Moving up to Windows 8.1 without an MS account

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Moving up to Windows 8.1 without an MS account

By Susan Bradley

Microsoft makes it difficult — but not impossible — to run Windows 8.1 without a Microsoft account.

There are ways around Redmond’s demands, but only if you know the right path. Plus, solving other problems with the Win8.1 upgrade.
The full text of this column is posted at http://windowssecrets.com/top-story/moving-up-to-windows-8-1-without-an-ms-account/

Columnists typically cannot reply to comments here, but do incorporate the best tips into future columns.

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I have also noted that MS installs the upgrade to W8.1 under an another licencekey, and apparently the old one for W8 is not valid for W8.1.

Regards
JAgr

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Microsoft will pull it off I am afraid. “It” being most if not all their Win 8 users will become and or have “an ad ID” in the brave new MS world.

I have described the same tricks here and even though my customers are warned if they read the blog I write for them they still fall for the tricks.

If I had more free time I would begin to evaluate (an) alternative(s) for those good souls that really only are on the internet and do email.

Yes, such people exist in large numbers and MS makes them into advertisement force fed zombies.

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I updated from Windows 8.0 to 8.1. During updating to 8.1, I had to create a Microsoft account. I didn’t create one under 8.0. Do you know how I can delete my Microsoft account so I can boot directly to 8.1?

Thanks.

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I updated from Windows 8.0 to 8.1. During updating to 8.1, I had to create a Microsoft account. I didn’t create one under 8.0. Do you know how I can delete my Microsoft account so I can boot directly to 8.1?

Thanks.

Even if you had a normal account, you’d still be required to login. You can see if SysInternals AutoLogon allows you to login automatically with your Microsoft account (I suspect it will).

Alternatively, you change your Microsoft account to local account, but that in itself won’t help solving the login issue.

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The sfc command should have a space– sfc /scannow. New users might try to run it without the space as it is printed in this article.

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The sfc command should have a space– sfc /scannow. New users might try to run it without the space as it is printed in this article.

I was surprised, but it actually works OK without the space; I just tried it and it’s running fine.

Bruce

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(You could, I suppose, gamble that Windows 9x will be out by that time, allowing you to bypass Version 8.1 altogether.)

Windows 9x has already been released nearly 20 years ago. Time flies when you are having fun.

9.x will be a whole different story…..

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I’m actually writing in reference to Windows 8.0 instead of 8.1! I purchased an upgrade when 8.0 started selling to the public. It’s been sitting on my desktop ever since. Where can I find the best primer within the Windows Secrets archives that will give me a good start on preparing & upgrading to Windows 8 from 7. Thanks.

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Susan….

A much less convoluted process to get around the “need” to enter your MS account in Figure 2 of your article……put in a bogus email and password. 8.1 will think about it for a second and then you’ll get the option to continue with as a local account!

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My Upgrade to Win8.1Pro was not a pretty picture and the encountered problems were not only restricted to the caveats you (Susan Bradley) have already mentioned.
1) Via Microsoft Store, my attempts to download the Win8.1Pro Upgrade would continually get me to the 50% mark of the 2.6GB Win8.1Pro uprade and then it would start all over again and again and again.
2) After 65GB+ worth of useless download attempts, I contacted Microsoft Technical Support. Over the next two days, Tech Support (level2) connected remotely to my PC in three separate attempts to push the Win8.1Pro upgrade to my computer. After over 5 hours w/TechSupport I had the ISO upgrade package on my machine.
3) As you have indicated, during my first attempt to install this ‘special’ upgrade ISO package, I missed the grayed out “Continue using my existing account” box and used a Microsoft account to be able to continue the installation.
4) On next boot, I realized that my older Win8.0Pro “Local User Account” had perished into some cyber-vacuum! Essentially, I had lost all my personal data and a new (and empty) networked User Account was what greeted me!
5) I was fortunate enough to have created an AcronisTrueImage backup of my Win8Pro OS drive (SSD) 2-days prior to starting this arduous attempt to upgrade to Win8.1Pro.
6) I was successfully able to resurrect my old Win8Pro with Acronis True Image and since I was able to burn this ‘special’ Microsoft TechSupport Win8.1Pro upgrade ISO onto a DVD, I started to upgrade for the second time.
7) I could not continue the upgrade, yet again as JAgr has already posted

