accounts across different services, so you constantly forget which is which, and resetting or gaining access is always an incredible hassle. I find myself having to reset my password literally anytime I want to log in to something owned by Microsoft. If they could get their act together, I wouldn't mind. Most software these days requires a log in for full use, including most major web apps (even HN, you can't comment without an account of course) and services like gaming consoles, Steam, Spotify, etc etc. It's normal. The only problem is Microsoft sucks at it.
  • colordrops 5y ago
    These morons at MS decided to force a very confusing and friction-ful Minecraft account migration from Mojang to MS just as all the kids are migrating from Minecraft to Roblox. I'm sure this is only accelerating Minecraft's demise.
    • kbelder 5y ago
      This account migration was bizarrely difficult. I lost access to Minecraft when I followed their procedure. I got hold of support, and they had me move back to an older version of the launcher, which recognized my new account, while the new launcher didn't. I assume I'll lose access again someday because they'll force an upgrade. On the plus side, I was able to contact support. MS is a lot better than some other tech companies that way.
    • fuster 5y ago
      This one absolutely kills me. Why do my kids need Microsoft accounts for this? Their official instructions ask for DOB and require checking some box about allowing my kids to sign into "third-party applications". Not to mention all the legal crap I'll have to agree to, settings to scrutinize and opt-out of to ensure privacy, etc. I am this close to just telling them that they're going to have to abandon their favorite game for something else.
• moogly 5y ago
  A few months ago, I had a non-feature update to my laptop running Windows 10 Pro (OEM) kick me to an OOBE-looking "finish setting up your computer" screen where the only way I was able to move forward and log on was to add an online account. Believe me, I spent an hour trying various things, and googling like a madman but I didn't manage to get around it. So I did it with a temporary email address. Then I removed the account. Still on Windows 10. Now and then I do a web search to see if other people ahve had this happening to them, but I've not been able to find anything. Then again, <insert the "search engines are crap" today discussion here>.
  • temac 5y ago
    I think I saw that happening too, but a few years ago. Although looks weird for a non-feature update.
• dustinmoris 5y ago
  For the last few years I've been trying to change the billing address of my Microsoft and Office 365 account and it's still wrong. Microsoft account management is so feckin' stupid that I feel sorry for all Windows 11 users who will be forced to use it. BTW before people come and try to tell me how to change my billing address, I know how to do it. I did it everywhere. It shows correctly everywhere on the websites, but as soon as Microsoft creates the PDF invoice that I need to send to my accountant it has the old address on it, despite it being updated EVERYWHERE. I gave up on it. I basically doctor the address myself and then take a screenshot of the pdf with the corrected address and send the image to my accountant so he stops annoying me that the billing address is wrong.
  • TMWNN 5y ago
    >For the last few years I've been trying to change the billing address of my Microsoft and Office 365 account and it's still wrong. Microsoft account management is so feckin' stupid that I feel sorry for all Windows 11 users who will be forced to use it. My minor example of Microsoft address stupidity is that when I make a purchase at the Microsoft store, and provide a shipping address that I only want to use for that purchase, that address becomes the new default for subsequent purchases even if I specifically turn off the checkbox asking if I want to make the address the default. (I've had dozens of opportunities to test this.)
• kgwxd 5y ago
  This past summer I bought a copy of Windows 10 Pro when I built a new PC. Prior to that, I used Linux on my personal machines for 10 years. Though I knew I'd eventually regret it, I didn't think it'd be so soon. I've been very content with it, and then these idiots go and do this. It's a complete show stopper. I still have to use Windows and other MS stuff for work, but I have work-supplied machines for that. For personal use, no more MS anything, not even VS Code or .NET, I'm done with them.
  • nathanaldensr 5y ago
    As a Microsoft-focused developer since 1999, I feel so badly for the developer division. They make quality tools and have extremely smart people working for them--people that do care about open source and philanthropy. To be part of the same company that makes Windows is sad. The profit-seeking areas of Microsoft give the rest of the company a bad name. I will likely get rid of all Windows installations in my house (about six at last count) and replace them with Ubuntu or some other Linux distribution as soon as Windows 10 goes out of support. If I'm still writing code at that time, and assuming the developer division at Microsoft are not corrupted, I'll switch to Rider to be rid of the commercial Visual Studio and Windows dependencies. No way in hell am I logging in to my operating system with a cloud account.
