Looks like installing a clean Win10 version 1903 Home forces you to use a Microsoft Account

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For many years, I’ve recommended that users set up a new Windows 10 machine with a Local account — one that isn’t a Microsoft account, and doesn’t ph
[See the full post at: Looks like installing a clean Win10 version 1903 Home forces you to use a Microsoft Account]

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lurks about, John in Mtl, GreatAndPowerfulTech, Fred, ve2mrx, Ascaris, CADesertRat, Carl D, Kirsty

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Its been prudent for a few years now to install Win10 Ver’s ?? with any network disconnected.
It gives you time to set up the preferred update deferral strategy of choice, remove unwanted UWP apps before they get the chance to install and update them selves, block unwanted Drivers and limit the level of Telemetry or Snooping.
Not for every machine where leaving the net on is a positive time saver, but definitely efficacious for those that want to limit the Snooping, drivers and unwanted updates etc.
Curious thing with Win 10 1909 soon to hit the street’s near you, is that once you resume the Net or Wireless there’s a blue screen that flashes up that attempts to encourage you to sign up for an M$ Account, but once dismissed it never reappears again. That could be the Aria Win10 1909 Version of the 1909 image that I downloaded over the weekend. No doubt we’ll hear if this is to become a another permanent annoyance all too soon.

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Microfix, GreatAndPowerfulTech, doriel, Fred, Carl D, NetDef

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[NetDef]

Really easy work-around to avoid the hoop jumping.

Do the final stages of the install offline — as in pull the network cord out (or disable Wi-Fi.) When the first user account setup cycle begins and you are OFFline, it will default to creating a local account.

Once that account is created, go back online to get your updates, download Chrome or Firefox etc . . .

You will be pestered at least once to convert to a Microsoft account, but that’s easy to opt-out at that point.

Edit: I see BobbyB beat me to it . . . 😉

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• This reply was modified 5 years, 7 months ago by NetDef.

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Fred, Carl D

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I’ve been saying and doing this for a long time now but it is essential that Windows 10 be installed without an Internet connection (I pull the ethernet cable).

Not just to make sure you’re not “tricked” into using a Microsoft account, but to also make sure you don’t get Candy Crush and most of the other junk that comes with W10 (assuming you don’t want it).

And, you need to turn off and remove the live tiles from the Start Menu (the blank ones with the little arrows that say “A great app is on it’s way” when you hover the mouse pointer over them) or you’ll still get most or all of the junk installed as soon as you connect to the Internet.

I also go through and adjust all of my privacy settings, etc. and make sure you have your drivers installed (from the manufacturer’s websites) before allowing W10 to connect to the Internet.

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Also, forgot to add (too late to edit my previous post):

If you use additional “Standard” user accounts like I’m sure most of us do, you need to make sure the PC is disconnected from the Internet before signing into the Standard account(s) for the first time or you will get Candy Crush, etc. installed even if you’ve avoided it all in the Administrator account.

Also make sure the Start Menu live tiles with the little arrows are turned off and removed in the Standard accounts before connecting to the Internet, of course.

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This move is necessary in order to build presentable stats that “75% of users now sign in with a Microsoft account”, so that the option for an offline account can then be eliminated entirely, and then the subscription charges to use your own computer will come.

If everything goes smoothly, people who are new to computers will not even know that an offline account (and the naturally more private computing experience that comes along with it) was ever an option in the first place.

In addition to the tactics they used to push Windows 10, moves like this are why I won’t fix PCs for people anymore. I will not play a part in the construction of a world that is this messed up. It’s like building my own prison.

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sproket90, John in Mtl, Elrod, doriel, David F, radosuaf, Bill C., Carl D

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That is a pretty scary post. Makes me rethink installing W8.1 again. I have to clean install anyway. The only gripe I have is AMD no longer updating their 8.1 drivers. but let’s see how those from 2017 work out. I’m not playing latest games anyway.

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FYI, most of the Win7 drivers for AMD cards install and work fine, they even secretly include Win8.1 fixes now and then. They’re just not “officially” supported and the upgrade advisor will always recommend you “upgrade” to the 2 year old drivers.