I have also noted that MS installs the upgrade to W8.1 under an another licencekey, and apparently the old one for W8 is not valid for W8.1…

8) After some additional digging on the internet, I found the following critical information from a TechNet site:

NOTE: To install a client setup key, open an administrative command prompt on the client, type slmgr /ipk and press ENTER.
Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows 8.1 Client Setup Keys
Operating system edition KMS Client Setup Key
Windows 8.1 Professional
GCRJD-8NW9H-F2CDX-CCM8D-9D6T9
Windows 8.1 Professional N
HMCNV-VVBFX-7HMBH-CTY9B-B4FXY
Pasted from

9) Upon the successful installation of the Microsoft Windows8.1Pro upgrade (w/Media Center and using the above 2nd key) with my ‘Local User Account’ credentials; I was able to re-activate my installation using my legitimate Win8.0Pro key.
NOTE#1: If you are able to get your hands on the Win8.1upgrade ISO, you can use the following FREE tool to burn onto a DVD

burned it onto a DVD (using Windows 7 USB/DVD download tool ), I used the following instructions:

NOTE#2: Get the Real Start button functionality back on your desktop for Windows® 8!

Classic Start 8 is a FREE application which adds a traditional-style start button to the Windows® 8 desktop taskbar. With full functionality just like in Windows® 7, Classic Start 8 brings back all the familiar features of a traditional start menu into Windows® 8, including quick access to the search box, control panel, documents, all programs and more! http://www.classicstart8.com/

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In addition to ruining the UI, now MS wants to force users to create an MS “account” so their online activities can be tracked more efficiently. Unless MS does a radical turnaround with Win9, I’m afraid Win7 was the end-of-the-line for me. Since Apple is equally (if not more) predatory than MS, I’ll probably be moving to Linux at home. (I don’t control IT choices at work — the boss can do what he likes.) However, if the pattern holds, Win9 might turn out OK:

Win8 – bad
WinRT – really bad
Win7 – good
WinVista – bad
WinXP – good
WinMe – bad
Win2000 – good
Win98 – good
WinNT 4.0 – good
Win95 – fair
WfW 3.11 – fair

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A few unlucky souls have run into an unanticipated problem with the Win8.1 update. Although their PCs had no difficulty running 64-bit Windows 8, upgrading to 64-bit Win8.1 failed. Apparently, some older CPUs are no longer supported by Microsoft. For example, a Neowin blog thread notes Win8.1 incompatibilities with some classic AMD processors.

The Win8.1 system requirements page states: “To install a 64-bit OS on a 64-bit PC, your processor needs to support CMPXCHG16b, PrefetchW, and LAHF/SAHF.” If your CPU is among those not supported by Win8.1, Microsoft recommends upgrading to a new PC. But you might also try downgrading to the 32-bit version of the OS (which will, of course, force you to forego the extra RAM support provided by the 64-bit architecture).

I will Say Again , Thanks Microsoft ! I just happen to be one of the unlucky even though Windows 8 runs just peachy on my system .
I could go on and on about how I support the Big Micro but I suppose I’ll have to suck this up for now .