• rodolphoarruda 5y ago
  May the stars, the galaxy and all forces of nature combined push me away from any Windows OS from now on and, at the same time, pull me towards Debian and its likes.
  • guelo 5y ago
    Debian is extremely opinionated. I swore them off after they made it extremely difficult for many years to install Firefox because of some ideological purity bullshit.
    • michaelmrose 5y ago
      They insisted on being able to patch firefox. Firefox insisted if they did they couldn't legally call it firefox without being sued. In the meanwhile it was entirely possible to download an archive of the latest firefox release and drop it in a directory on your home and add its directory to PATH. It could even update itself from there if you liked.
    • Delk 5y ago
      It's not quite right to portray it entirely as "ideological purity bullshit". Mozilla's trademark policy forbade using their trademarks with custom builds that weren't Mozilla binaries, or at least with ones that might contain non-Mozilla modifications. (I can't remember the exact details of what was allowed.) In addition to that kind of creating a bit of a conundrum with the idea of free or open source software, it would also have forbidden Debian from custom-patching Firefox with their own security fixes. The Debian policy was to keep stable releases static and only make security and bug fixes to packages in the stable release. Firefox didn't have extended support releases at the time, so the only ways of keeping the browser patched were to constantly update to new releases or to backport patches to older releases, so Debian was still patching Firefox by themselves. The Mozilla trademark policy made it impossible for them to keep doing that, or to even maintain their freedom to do that, and keep using the Firefox trademarks. Debian is just generally very strict about licensing and playing by the rules. (They're also strict about adhering to their free software guidelines, which might be considered ideological. And yes, the distribution is opinionated, but that doesn't mean the rationale is always ideological.) Some other distributions, especially smaller and less formal ones, might have just ignored the entire trademark policy and kept doing whatever they wanted despite it being potentially in violation of the conditions of Mozilla trademark use. Or they might have just shrugged and decided they didn't care about being able to patch the browser themselves anyway, especially if they were a rolling distro.
• hamiltonians 5y ago
  they make so much money they can disregard user expierence
• hamiltonians 5y ago
  windows 7 still the best
• myth_drannon 5y ago
  From UX perspective Windows 3.11 was the peak of Windows and it went downhill since then. Every time time I use Win7 or later for more than 10 min for anything other than browsing my blood pressure goes up.
• jacquesm 5y ago
  Ah we never saw that one coming. What really bugs me is why people keep defending these companies: this is straight up abusive, and we - all of us - should not accept these tricks. Getting you an MS account is one small step away from charging you monthly for the privilege of using the computer that you've already paid for.
  • nightski 5y ago
    Most people using Windows probably already have an MS account. Those that don't may flee to Linux. But honestly I subscribe to Office 365, use OneDrive even on my iPhone, and enjoy Game Pass. It just doesn't matter that much. If anything having 2 factor auth for my computers is a benefit. That said, I'm not a huge fan of it being required.
  • newbamboo 5y ago
    It’s 2022, accept that everything is now a subscription and learn to eat bugs.
    • jacquesm 5y ago
      Not a chance.
    • rat9988 5y ago
      Why is he downvoted?
      • StanislavPetrov 5y ago
        I didn't downvote him, but I can see why some people would. Many of us aren't going to be coerced into making Microsoft accounts or eating bugs no matter what. Now I've got to take my flip phone out of my faraday bag and return a page from my beeper.
  • cryptonector 5y ago
    If we could get everyone to reject X, for any X that's clearly no good, we'd be in a much better world today. But people accept every such X.
• john_moscow 5y ago
  This makes me wonder. Google has been known for a while to ban accounts semi-randomly with very vague excuses and no recourse, so people would lose access to gmail and other services. Is Microsoft going to do the same? "Sorry, we spotted you voicing an opinion that doesn't align with our corporate interests, so we decided to lock you out of all your PCs".
  • NGRhodes 5y ago
    Yes, there are reports of people having their accounts permanently deleted due to photographs on OneDrive they claimed breach terms and conditions.
• polotics 5y ago
  Never again windows with Microsoft accounts. I have two windows 10 licenses, one home and one pro. I made the mistake of associating the licenses to my Microsoft account and now there is no way to move the pro license from the old PC to the new one. The Microsoft support site is a complete joke of unpaid chatterers that send you on wild goose chase, the web is full of SEO bullshit site that keyword-dance around the issue... Windows 11 for me is Windows Never, and I am well under to way to ensure that the 100 odd laptops at $company run Ubuntu next thank you very much.