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anonymous wrote:

In addition to the tactics they used to push Windows 10, moves like this are why I won’t fix PCs for people anymore. I will not play a part in the construction of a world that is this messed up. It’s like building my own prison.

this is why I am making a concerted effort to move everything that I can to Linux.

 

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And the noose tightens… expect it to happen more and more as the Windows 7 holdouts disappear through attrition.  We’re almost to the “no more Mr. Nice Guy” stage.  It should be, erm, interesting to watch.

Joel Hruska at ExtremeTech has some sharp words for Microsoft as well.

The bottom line is… why shouldn’t Microsoft do this?  It’s been evident for years that quaint notions like ethical treatment of their own customers are out of the window with the “new” Microsoft, and have been ever since the first days of GWX, before Windows 10 was released.  They’re successfully locking more Windows users into the “10” prison every month, and it continues even as the window dressing to make the prison look less prison-y falls to the floor.  If the pushback for any single transgression in the never-ending series gets too strong, Microsoft will back it out to the smallest degree possible, pull another “aw, shucks,” and people will once again thank them for “listening” and let them get away with doing something they never should have even tried in the first place– and all the while, Microsoft will be planning the next transgression, and the one after that.

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lurks about, SueW, CADesertRat, Microfix, AlexEiffel, Elrod, David F, radosuaf, Bill C., Bluetrix, Carl D

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[Susan Bradley]

I’ve done it without with online access and confirmed that others have too.  It’s EASIER having it offline, but not impossible.

(sorry wrote without, meant with)

Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher

• This reply was modified 5 years, 7 months ago by Susan Bradley.

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Kirsty

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Did you mean with? 🤔

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Whoops, yes.  Edited.

Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher

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Yesterday I installed Win 10 Home 1809 from a one year old DVD onto a clients 10 year old laptop with a new hard drive. The laptop had WiFi Internet access. Sure enough the install process demanded I create an online microsoft e-mail address and did not present an option to create an offline Windows 10 account. I created a burner outlook.com address and after installation was complete went to settings and converted the online account to an offline account. I will not make the mistake of allowing an Internet connection during install again in the future.

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radosuaf

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[NetDef]

NetDef wrote:

Really easy work-around to avoid the hoop jumping.

Do the final stages of the install offline — as in pull the network cord out (or disable Wi-Fi.) When the first user account setup cycle begins and you are OFFline, it will default to creating a local account.

Once that account is created, go back online to get your updates, download Chrome or Firefox etc . . .

You will be pestered at least once to convert to a Microsoft account, but that’s easy to opt-out at that point.

Edit: I see BobbyB beat me to it . . . 😉

• This reply was modified 5 years, 7 months ago by NetDef.

A local account was called a “limited user account” during setup of a clean install of W10 v.1903 on a customers laptop a couple of days ago. That was an odd thing for Microsoft to do. Most of my customers are seniors, or close to retirement, that have absolutely no desire to give Microsoft any of their information. I just unplugged the NIC cable and started over.

I discuss these issues with customers that are interested. Many choose to stay with Windows because it’s familiar. Lately, some have purchased Chromebooks and still get everything done that they need to, with a lower cost machine. Our early 20’s aged customers learned on Chromebooks in school and keep using them at home, even if they use Windows on the job. They’ve told me Chromebooks are superior, as in easier to use and manage.

GreatAndPowerfulTech

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GreatAndPowerfulTech wrote:

Lately, some have purchased Chromebooks and still get everything done that they need to, with a lower cost machine. Our early 20’s aged customers learned on Chromebooks in school and keep using them at home, even if they use Windows on the job. They’ve told me Chromebooks are superior, as in easier to use and manage.

Is a Google account required to set up a Chromebook?

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radosuaf

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b wrote:

Is a Google account required to set up a Chromebook?

