Buying a new Windows 11 computer

Want it to be a local admin not Microsoft!

Want to be able to network the 4 other Windows 10 computers without having to spend 2 or 3 days asking how and why.

In this video, i will guide you on how to use a new Windows 11 trick that lets you bypass Microsoft Account requirement.

Rboppy said:

Want it to be a local admin not Microsoft!

Want to be able to network the 4 other Windows 10 computers without having to spend 2 or 3 days asking how and why.

Click to expand...

Read the tutorials on installation and networking.

There’s no magical computer that you can buy that does everything the way you want it to without learning how to set it up and configuring it to do what you want it to.

There’s also no magical way to instantly teach you how to do things.

If you can't be bothered to write in complete sentences, I can't be bothered to assist. All the info is here on this website. On the top line, where it says tutorials, click on the drop-down arrow and select Tutorials Index and then use CTRL + F to search. Please come back in a few days with some intelligent questions.

To encourage you to learn, here is a bit of reading to get you started.
I’d advise you to use Tutorials from this forum, wherever possible.

Welcome to the forum.
To set up a local account during out of box experience:
Do not connect to internet

When you reach the keyboard layout screen DO NOT SELECT SKIP.
Hit Shift+F10 keyboard combination to open a Windows command prompt.
At the prompt, type start ms-cxh:localonly
and press Enter on your keyboard to open a create user account window.
After filling in the information and creating security questions, click the Next button, the Windows 11 setup should continue using a local account
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Networking is a can of worms for a lot of us and depends on a number of factors.
The most BASIC networking settings are
Make sure network is set to PRIVATE-
Settings > Network & internet. At the top of the screen, make sure that the computer shows Private network and NOT Public network. If it shows the network to be public, click there and change it to Private.Also on this page under All Networks you can choose to turn off password protected sharing if you wish.

Still in Network & internet, click on Advanced network setting > Advanced sharing settings. Under the Private networks section, make sure that both Network discovery and File and printer sharing are turned on.

Other settings may be needed to get sharing to work depending on whether you have networking set up between your computers NOW, what other operating systems you intend to network the new computer with, and whether you choose to use password protected sharing? Also whether or not you already know how to share files and folders.

If buying a new PC, Windows 11 will already be installed, surely?

antspants said:

If buying a new PC, Windows 11 will already be installed, surely?

Click to expand...

Yes, but account setup procedure is the same in OOBE in a new machine as it is with a clean install. I know about 6 or 8 months ago the bypassnro method worked for me when I set up a new laptop.. Now that MS stopped that method, the command start ms-cxh:localonly is one of 2 different commands one can use to set up a local account according to Brink's clean install tutorial..

glasskuter said:

Yes, but account setup procedure is the same in OOBE in a new machine as it is with a clean install. I know about 6 or 8 months ago the bypassnro method worked for me when I set up a new laptop.. Now that MS stopped that method, the command start ms-cxh:localonly is one of 2 different commands one can use to set up a local account according to Brink's clean install tutorial..

Click to expand...

I didn't know of these methods... so when MS insisted on an account (24H2), I gave it the email of a throwaway account I have but never use. I then declined everything network related: OneDrive, Backup, etc.

I'll note that my new system doesn't have a physical network off or mode switch so short of disconnecting the router (which wasn't a viable option at the moment) I let it connect to the network.

When it was done, I signed on and created a new local account. Then I deleted the one associated with the email it had insisted on.

I don't know if there are other implications to this, but so far, so good. I'm local only.

Levitate11 said:

I don't know if there are other implications to this, but so far, so good. I'm local only

Click to expand...

You're good. That's one way to set up a local account, but it takes longer.. Most folks don't use a throwaway account, though. Keep in mind whatever email/pw you used as a MS account stores your device encryption or bitlocker key (if you use it) as well as registers that device to that account. So be sure to keep record of the credentials that you used. You might have a need to use it in the future for one of various reasons.

Rboppy said:

Want it to be a local admin not Microsoft!

Want to be able to network the 4 other Windows 10 computers without having to spend 2 or 3 days asking how and why.

Click to expand...

Consult your local IT professional. My number is in the book, and my charge is .... (Magic wands are extra ...)

I want to thank everyone who replied with an actual suggestion, very helpful. Will spend the next few days studying some of the tutorials and searching the web for more suggestions. Will report back by the end of the week (I hope) with some positive feedback.