  • jjoonathan 5y ago
    Thanks for the heads up on not associating my win 10 pro license with a cloud account!
  • salamandersauce 5y ago
    Can't you just deactivate the Home license and then install Pro? Or just try installing Pro then deactivating the Home license? I only have Pro keys attached to my account but I've shuffled them about between different computers.
  • nightski 5y ago
    This is not true at all, you can transfer the license. Unless it was an OEM license and is tied to the hardware. It has nothing to do with your MS account. I've done this many times when upgrading hardware for myself and my family using different combinations of Home/Pro licenses.
    • brundolf 5y ago
      I actually added mine to my Microsoft account specifically because it made it easier/safer to move the license to a new installation (new hard drive, in my case). You just do a base installation with physical media, sign in, and you’re good to go.
    • polotics 5y ago
      Thank You nightski. These are not OEM licenses, I bought the Windows Pro one fair and square and full. Can you send a link to an how to? I do confirm that I could not do it there was nothing on the MS license site that lets me do the switch. Nothing I confirm.
• joedissmeyer 5y ago
  There are two reasons why I continue to use a personal Windows machine - PC Gaming and Microsoft 365 Family. On the gaming topic, almost all of the games that I play are also on console which is where I spend most of my gaming time anyways. On Microsoft 365 Family, OneDrive backup and sync is the top reason why I have it. I use it to sync all of my family photos between my phones, PC, Macbook, and iPad for myself, my wife, and my kids. It is extremely convenient and hard to argue otherwise. Beyond data backups, the biggest reason why we have the subscription is because my wife really really wants to use the Office Apps because it is what she is used to the most (Word, Excel, Publisher). So to my family and I, Microsoft 365 = value and convenience. For me, if a good OneDrive linux sync client was out there that would be a good reason for me to finally jump ship off of Windows. I suppose I'm just waiting for the right push to move away from Windows. Maybe this is that time. Hell, I already know that my personal PC (which I built early January 2021) "fails" the Windows 11 upgrade readiness check anyways so I already feel burned. All of the reasons why I used Windows for decades was because of its "value" for me. Lots of convenience, tons of community support and tons of software, etc. But not anymore. In my opinion, what Microsoft is doing with Windows is similar to what Disney is doing with their parks. "Value" is being removed while increasing prices and limiting "choice". Maybe I still do have _some_ "convenience" in using Windows. But I'm losing more and more reasons to stick with Windows over time as more of Microsoft's business decisions are impacting you and me, and not necessarily for the better.
• pfist 5y ago
  Since it's not clear from the article: will this affect people who already setup Windows 11 with a local account? Will I one day be confronted with a "Create a Microsoft account to continue using your computer" screen?
• roschdal 5y ago
  Install Linux.
• fartcannon 5y ago
  Linux never makes you do anything you don't want to do. That anyone uses anything else really surprises me.
  • idiotsecant 5y ago
    People use windows because Windows does the things they need it to do, easily. The fact that that surprises you surprises me.
    • fartcannon 5y ago
      You'll be even more surprised to find out that you can do all that stuff easily without Windows!
  • voldacar 5y ago
    A lot of the software bundled with most linux distros does though. Such as systemd.
    • mahkoh 5y ago
      systemd respects the users freedoms: Freedom 0: The freedom to run the program for any purpose. Freedom 1: The freedom to study how the program works, and change it to make it do what you wish. Freedom 2: The freedom to redistribute and make copies so you can help your neighbour. Freedom 3: The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements (and modified versions in general) to the public, so that the whole community benefits. As such it is impossible for systemd to make the user do anything. If it did, the user could simply modify the code and share his improvements with similarly minded individuals.
• dustinmoris 5y ago
  Apple: You can use Apple ID voluntarily to sync all your settings and data across macOS, iOS on iPhones, iOS on iPads, watchOS and Apple TV. Microsoft: We have no tablets, watches and not even a phone. You just have a PC and we force you to use a Microsoft account so you can sync all your data with our marketing and sales department and the government if need to be.