Yes and No 🙂

Do you want to use your Chromebook without a Google Account? It is possible to log in to your Chromebook as a “guest”. As a guest user you have access to the Chrome-browser, but it is not possible to gain access to the cloud. This means you can not edit documents or use other applications on your Chromebook.

https://www.prowise.com/us/bwl-knowledge-base/why-do-i-need-a-google-account/

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b

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Alex5723 wrote:

b wrote:
Is a Google account required to set up a Chromebook?

Yes and No 🙂

Thanks. But the yes answers at that link seem to outweigh the no answer you selected:

For optimal use of your Chromebook it is important you create a Google Account. You need a Google Account to gain access to the cloud. With your Google Account you create a user profile on your Chromebook and you are able to easily install applications like Google Drive. Furthermore, you can access your cloud-saved documents from every device and location. In the event your Chromebook is out of order or lost, you can log in to your Google Account from another device and resume what you were working on.

*Important! To become the “owner” of your Chromebook it is necessary to create a Google Account. The account with the owner rights is the only account with which you can change certain settings of your Chromebook. The Google Account with which you first sign on will be set as the “owner” account of your Chromebook.

So why is an account requirement acceptable for a Chromebook but the merest suggestion of all the advantages of a Microsoft account on Windows 10 is treated with disdain and suspicion?

It can’t be because Google’s snooping/tracking is less insidious than Microsoft’s anonymized telemetry, can it?

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There is also a hint of a difference between using a chromebook that has already been set up with a Google account for administrative purposes by using a guests restricted access. Compare to attempting to set up a new installation by never linking to a Google account. I doubt it is only a difference of word choice.

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Chromebooks? Google vs MSFT? It is like voting in an election–pick the lesser evil.

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AlexEiffel, John in Mtl, radosuaf

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[Moonshine]

Still getting October 2019, 1903 Offline Local Account options at my end.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 7 months ago by Moonshine.

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b

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Home or Pro?

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[John in Mtl]

Here’s another example of tricking users into thinking an option is not available: at the beginning of the summer, Ebay changed the colour of the  check box “stay signed in” from blue to light grey – the kind of light grey that suggests the option is “greyed out” and thus not available (when in fact it is!).  Of course, the check mark is in the box, effectively tricking you into thinking you have no choice but to stay signed in to all of the linked accounts.  This way, Ebay, Google & Facebook  can keep tracking you everywhere you go and gather interesting data about you!

• This reply was modified 5 years, 7 months ago by John in Mtl.

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radosuaf

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IMHO, from a strictly security point of view, one should never install an OS while the box is connected to the internet and not yet patched with security updates.  That’s my modus operandi anyways.  Of course, you need access to another machine to download the patches, drivers and other software and store them on suitable media for use on the new box; so it might be a problem or a hassle for some people.

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Like the post above, I’m finding it interesting to see the steps play out.  I’m trying not to veer into conspiracy theory territory, which is easy and tempting, yet this trend is not going to good places for the consumer.

We’re seeing a tendency now that if you can be online, you must be online.  Not everyone has internet – does that mean we’re approaching a time where if that’s the case, you’re not allowed to use technology that’s internet-capable?

I’ve been losing ground for years, one flag at a time.

– The introduction of a Microsoft account for installing Windows.  No problem, I just won’t use that option.

– The shift of the Microsoft account being the default for installing Windows.  No problem, I’ll just click the microscopic “not now” text.

– The shift of the local account option being hidden behind a disconnected network cable.

So what’s in the future?

– Will they force you to use an account or not use Windows?  I can always create a fake account.

– Will fake accounts become a violation of some kind, perhaps bolstered with the dismantling of network neutrality?  I can always buy my own domain and set up my own email server to better control my account.

– Will there be restrictions on people setting up their own domains and email servers so that companies like Microsoft will always have your real data?  I can always refrain from using the product entirely…

You’ll notice if I do a free slide down the slippery slope, it takes more and more IT expertise to dodge the invasion of privacy.  Sure it’s easy for me and many others here to build their own domains, but that’s hardly common.  Moving to Linux is probably harder for some people than setting up a domain, but simple for people here.

