Confirmed: Windows 10 Setup Now Prevents Local Account Creation

[P4-630]

Confirmed: Windows 10 Setup Now Prevents Local Account Creation

Windows 10 Home now forces you to create a Microsoft account during the setup process. (Unless you disconnect your PC from the network, but most people will find that.)

www.howtogeek.com

How to Create a Local User Account Instead
Thankfully, there is one hidden way around this process on Windows 10 Home: You can disconnect your computer from the network.

If you have a computer with an Ethernet cable, unplug it. If you’re connected to Wi-Fi, disconnect.

After you do, try creating a Microsoft account and you’ll see a “Something went wrong” error message. You can then click “Skip” to skip the Microsoft account creation process.

Once you’ve skipped the Microsoft account creation, the old “Who’s going to use this PC?” screen will appear. You can now create an offline account and sign in to Windows 10 without a Microsoft account—the option was there all along.

Even if you have a laptop with Wi-Fi, Windows 10 asks you to connect to your wireless network before reaching this part of the process. Most people will connect to the network and think a Microsoft account is required.

Perhaps a future version of Windows 10 will refuse to allow account creation until you’re connected to the internet. “After all,” Microsoft might say, “Telemetry shows most people just create Microsoft accounts.”

This is yet another dark pattern from the company that brought us “Upgrade now or upgrade tonight” during Windows 10’s free upgrade period.

 

[Bill_Bright]

I typically defend Windows. And I still do. This is NOT a Windows, the OS, issue. Windows, and in particular Windows 10 is a great OS. I've said it many times and will again now, the "developers" at Microsoft are among the best in the world. They know what they are doing and they know how to code and make Windows optimize itself best for us and our computers - if we just leave the defaults as it.

So the problem with Windows is NOT Windows or the developers. The problem with Windows is Microsoft - that is, the "marketing weenies" and the "executives" who drive "policy" and keep sticking their grubby fingers into the developer's business.

I fully understand why Microsoft wants users to use a Microsoft account. And for sure, there are advantages to using a Microsoft account. But forcing users to use one, or making it very difficult and un-intuitive to use a local account is the wrong way to go about it. They need to give, and be transparent and explain in detail, the options.

Then let us decide instead of forcing users to use "hidden" tricks. If they explained in detail how using a Microsoft account is advantageous for us, and still give us the option to "opt out" of using one, this would not be a problem. And again, it is not a Windows problem. It is a "policy" problem that has now turned into a public relations ("marketing") problem - one they created and brought upon themselves that could have been avoided.

Edit comment: Fixed spelling and typos.

 

[Easy Rhino]

...meanwhile in the linux/bsd/osx thread...

 

[Easo]

Never had Home, just Pro, but this is indeed strange. Yes, having the account does really give you bunch of nice stuff, but I dislike having to create it. I have a use case where it is better for me to have a local account only (shared PC).

So this is also going to appear when I have a nonstandard network card. W10 setup did not recognise Killer NIC's for couple of years, for example.

What IS strange that this was noticed only now. 1903 came out in May. MAY, Karl! Why nobody noticed it until now? To be fair, probably not that important, actually...

...meanwhile in the linux/bsd/osx thread...

"Year of the Linux!" xD
P.S.
Fuck Macs in enterprise. Seriously, fuck them. Linux... Is OK though.

 

[spectatorx]

Personally during installation i have two problems related to accounts and it is with enterprise edition of windows 10 on any build i tried in quiet some time. The first problem is if you are installing OS offline and want to create offline account you can't do this instantly, upon account set up pc must be restarted to let you create an offline account. Another problem is if i try to log in during installation while connected to internet i can't to log in to my microsoft account even if i enter valid data. I have to create local account and once installation is over and i am logged in from settings i can remove local account and log in to my microsoft account, the same one i tried to log in during installation of os. Just like that. I do not mind it much but anyway this is odd and i totally do not understand why it works this way.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

I ran into this on a Windows 8.1 laptop and yeah, disconnecting from the network was the work around.

What's odd is that the same USB stick installing Windows 10 on Windows 7 laptops and desktops still ask. I think it has something to do with Windows 8+ compatible UEFI BIOS.

 

[pigulici]

"If you’re connected to Wi-Fi, disconnect. " -how? Also, I saw this only for Home, not for Pro.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

"If you’re connected to Wi-Fi, disconnect. " -how?

Go back to the "connect to a network" screen and tell it to disconnect then go back forward to the user information screen.

Also, I saw this only for Home, not for Pro.

That explains my case above. The 8.1 laptop was Home, all the 7 machines were Pro.

 

[pigulici]

"Go back to the "connect to a network" screen and tell it to disconnect then go back forward to the user information screen. " I tried , 2x times, I will see again next time, but wasn't a back up to the list of the networks, ...

 

[Jetster]

After you install you can make a local log in.