  • jyrkesh 5y ago
    I'm signed into an Apple ID on my one Mac machine so that I can use the App Store and to use iMessage/FaceTime despite my lack of an iPhone. I unchecked all the iCloud stuff as fast as I could because I wasn't prompted after adding the Apple ID on what I wanted to add, and there's no clear "Turn off iCloud" button. Updated to Monterey, and suddenly 3 or 4 of the iCloud items were checked. Maybe there was something buried in the Monterey OOBE, but I honestly don't remember even getting a new EULA, and I'm usually VERY careful about looking for the anti-patterns that push cloud stuff. Just popped System Preferences back open to see what the current state is, and it says I have 4.99 GB of 5GB available in my iCloud (presumably because of the iMessage stuff). Private Relay (Beta) has no checkbox and is spinning a spinner that says "Loading". No idea if that means it's turned on, or how to make it stop loading. Not defending MSFT, this sucks, and I say that as someone who uses W11 Pro as my daily driver. But between them, Apple, and what Google does on Android, it's very frustrating that my only _reasonable_ option for truly offline local accounts is a Linux machine. I WANT TO PAY MONEY TO HAVE A WELL-SUPPORTED MACHINE
    • temac 5y ago
      I'm on Monterey with a local account and have never signed into iCloud, although I'm signed into the app store with an Apple Id. I just checked in Preference and under Apple Id it shows: iCloud -not signed in- Media & Purchases -email_of_apple_id_account- (also it nags you with a persistant notification on the Apple Id icon in Preferences root, and a "start using iCloud" link too, but for now I can vaguely tolerate that)
• xupybd 5y ago
  How do you do this as a business? I have to provision computers for users. I have to supply them with accounts and passwords. This becomes impossible.
• footlose_3815 5y ago
  [dead]
• rr808 5y ago
  I feel for most people out there Chromebooks are a better solution now. Just wish there was better hardware.
• alberth 5y ago
  Does Windows LTSC (aka the non-ad version of Windows) require a Microsoft Account?
  • p1peridine 5y ago
    I'm using Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 1809 with a local account.
• AtlasBarfed 5y ago
  Hasn't this happened every major release of windows? - Windows requires some user authentication on release to prevent piracy - ... but always caves or puts OEM backdoors for major corps/customers - and those get pirated.
  • zamadatix 5y ago
    It's been a number of major releases since consumer Windows really cared about piracy (for end users at least, obviously if you start a business selling illegal licenses they'll still care about that). The more direct answer would seem to be this helps them push all of the cloud hosted services that are integrated into the default install now, easier for someone to pay for OneDrive or apps on the Microsoft Store or use the O365 app if they were already forced to create/sign in to a Microsoft account for those to load with.
• coliveira 5y ago
  My opinion stays unchanged: run from Microsoft like you're fighting for your life. They want nothing but to ensnare you into a web of proprietary languages and services until you can't do anything in your computer that is not controlled by them.
  • oblio 5y ago
    You're completely right. So, they're just like Apple and Google :-)))
    • selfhoster11 5y ago
      Yes, which is exactly why you should be fighting against those two as well. I'm doing my bit by not putting much valuable data besides YouTube playlists into my very ancient Google account, and using Linux on the desktop.
      • Tijdreiziger 5y ago
        For (sane) business e-mail you basically have 3 choices: MS, Google or Zoho. I recently commented on this topic here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30266721 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30266721
        • lpcvoid 5y ago
          Why is that? I know people who run large businesses on OVH hosted email. Own domain, SMTP/IMAP goodness, everything just works, cheap and portable. Why would I ever want to ensnare me or my users to a Microsoft owned service?
          • Tijdreiziger 5y ago
            I just looked at OVH’s offerings and it looks like their email is just based on Microsoft Exchange Server? [1] I still count that as Microsoft. It’s the same software, just in OVH’s instead of Microsoft’s datacenters. [1] https://www.ovhcloud.com/en-ie/emails/ https://www.ovhcloud.com/en-ie/emails/
• neuralRiot 5y ago
  Just like any previous windows “locks” of this type, search google for “windows 11 pro activation patch”.
• Shadonototra 5y ago
  windows is reaching its EOL anyways, it's gonna be an other filter, the ones who refuse to comply will just quit the sinking ship what a poorly managed company, crazy
• armchairhacker 5y ago
  > Set up your Windows with a Microsoft account (tiny text-only button “continue without Microsoft account”) > Are you sure you don’t want to use a Microsoft account? (tiny text-only button “I don’t want to use a Microsoft account”) > Last chance, are you really sure you don’t want to use a Microsoft account? (tiny text-only button “I don’t want to use a Microsoft account”) At least it was something like this during the beta.