DFI Lanparty UT nf4 SLI-DR Venus*51*
BIOS 4/06/2006
AMD FX60 Toledo 1GHz HT 2x1MB L2 Cache:mad::mad::mad:
ZALMAN CNPS9700 110mm CPU Fan
7 Seagate ST3250410AS 250GB 16MB
1 Seagate ST305004FPA1E2-RK 500GB 16MB BKUP
1 Seagate FreeAgent SATA BCKUP Drive 1TB
G.SKILL 4GB (4x1GB)184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR400(PC3200)
ABS TaganBZ900 ATX12V/ EPS12v 900WMod Power supply
SATA/ASUS 20X DVD+/-R Burner DRW-2014L1
Sony Model MPF920 Black Floppy
Thermaltake Super Tower (Armor) VA8000BWS Full size Tower
2-EVGA GEFORCE GTS 450’s 1GB x 2 GDDR3/SLI
Vista Ultimate 32 bit/Windows XP PRO 32 bit/Windows 7 32 bit/ Windows 7 64 bit/Windows 8 64 bit

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After I updated to Windows 8.1, I ended up locked out of my administrator’s account. There was no other account created on the computer so it became a huge problem. I was set up to automatically sign in to my account, so I suspect this is the same problem that was described in the article. After consulting a help desk where I bought my computer (that was no help at all), I called Microsoft’s help line, which asked you to push a number if you were having problems installing Windows 8.1. Amazingly, I got through to someone in just a few minutes. The first person I spoke to realized it was beyond his level and upgraded me to the next support level. I spent an hour on the phone with a very helpful and friendly tech in India. Actually, I ended up helping him solve my problem when I mentioned that I had found an online article suggesting that I start the computer in safe mode. This ultimately took us to a sequence of set-up screens for 8.1. Strangely, through multiple restarts in regular mode, these set-up screens never appeared. Eventually, we were able to set up new administrator’s accounts and passwords. 8.1 now functions normally. I should add that there was no charge for Microsoft’s help.:)

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My “UP” grade to Win 8.1 form Win 8 went like this: I went to the Microsoft store and went to download and install the upgrade at 2 pm. At 11 pm!! the download finished and the installation was ready to install. I was so tired I did not realize what I was presented with would spoil my life for a while by me entering my Microsoft account log in and password. OK, so I searched and found I could just create another account with a local account and its password, so I did, but all my documents and settings, favorites and all were in the Microsoft log in account. Also, many programs were no longer compatible, like the Google toolbar which worked fine in Win 8, but not with Win 8.1 and the new Internet Explorer 11. :o:

Short of me restoring Windows 8 from a complete hard drive image backup I made Oct 16th, the day before 8.1, and starting all over again, is there any easy way for me to get my old local account and password to work again? I dread the idea of having to do all that over again and following Susan Bradley’s and other advice that I now know about upgrading with a local account instead? I wish I had not been able to go to Win 8.1 as easily as it went for me other than the very long download time on the first day 8.1 was available. Thanks for any advice here.:o

By the way, unlike what others have said here, my registration key remains the same as it was in Win 8 ( as Magical Jellybean Keyfinder shows them). My Win 8 key is an OEM Dell installation.

OK, I found the answer in the comment by member nsemrau of the attached link: http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/windows-and-office/quick-tip-change-to-a-local-account-in-windows-81/

Thanks nsemrau and techrepublic!!

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NOTE#1: If you are able to get your hands on the Win8.1upgrade ISO, you can use the following FREE tool to burn onto a DVD

Windows 7 and 8 can burn an ISO to DVD without any additional software: Windows 7 and 8: How To Burn an ISO Image to Disc

By the way, unlike what others have said here, my registration key remains the same as it was in Win 8 ( as Magical Jellybean Keyfinder shows them). My Win 8 key is an OEM Dell installation.

I believe all upgrades retain the original key for activation. An 8.1 key is only needed for installation from DVD/USB.

Bruce

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With regards to local account vs microsoft account, Win 8.1 offers you the ability to disconnect your MS account from your user name via the charm Settings->PC Settings->Accounts. There is a disconnect link under your user name.

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Looks like time to switch to Apple!

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Looks like time to switch to Apple!

