Posted on 03/31/2025 7:33:18 PM PDT by fireman15
Never mind blocking workarounds to sign in with a local account, just give us a straightforward choice in the installation process.
Microsoft just blocked a popular workaround to install Windows 11 with a local account
Some people like to avoid having a Microsoft account linked to the OS due to privacy (or other) concerns
While alternative workarounds remain, it’s likely they could be cut off too – and Microsoft is very much going down the wrong path here
Microsoft appears to be moving to block Windows 11 users who want to install the operating system using a local account, meaning that they want to avoid having to use a Microsoft account (and be online) when setting up the OS.
Not everyone wants to tie their copy of Windows 11 directly to their Microsoft Account – or they may not even have such an account at all – and those are the folks who want to just use a local account (only tied to the PC itself).
While Microsoft officially removed this choice from Windows 11’s setup experience some time ago, there was a commonly-used workaround – but the software giant has just blocked this.
(Excerpt) Read more at techradar.com ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LK75SWX4F2s
Thank you for the link!
Been there, do not, and yet for some, due to their aversion to MS, they cannot tolerate the reality that some users have tried both Linux and Windows, and find the latter superior in terms of the means of customization for efficiency, (without paying MS, or enabling elementary, or autoupdates). Thus such cultic example. I choose freedom to chose, and thank God their are options.
As for Linux, I have found PCLinuxOS KDE Plasma to be the best for customization, though TMK I did not use available propriety codecs due to the questionable legality of them.
If MS ever prohibits free safe alternatives to its out-of-out "improvements, such as ExplorerPatcher) and thus 7+ Taskbar Tweaker and Open-Shell-Menu. and the over 200 tweaks available in Ultimate Windows Tweaker 4 and now there is Ultimate Windows Tweaker 5 , then I may have to engage in the extensive time and energy to make Linux my main OS with the customization I want.
Thank God for choices.,
Thanks, I’ll try that. I always send paper forms anyway.
Yes, I have 8 email accts, and as many browsers, all with multiple tab rows, thus hundreds of open tabs for efficient quick access + 128GB of RAM) thank God.
Anyone?
I got W7, W10 and Linux on my PCs, and W7 & Linux on my laptop. It all works just fine for me.
Do you think AI will have a hard time with it? I think not.
To the topic of your thread, it really seems like between the behavior of companies and the behavior of pols, that they know something we don't.... and that the party is just about over.
I had to use Windows at work - gov’t contractor. When it broke I’d call the local IT guy to “come on down and fix this piece of crap - I’ll put some coffee on”. Good guy, easy to work with.
I use unix systems. The primary reason is reliability. Second reason is Windows just gets in my way. I’m an old command-line guy. Right now I’m on Firefox, have a couple of PDF files open on other screens, eight terminals open for different functions on other workspaces. My screen manager has 16 individual workspaces for use (essentially individual monitors without extra hardware), although I start getting lost at 5 screens or so. This is a standard FreeBSD installation - nothing fancy, but it suits me and doesn’t break. I can retitle the terminals; that helps *grin*.
Wife’s Linux Mint installation has four individual “workspaces”, essentially four individual monitors again without the extra hardware. It also does not break. She likes it - lotsa pretty graphics and you have to use the mouse, but that’s her speed. Terminals are also available if you want to get down and grunt, she just doesn’t use them. Doesn’t know how.
Windows severely restricts operations that are everyday simple stuff on unix boxes. I like my freedom on the unix boxes.
I started with toggle switches on an Altair 8800. That may have permanently pranged me.
I’m a dinosaur.
That is my feeling on this as well.
My biggest problem with Linux builds is that I often have to go through specific procedures to get hardware and/or software working the way that I need them to. It is not that it is particularly difficult, but the command line especially can be very fussy.