• stjohnswarts 5y ago
  I wonder why Microsoft thinks they can continuously get away with abusing their customers like this. I like the idea of -optional- SSO for stuff, however I hate hate hate forced accounts. Not everyone wants to be online 100% of the time and tracked by Microsoft, yet they seem to just not give an f. They WILL get your data so it can be mined and sold. It's so ludicrous.
• thrower123 5y ago
  They aren't actually going to do this, so it's really pointless to get fussed up about it.
  • cryptonector 5y ago
    If they don't it will only be because "we got fussed up about it".
• sundvor 5y ago
  Microsoft defaults the local username to the first five letters of your first name, I believe. From a purely practical point of view, I just hate that using a MA auto generates your local username (typically into something painful) this way. So if your name is "Jonathan Smith" and you like to use "jsmith", bad luck, here's your "jonat"! If you could specify that at least, it wouldn't be so much of an issue to myself. A local account that I later link up has given me this control. Now I'll need a throw away, new local account, then link to my real one. What a PITA. (If anyone from MS is reading this, would love if you could fix this. Just add a username field to the online account please).
• EastSmith 5y ago
  I guess I will finally have to move to that free macbook pro I was offered couple of times now (we are 3 Windows / WSL2 users and 30+ MBP, which is sad). Not completly ruling out Ubuntu too.
  • ilovecaching 5y ago
    Fedora is great, and very stable for me. I don't think you'd miss much. I'm a kernel developer and most of the people I work with also use Fedora (most of the them work for RH), and want it to just work. Ubuntu is probably just as good. I'd recommend asking for the nicest Thinkpad you can get.
• gigatexal 5y ago
  This just pushed me 100% to Linux. I’ll not sign up for a Microsoft online account to use my local computer. Whoever thought this up at MS needs to be fired.
• alwaysanon 5y ago
  I don't love this move (I think people should still get the choice) bit do get it a bit more after doing IT support for the in-laws. My sister in law, who is not super tech savvy, has forgotten her password and also been prompted for the Bitlocker Recovery Key and called me on both occasions all upset. Given she had signed in with a Microsoft account, we were able to get the password reset there as well as retrieve the key from there. If it was a local account then I imagine both would have been much harder. So for 'most people' it is probably a good thing.
  • mrmuagi 5y ago
    > If it was a local account then I imagine both would have been much harder. Suprisingly I needed to hack into an old admin account password on a laptop (that I setup on a family member's laptop) and it was suprisingly easy. After installing some software on a USB stick and choosing it as a boot device I was able to bypass the login password completely. Forgot the name of the software I used -- but there are literally a bunch of competiting alternatives.
    • selfhoster11 5y ago
      Every single Linux live USB can access the underlying partitions freely. Or if you prefer, you can instead use it to remove the local password and reboot onto an unlocked OS.
      • alwaysanon 5y ago
        I should have mentioned she lives 2.5 hrs away. I am sure I could have done it if it was local and I'd have driven there (I've run Fedora for ages on a laptop focused on containers as one of my machines so know my way around things) - but in this case it was as easy as going through the Microsoft Account password reset process. And I was able to mostly just point her at that/MS rather than need to do anything myself - which was nice. Also my subsequent experience with the Bitlocker recovery key is that the machine is encrypted so I may have stuggled with mounting it from a Linux LiveCD and using the tools you describe. I doubt she turned this on herself so maybe the vendor (Lenovo) did? I also think they are now turning Bitlocker on by default on all Windows 11 installs as well (it is why they want the TPMs as a requirement). Which is likely part of the reason they are now forcing this issue a bit so as not to have people all over with bricked machines and data loss if they can't recover the key. If you are AD joined it puts the recovery key on the computer account in AD - but for these home users they don't have that benefit and the cloud is a good place for it.
• mkdirp 5y ago
  This was inevitable to be honest. They've made it harder and harder to use a local only account, probably to drive the adoption rate of Microsoft account sign ins up so that they eventually can stay "no one uses local accounts any more". Give it a little more time and they'll require Microsoft accounts for everyone.