It’s the 99% this is hurting, not the people who are already aware of the dangers.  That’s why I walk the knifes-edge and allow Microsoft to pull the telemetry off my devices.  For me it’s a conscious choice and I can cut them off at any time with a firewall rule.  But what about everyone else?

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David F, CADesertRat, RockE, Microfix

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Clash from the past 🙂

https://www.askwoody.com/forums/topic/windows-10-home-no-longer-giving-offline-account-option/

the phone trick didn’t work for me, i had to disconnect (disable) internet, press back then next to get the option

Home N don’t have that restriction, probably because of EU laws

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woody

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woody wrote:

But I’ve also seen many reports that folks clean installing 1909 didn’t have that option — when you set up a new machine with 1909, you have to use a Microsoft account. I figured I’d wait until I have the final, shipping, bits before kicking the tires and raising the roof.

Where are these many folks getting 1909 RTM from for a clean install when it’s not released yet?

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That’s precisely the problem.

I’m not going to start kvetching about it until I can work with the shipping bits. There are just too many parts that can change.

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woody wrote:

kvetching

Thank you, Woody (seriously), for expanding my vocabulary…. I had to look this word up in order to understand the meaning and context.

(There’s several other words here on this forum that I don’t yet understand… but I will do…)

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I am truly amazed and confounded that people tolerate this blatant chicanery.

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I’ve fooled it successfully by entering test as the ms account and test as the password. It responds with “there’s a problem with your MS account”, and then proceeds to allow me to create a local user.

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cmptrgy, b

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The more MS does this type of trickery the more I will refuse to use any MS product at home. At work, I have to but do not get me started on all the wacky problems I have at work, life is too short.

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[Rick Corbett]

I’ve never had a problem (setting a local account) clean-installing 1903.

(Maybe irrelevant but, installing 1909, I just chose the ‘I don’t have internet’ option [bottom left of OOBE] then the subsequent ‘Continue with limited setup’ option.

Umm… how hard was that?

Just keep eyes peeled for MS shenanigans… but don’t fret… (unless @Woody tells you to fret…)

• This reply was modified 5 years, 7 months ago by Rick Corbett.

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Bluetrix, CADesertRat

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Glad to see you are still around Rick. I’m still on 1809 but I always do my uninstalls offline so I doubt that I will have a problem either, LOL.

Don't take yourself so seriously, no one else does 🙂
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@CADesertRat Thank you for your kind words. I just had to take some time out.

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@CADesertRat–  Just bear in mind that I installed 1909 [via UUPDump] (which I do not recommend for *anybody*)… just as a test.

The install of Win 10 1909 via this method worked for me perfectly on a Dell Latitude E7450 laptop straight out of the box.

I’d show you a screenshot… but they’re easily faked. Suffice to say that winver shows Version 1909 (OS build 18363.387).

Next, I’m going to wipe the laptop yet again and re-install using the Windows 10 Decrapifier script, i.e. pausing at the MS OOBE (Out Of the Box Experience).

Hope this helps…

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Carl D

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Rick,

just out of curiosity, I used UUPDump to download 1909 yesterday and clean installed it (Windows 10 Professional) onto a spare SSD drive after using Rufus to put the ISO onto a thumb drive.

The install went without a problem (I had the PC disconnected from the Internet, as always) but I notice it says “Evaluation Version” at the bottom right hand corner of the screen.

Just wondering what will happen if I go online with this? Will it activate automatically as normal and the “Evaluation Version” message disappears? I never went as far as going online with it and I’ve gone back to my 1903 SSD which I’m using now.

From what I saw of 1909 before I went back to 1903, it doesn’t look any different apart from a few ‘cosmetic’ changes (although I only looked at it for about 5 minutes).

Might try using the 1909 ISO to update my 1903 next (I have Macrium images to recover if it all goes ‘pear shaped’, of course).

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I notice it says “Evaluation Version” at the bottom right hand corner of the screen.

Strange. Are you sure you downloaded the ‘current’ release of 1909 (i.e. 18363.418)? That sounds more like the ‘Next’ version (i.e. 18970.1005).

