- Windows 11 has a new preview building
- It cracks down on solutions to install the operating system with a local account
- This is a continued campaign to force people to use a Microsoft account and Microsoft claims it is necessary to make sure devices have been created correctly
If you prefer to install Windows 11 without linking it to a Microsoft account, these days are clearly numbered these days, as Microsoft is busy closing several of the loopholes that allow for use of what is known as a local account.
Windows Central reports that Microsoft in the blog post for Preview Build 26220.6772 in Windows 11 informs us that it “removes known mechanisms for creating a local account in Windows Setup Experience”.
A local account simply means a user account that is only on the PC and is not linked online to a Microsoft account – and since some people do not want to sign up for the latter, they prefer to stick to a local installation.
It is already the case that Windows 11’s setup is forcing you to use a Microsoft account, but the thing is that there are some smart fudges that can be exploited to bypass this requirement. This is what Microsoft refers to when it talks about “known mechanisms” and then the idea is that it stamps these popular solutions to get a local account.
Microsoft also warns that these fudges could mean that important parts of Windows 11’s installation process could accidentally skip.
Microsoft explains: “While these mechanisms were often used to bypass Microsoft account setup, they also jump in unintentionally over critical setup screens, which potentially causes users to leave Oobe [out of box experience, meaning initial setup] with a device not fully configured for use. Users will need to exit Oobe with the Internet and a Microsoft account to make sure the device is set up correctly. “
Analysis: The unpopular crash continues
This change is not yet happening – as mentioned, it is in preview, so just the testing process for now. However, it is very likely that it will be performing in the finished version of Windows 11, considering that Microsoft has already worked to close loopholes that allows for a local account in the recent past.
So this is an ongoing effort to derail solutions to use a local account with Windows 11, apparently that users do not accidentally “skip critical setup screens” and end up with a PC that is not “fully configured for use”.
I don’t know exactly what Microsoft means with it, but I can only guess that it can be a reference to a device that does not have an Internet connection after setup (which is what the software giant has referred to the past when he jokes on these solutions).
The cynical, of course, already suggests that what is most missing in the way of setup screens is the opportunity for Microsoft to sell you his services and the like (which you might as well get used to – as you encounter this sale in your daily life with Windows 11 too).
Of course, there may be other solutions that are detected in the future. Now people are forced to look outside of existing fudges, other page steps for a Microsoft account can be found. And as Windows Central points out, you can think of a Windows 11 ISO to get a local installation – but this is pretty technical and out of the range of the average user (it is probably that any new fudges will unfortunately also be technically complex).
It is worth noting that on Windows 11 Pro they can use the ‘domain’ command to hover Microsoft account creation. This is a business opportunity, but you simply cannot participate in the said domain – this is not a choice with Windows 11 Home that you might guess.
What is clear enough here is that Microsoft will not allow account-dodging, and if other ways to get a local installation with Windows 11, we can probably expect more crashes in the future.
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