• alar44 5y ago
  Guys, Microsoft doesn't give two shits about home users. Their bread and butter is businesses. And M365 is amazing for business. If you think M$ suxors, you're not the target demographic. I'd much rather manage 200 users with M365 than some fucked up combo of slack, Google, Dropbox, and libreoffice.
  • throwaway22032 5y ago
    I don't need to be managed, thanks. Give me credentials and a live CD.
    • Tijdreiziger 5y ago
      You still need e-mail and file sharing, right?
      • throwaway22032 5y ago
        Yeah.
    • alar44 5y ago
      Going to have a hard time doing anything on our system without a domain joined PC, thanks.
      • throwaway22032 5y ago
        Works for me!
  • sgjohnson 5y ago
    > I'd much rather manage 200 users with M365 than some fucked up combo of slack, Google, Dropbox, and libreoffice. Yeah, you’d do that until the development team at your organisation would insist on working on macOS and linux, not Windows. Then you’d have a field day, because we all know how well M$ tools work on/with non-Windows machines.
    • 5y ago
• jl6 5y ago
  Can someone explain to me why Microsoft migrating my Minecraft account to my Microsoft account is not a huge security anti-pattern, given that this is the same account I use to access my high-importance Azure account? Do we really believe that the Minecraft launcher presents no additional attack surface and handles authentication material with the same rigor as the Azure login process?
  • madeofpalk 5y ago
    I don't know about the specifics of Minecraft launcher, but usually these types of unified login schemes are all based on OAuth. The Minecraft launcher never/shouldn't get your actual login, and instead they get a scope-restricted oauth access/refresh token. So everyone is actually authenticating through the same secure interface, and even if one application's credentials get leaked, all they would give access to would be your Minecraft profile, and nothing else. Hopefully. Separately though, I think it's a good idea to have different Apple/Microsoft/Google/whatever accounts for different purposes. I'm not sure if it makes a whole load of sense to have your (business?) high importance Azure account on the same Microsoft account as your Xbox/Minecraft profile.
    • tehbeard 5y ago
      Do not make a second Microsoft account, it'll just end in frustration. Story: I have two Minecraft accounts (I used to do plugin work and it made testing easier to have an alt.). I migrated my main one to my MS account (one that's been in use with xbox and O365 for a decade+ at this point), no problem. I migrated the second one to a new account a few weeks back after they pushed that it'll be mandatory after 10th March; usied a gmail address for the new MS account because I'm done dealing with outlook. It all worked, for a week.... I'm now locked out of that second account, with them demanding a mobile number to "verify" it's me... I haven't had the energy to go yell at them yet. It's the same bullshit I hear happens with twitter accounts where they also demand a mobile number. The truth is I think my "primary" account has my mobile number already attached... and I'm scared that I'll lose access to that as well if I try to use it to unstick my second account, getting "auto-banned" in much the same way they described my second account (which ONLY ever got used to login to Minecraft) for suspicious automatically detected activity and violation of TOS.
• StanislavPetrov 5y ago
  I've been using a Microsoft-based OS since MS-DOS, but this hard requirement to use a Microsoft Account will finally be it for me. I'm not going to be coerced into making a Microsoft account, let alone linking my personal, home PC to one. Thankfully Valve has made some good progress in Linux compatibility.
• concinds 5y ago
  I don't understand Microsoft's product strategy. The push for WSL, PowerToys, a new powerful Terminal, was obviously a ploy to attract developers after Apple's hardware (2016-2019) and software (2011-) decline. Now what? More telemetry, more cloud-as-default, required Microsoft accounts, Edge sabotaging Firefox and constantly making itself the default browser. I actually like Windows, I understand its flaws and how to configure it to get out of my way. But this is plain creepy. Why bother with all the "Microsoft ♥ Open Source" stuff? With VSCode? Their strategy makes no sense. I know they don't care about making money from Windows anymore, but surely they want to keep/attract power users and devs?
  • aplummer 5y ago
    Misaligned incentives at the product management layer I guess: PM1: grow developer tools usage to get yearly bonus PM2: grow bing cash back usage to get yearly bonus
    • concinds 5y ago
      Sure, but what about the DRI (does Microsoft have those?) for Windows? Surely he's signing off on all this?
      • SSLy 5y ago
        Bit late but no, one business unit makes the kernel, libraries, dev tools, frameworks, " ♥ 's Linux" (only on azure or in wsl though), the other makes the end user experience for Windows NT
        • concinds 5y ago
          Interesting; too bad. I like Windows so I keep hoping things will change. At this point all I can hope is that Windows 12 will reverse most of this.