Yes, because Apple was not the company that started what Microsoft is now trying to mimic…

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Yes, because Apple was not the company that started what Microsoft is now trying to mimic…

:=) I confess, I know little about Apple. For one thing, their products exceed my budget. So, what other options are there? I don’t want to be connected all the time, or have my info sitting in a cloud. I do some writing, run some forums, do email, look at family photos on FB, and my dog has a blog. I’m also participating in some on-line classes and live streamed courses. Back up my “stuff” on a usb drive and back up that on an external hard drive. Don’t care to go portable beyond my laptop or be perpetually “connected”. I love technology and things that go “whirr” and “click”, but the frantic pursuit of profit just turns me off, even of things that go “whirr” and “click”!

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If you don’t want to be connected, you can use any of the Microsoft OSes and not use their cloud related features. You don’t need a Microsoft account to use Windows 8. To be honest, if you don’t use the services, a Microsoft account can be just that, an account – see it as a way to login to services you won’t use. No info sitting on the cloud or anywhere, just a username and a password (that should be a good one, length and content wise).

I don’t know other OSes that well. I don’t use Linux and I would never, ever drink from Apple’s KoolAid (I’d rather have Microsoft’s, at least its cheaper and gives me more options). I think, however, that cloud computing will become more and more used everywhere, that’s just the path the industry is going right now. It seems to me that all OSes are going to incorporate that, in some way.

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Thanks Ruirib! Sometimes I just get tired of change for change sake, that doesn’t improve anything that I can see or use. Guess for folks using the services it is useful. Maybe I’m just feeling crabby today!

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Thanks Ruirib! Sometimes I just get tired of change for change sake, that doesn’t improve anything that I can see or use. Guess for folks using the services it is useful. Maybe I’m just feeling crabby today!

Things just seem to happen very fast, these days, it’s not easy to keep up with the pace. I think things are made for a smaller set of highly motivated tech people, who command headlines and are actual opinion makers. Then they trickle down to the common citizen, at least those than end up with a new device, regardless of the factor, that definitely incorporates the newest and shiniest that technology has to offer.
For a company like Microsoft, a bit conservative, things are not easy, either. If Microsoft did not keep pace with the Apple’s and Google’ of this world, it soon would wither and die. So, for manufacturers of computers, devices and gizmos, it’s pretty much a fight to stay relevant, for all of them.

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Some of them are like leeches wanting all sorts of info – where I went to school, where I live, etc. I’m going to enter “none of your business” one of these days. I don’t need 6000 “friends”, 5950 of whom I’ve never met in this life! I’m with you F.U.N., don’t want a phone ringing when I’m out enjoying a walk in the fresh air, or being overwhelmed with so much info that there is no time to think about it. We get too much info, not enough thoughtfulness.

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Some of them are like leeches wanting all sorts of info – where I went to school, where I live, etc. I’m going to enter “none of your business” one of these days. I don’t need 6000 “friends”, 5950 of whom I’ve never met in this life! I’m with you F.U.N., don’t want a phone ringing when I’m out enjoying a walk in the fresh air, or being overwhelmed with so much info that there is no time to think about it. We get too much info, not enough thoughtfulness.

Yes, there is an overload of social apps, no doubt about it, and many are quite intrusive. We can choose what info to share and we should choose. I have a facebook account, that I use to know a bit about friends that are not geographically close, but I share minimum info there.

Social networking can bring good things, too. I find twitter to be an amazingly effective social network to obtain valuable technical information. It’s second to none on that, IMO, so being on twitter is part of my continued training as an IT professional.

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I agree bcoop, not about Apple or that it’s solely a profit-driven, but it sure is frantic. I’ve even heard consumer tech guys, who normally love everything new and shiny, say they are just becoming overwhelmed and can’t keep track of everything anymore. It’s not a good sign when those guys admit they are exhausted by the pace.
For me it’s simple, I drew a technology line, nothing that will induce A.D.D.; no Facebook, no Twitter, etc.; no ultra portable devices or any way to connect to the Internet when I’m out and about breathing fresh clean air, and after testing Win 8 for many months, it is not for me in any way so I quadrupled down on XP and Win 7 and I’m set now until Windows decides what the heck it’s going to be. If its even more into the world of frantic go-go gadgets, well then it’ll never be for me again.