What’s the filename of your UUP Dump download?

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Carl D

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The zip file I downloaded was 18999.1_amd64_en-us_all_7268dbc9_convert but rechecking it now, it is an Insider Preview. Oops. Looks like I wasn’t paying enough attention.

I’ve just downloaded 18363.418_amd64_en-us_all_3cef64fc_convert and I’ll have a go with it later. As you know, it takes a while to download all the relevant parts to create the ISO.

Thanks.

 

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I believe that the Insider FAST Ring Build (20h1)

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Carl D

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OK, now this is also very strange?

I downloaded 18363.418_amd64_en-us_all_3cef64fc_convert, unzipped and ran the Command Prompt, waited until it downloaded all the relevant files and created the ISO.

The link I used was the 4th one down on this page:

https://uupdump.ml/

I made sure prior to the download that I selected all versions (Home and Professional) and I watched the Command Prompt window during the download and I saw that it was supposed to be downloading the Professional components.

Yet, after the ISO file was created and I used Rufus to make the bootable install media all I get for the choices at the start of the clean install are Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Home N??? No option for Professional whatsoever?

I have done this twice now just to make sure I didn’t make a mistake and there were no issues with the downloads but I get the same result both times – no option for Windows 10 Professional during the install, Only Home??

The ISO file created is 18362.1.190318-1202.19H1_RELEASE_CLIENTMULTI_X64FRE_EN-US

and it is 4.08GB in size.

Might just have to stay with 1903 until the ‘official’ ISO’s are released later this month or early next month.

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I chose the 4th download link as well then English (United Kingdom) language then All editions:

I used Rufus to create a bootable USB stick installer when the ISO file was created:

18363.418.191006-1449.19H2_RELEASE_SVC_PROD1_CLIENTMULTI_X64FRE_EN-GB.ISO

As per usual I carried out a clean install (disconnected from the internet), wiping the previous partitions. I didn’t even get asked what edition I wanted… the installer just installed Windows 10 Pro again.

Now, I understand the logic of the installer identifying the existing edition before wiping it completely… but that doesn’t explain why you were downgraded to a ‘Home’ edition.

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Carl D

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Had another go at this, selected the same 4th link as mentioned in my previous post and at the next page under “Choose edition” I just selected Windows 10 Pro from the ‘radio button’ options.

This time I have ended up with an ISO file which only has one edition (presumably Professional, hopefully) because I don’t have to make a choice during the install anymore. I only went as far as there because I need to swap SSD’s before I try a full install. I’ll report back with my findings later.

And, I have always been doing a complete removal of all previous partitions on the SSD prior to starting the clean installs.

Funny thing is, when I mistakenly downloaded the ‘Evaluation’ version yesterday I chose the default of All editions prior to the download of all the files and the ISO creation and I did get all editions to choose from, both Home and Professional. Weird.

 

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Just tried a clean install on my spare SSD… and, yes, it is Windows 10 Professional.

As I was going along looking at and adjusting all my settings, etc. I was thinking to myself: “this looks exactly like 1903, I wonder what’s changed?”

Then I looked at the Windows version and it said 1903 – 18362.1

What happened to 1909?? Doesn’t this UUP Dump get the files directly from Microsoft? I wonder if MS know people are getting 1909 early from UUP and they’re changing the files back to 1903? I’m sure they must know.

Anyway, I’ve reconnected my ‘original’ 1903 SSD (glad I didn’t wipe it) and I’ll wait until the ‘official’ 1909 release whenever that may be.

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You must choose add updates option to get 18363.418

otherwise, UUP files themselves are always 18362.1

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After you have the PC set up,  and want to create a recovery drive or a repair disc, do you have to do it after activation?  and be signed in online with a MSA to do it?

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No and No. But why delay activation or Microsoft Account?

Create Recovery Drive in Windows 10

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I am new to Windows 10.  I know that you have to activate to be able to use it.  Wasn’t sure if it was smarter to be offline when creating the recovery media.

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I don’t think it makes any difference.

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