  • npteljes 5y ago
    >Why bother with all the "Microsoft ♥ Open Source" stuff? Well look at how many people are fooled. Appearances matter, not just matter, make and break an entity. So PR is ramped up to 11. Propaganda works even if, and in a certain case, especially if there are contradictions like that. >this is plain creepy Always has been. For one example, which was a major turnoff for me from Microsoft, was them pushing the idea of Trusted Computing, back in the mid 2000s. Always-on internet was getting widespread adoption, so they tinkered with the idea: what if we would always check the software's and files' authenticity, every time they are opened? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trusted_Computing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trusted_Computing Make no mistake, they're past the point where they need people to like them. With enough clout, all they (or any other large corporation) need to do is offer competitive prices while they retain their influence. The rest will take care of itself.
• bb88 5y ago
  I don't have to activate my MS Windows 11 account to use linux. And I can create as many accounts as I want, without worry that MS will be mining the user data for advertisements.
• 6d6b73 5y ago
  They need to switch everyone to MS Account because Windows 12 will require subscription. I'm guessing 5.99/month
• cutler 5y ago
  Still up to their old tricks. So much for the caring, sharing, Linux-friendly, open-source M$. I remember the Microsoft of the 90s and they haven't changed much in 30 years if you dig below the hype. Anyone remember SCO and Suse being sued by M$ for undisclosed patents? Why would anyone who has ever experienced being locked out their Hotmail/Outlook/Live account ever trust M$ with anything related to security, logins or personal data?
• LAC-Tech 5y ago
  So glad I switched back to linux. Just the amount of stuff I no longer have to worry about is enormous.
• _nickwhite 5y ago
  This news about Windows 11 Pro "requiring" a Microsoft Account is a bit of sensationalism. You can still bypass it and create a local account if you know what you're doing, as has been the case for several years with Windows 10. Here is how: When you see the “Let’s Connect You To A Network” page, hit “Shift” and “F10” simultaneously. This will bring up the Command Prompt to which you type the command: taskkill /F /IM oobenetworkconnectionflow.exe When Windows 11 setup detects networking is not possible, it will let you create the local account as always.
  • Tijdreiziger 5y ago
    IIUC, the news is that Microsoft will be disabling this workaround and requiring an active network connection on setup.
    • layer8 5y ago
      No, the news is that they are extending the online account requirement from Home to Pro. This means that when Windows 10 goes EOL in 2025, the large majority of (non-enterprise) Windows users will be using an online account. And then it will only be a small step to completely drop support for local accounts (maybe for Windows 12). At least that’s my theory what Microsoft is aiming for.
      • Tijdreiziger 5y ago
        Yes, our comments don’t contradict each other, right? Here’s what MS themselves wrote [1]: > Similar to Windows 11 Home edition, Windows 11 Pro edition now requires internet connectivity during the initial device setup (OOBE) only. If you choose to setup device for personal use, MSA will be required for setup as well. You can expect Microsoft Account to be required in subsequent WIP flights. Tweakers.net reported that they already blocked the Shift + F10 workaround in Home [2], so I can only assume they’ll be bringing that to Pro too… [1] https://blogs.windows.com/windows-insider/2022/02/16/announcing-windows-11-insider-preview-build-22557/ https://blogs.windows.com/windows-insider/2022/02/16/announc... [2] https://tweakers.net/nieuws/193418/windows-11-pro-installatie-gaat-microsoft-account-vereisen.html https://tweakers.net/nieuws/193418/windows-11-pro-installati...
• sgjohnson 5y ago
  I currently use my Windows box strictly for gaming. It’s a pretty low end box by today’s standards (16 GB RAM, 1st gen Ryzen 7, and GTX 1060). When I build myself a new gaming PC, I highly doubt that I’ll be running Windows on it. I’m basically done with Microsoft at this point.
• StreamBright 5y ago
  This is great because I cant reliably login to my Microsoft account.
• hda111 5y ago
  Does this mean no more domain join before registering with Microsoft?
• LennyHenrysNuts 5y ago
  I won't be moving to 11. I don't want any of this. I've already got my Slackware system set up for doing 99% of what I do. Solidworks, I'm gonna miss you, but that's about all.