 

[notb]

Well, as mentioned in the text, this only applies to Home. And it's been expected for quite some time, so I don't understand why so many people are shocked now.
We create accounts everywhere. Honestly, personal data that MS requires isn't in any way different to what we give Google or Steam.

Also, let's be honest. The direction PCs are going, with cloud/edge computing taking a big role in everything (even gaming), this shouldn't be a surprise.
And if someone feels uncomfortable with this, he really won't like what's ahead of us.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

"Go back to the "connect to a network" screen and tell it to disconnect then go back forward to the user information screen. " I tried , 2x times, I will see again next time, but wasn't a back up to the list of the networks, ...

Oh I think I know what might be happening: if it connects successfully to a network (either wired or a known wireless network) it automatically skips the screen...

a) turn off WiFi via switch, button, or key combination if the computer has one.
b) turn off WiFi via the BIOS and restart the computer, it should automatically go back into setup.
c) temporarily disable the wireless radio you gave it credentials for (e.g. unplug the router if you are able)

Once you do one of these options, go back to "Connect to a network" and it will discover the thing that existed before doesn't exist anymore and you should get local account option.

Convoluted, but it should work.

 

[P4-630]

"Go back to the "connect to a network" screen and tell it to disconnect then go back forward to the user information screen. " I tried , 2x times, I will see again next time, but wasn't a back up to the list of the networks, ...

Or unplug the wire from the wifi router during installation? This way you can connect to your wifi router but just no internet connection.

 

[pigulici]

Yeah, imagine I will go to unplug the wifi router for all my company(at work), was a better option to begin another setup and skip wifi network connect.

 

[TheMadDutchDude]

You should probably note that as soon as you sign in to your local account and connect it to a network AFTER setup is complete, it launches the setup dialog to log into your Microsoft account. Installed twice on two very different systems, happened both times.

 

[Silent Hill]

Who's crazy enough to install Windows 10 while connected to a network in the first place?

 

[king of swag187]

My LTSC install worked fine lol

 

[R-T-B]

So the problem with Windows is NOT Windows or the developers. The problem with Windows is Microsoft - that is, the "marketing weenies" and the "executives" who drive "policy" and keep sticking their grubby fingers into the developer's business.

Indeed. They've been doing it for a bit now too. Like when they let go of nearly all QA testers...

I'm still spinning from that one. Upper tier Microsoft is like a lost puppy right now.

 

[newtekie1]

"If you’re connected to Wi-Fi, disconnect. " -how?

Turn off your WiFi router for a couple minutes while you setup Windows. Or never connect to WiFi when it asks you to, that's what I do if possible. I've made it a habit to not connect any Windows 10 machine to the internet until setup is done. It just makes setup faster.

Also, I saw this only for Home, not for Pro.

Because Pro still lets you create a local account if you tell it you are going to be joining a domain.

 

[Bill_Bright]

I'm still spinning from that one. Upper tier Microsoft is like a lost puppy right now.

Except that puppy controls the purse strings.

I don't think they are lost. I think they just assume the way they want to go is the best and only way to go. But worse is they assume that everyone will naturally be happy and excited to follow them. And even though history has shown over and over again their customers do not like changes forcefully shoved down our throats, they repeatedly do just that, each time assuming we will be happy to accept such changes. And each time totally shocked when we recoil and reject those changes resoundingly.

We likely would still be on Windows 8.something had they only done a small customer survey to see how consumers would accept the new "Metro" UI. They would have quickly seen consumers hated it. Instead, they just tried to shove it down our throats and we spewed it back in their faces. The result was a dismal failure for W8, a huge financial and PR loss to the company, and I believe that was a huge factor in the decline of the PC Industry as a whole because so many were unwilling to migrate to W8, so they just kept their current hardware and W7.

 

[Rahnak]

I ran into this recently. While I do use my Microsoft account with Windows, I always set up a local account first so I can name my user/user folder.

 

[the_miracle]

Hi. A need to create local account on OEM Windows 10 home, but unfourtunatly I connect to wifi during Windows welcome configuration. If I hard reset the computer, it still remember connection to wifi. I had two options. First, turn off the wifi for disconnect computer and get option to create local users. Second is to leave location where is the wifi singal accessible. Both options were little bit complicated for me in that moment. I found another workaround. If you try to press Win+R on user account creation (Microsoft account) screen and write "cmd" + enter, you can run command line on background. You cannot see it, only if you press ALT+TAB combination. You cannot see it, but it works normally - that is your win. Now, you can write netsh, than wlan, show profiles, delete profile yourwifiSSID. All steps you without looking, but you can check it in ALT+TAB view. And after you delete your wifi profile, you are disconnected. If you click on Back button now, you will be redirect on local user creation...

 

[newtekie1]

With the 1909 version of Windows, if you do connect to WiFi during setup, it allows you to go back to the WiFi setup screen by clicking back and disconnect from the WiFi.

 

[the_miracle]

no, it is not possible

 

[eidairaman1]

no, it is not possible

You can delete the MS account.