It is along the same lines as the suggestion I just received to bypass the Microsoft account association in a new Win11 installation, “Basically you hit shift f10 to bring up command prompt just like before, but this time you type in the following: start ms-cxh:localonly.” This is simple, but the only way that I will remember the specifics in the future will be by looking it up in my favorites since I know it is easily done.
I am familiar enough with Windows that I usually can get things set up the way that I need to without going to as much trouble. This is kind of the equivalent of just creating a bootable USB drive with Rufus using the appropriate ISO and then checking the appropriate boxes.
I am fortunate that I can remember a lot of commands from using the command prompt in Windows and DOS before that for the last 40 years or so... but you typically do not need to use it that much. Linux is not much different, but it is just enough different that I tend to run into a few issues. And there are a lot of things in Linux that have to be done at the command line level.
This translates into spending a lot of time looking for the right procedure to get things working. This is not a huge inconvenience for many of us, but it is for the typical user.
It sounds similar to what Microsoft is doing.
Thank God for choices.,
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Yep. I’m a unix guy but you are correct. Choice is Good.
*
Microsoft Ransomware 11
Most users are like your wife. I can get into the nitty gritty when necessary, but sometimes it leads to a lot of frustration after I have slightly mistyped a command for the 4th time.
Yesterday, I was trying to correct a problem with a hard drive that was no longer being recognized by windows or any of my data recovery programs using a USB to TTL adapter and PuTTY as the terminal working with a list of Seagate F3 Commands.
I didn't get very far because the drive was locked, but at least I found enough diagnostics information to realize that the problem was much worse than I had originally presumed. My next step was going to be removing and reballing a couple of large original BGA chips onto a donor board. It would have taken me hours and would not have been successful even if I had successfully swapped the board and chips.
Anyway... what a mess but there is no way to do this type of work using a graphical interface. It all goes back to the basics.
Thanks for the tip.
I’ll be checking it out.
Likewise!
Although I am a little irritated about it... There are multiple choices for dealing with the upcoming Windows 10 end of life event. The most obvious is to purchase alternative is to purchase a license for Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC which will be getting security updates until 2032. I have purchased one license from a place that has served me well for years and will probably getting a couple more depending on how some other options work out.
I am grateful to Microsoft, Apple, Linux developers and the many computer software and hardware companies that came before them. We have so many choices and as people on this forum like to remind us, antiquated Operating systems and hardware are still fun to play with.
This is true even if precautions must be taken to keep sensitive data from falling into the hands of criminals and in prevent your old system from being hacked. Your old TI994a, Commodore 64 or Apple 2 probably is not going to be on many malcontents’ radar screen if you can actually figure out how to do something fun with them over the internet.
Visiting questionable sites on an old computer running Windows 7 even using a browser like Firefox and up to date antivirus software is likely a bit risky, because a lot of people still do it. If you don't get too adventurous and don't go off the beaten path probably not so much. I would guess that sites like Free Republic pose little if any risk.
I love old games and programs. I like to use them both on emulators and working original equipment. I have a huge pile of old original equipment along with a treasure trove of old programs to run on them. And why shouldn't I? Browing the internet wasn't even a thing when I was using some of this equipment.
Many times, fixing the power supply by installing a few new capacitors is all it takes. And old equipment typically has components that you can see even without your 100x electronic microscope. (Speaking of that I just bought a new one for $100 that is absolutely amazing for soldering and inspecting using a laptop, tablet, LCD TV, or an old monitor.)
Threads like this always surprise me a little because of the number of bitter people griping about what are actually very minor issues. But it seems to be part of the human condition to be unsatisfied no matter how great we have it.
I wish that someone would start a full on boycott of windows 11 until Microsoft changes their ways.
Congress should get involved as well. Forcing people to throw perfectly good computers in the landfill is very bad for the environment. And forcing people to associate their computers with monitoring from a known left wing progressive company threatens the privacy and safety of too many Americans.
#17 The F-35 fighter pilots have to reboot the computers while in flight at times...
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