Simple-as-that.

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Indeed, peer to peer platforms have a robust history of effectiveness for all things good and bad and utter nonsense and trivia. The term social doesn’t fit very well anymore though, it’s not supposed to be so impersonal in such a large ratio. It’s no return for human psyche in lieu of real social interactions, yet I fear it is substituted more and more.

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I think, however, that cloud computing will become more and more used everywhere

Only if people are dumb enough to use it. See The Cloud: Risky, Unreliable, and Dumb.

so I quadrupled down on XP and Win 7 and I’m set now until Windows decides what the heck it’s going to be

Amen brother. I’ve got five Win7 machines that will ultimately become Linux machines unless MS fixes the miserable steaming pile that is 8.x.

If Microsoft did not keep pace with the Apple’s and Google’ of this world, it soon would wither and die.

Gotta disagree with this one. Apple and Google are in a race to the bottom to see who can create the most brain-dead interface. More here. MS should be heading in the opposite direction!

Sorry to keep citing Dvorak, but he almost always says what I’m thinking and puts it better than I could. Anytime I hear “software as a service” or “store it in the cloud,” I put my hand on my wallet and run. Those terms are synonymous with stealing your money and stealing your data.

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Only if people are dumb enough to use it. See The Cloud: Risky, Unreliable, and Dumb.

Amen brother. I’ve got five Win7 machines that will ultimately become Linux machines unless MS fixes the miserable steaming pile that is 8.x.

Gotta disagree with this one. Apple and Google are in a race to the bottom to see who can create the most brain-dead interface. More here. MS should be heading in the opposite direction!

Sorry to keep citing Dvorak, but he almost always says what I’m thinking and puts it better than I could. Anytime I hear “software as a service” or “store it in the cloud,” I put my hand on my wallet and run. Those terms are synonymous with stealing your money and stealing your data.

Is that the same Dvorak that wrote pearls such as:

“Apple makes the arrogant assumption of thinking that it knows what you want and need. It, unfortunately, leaves the “why” out of the equation — as in “why would I want this?” The Macintosh uses an experimental pointing device called a ‘mouse’. There is no evidence that people want to use these things. I dont want one of these new fangled devices.”

or

“Once in a while the system will go into an idle mode, requiring from five minutes to half an hour to unwind. It’s weird, and I almost always have to reboot. When I hit Ctrl-Alt-Delete, I see that the System Idle Process is hogging all the resources and chewing up 95 percent of the processor’s cycles. Doing what? Doing nothing? Once in a while, after you’ve clicked all over the screen trying to get the system to do something other than idle, all your clicks suddenly ignite and the screen goes crazy with activity. This is not right.”

or

“If [Apple’s] smart, it will call the iPhone a ‘reference design’ and pass it to some suckers to build with someone else’s marketing budget. Then it can wash its hands of any marketplace failures. [… ] It should do that immediately before it’s too late.”

There are many more like those. I don’t hold his opinions in very high regard. To me, if I had to describe him, I would describe him much more as an entertainer than a journalist. Entertainer, in a WWE kind of way, if one likes such entertainment. I don’t. In my book the man has zero credibility. He has shown his ignorance and lack of prescience more than once, as the previous quotes show. The first time I was badly impressed was when I read him stating Windows NT would never work, due to the sheer number of code lines. Of course, Windows NT did work and it provided the foundation on which Windows 2000, one of the most solid Windows versions ever, was based.

I think you should worry about quoting him on anything. I would.

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I think you should worry about quoting him on anything.

I consider myself properly spanked. Nonetheless, my opinions concerning cloud storage and the declining state of user interfaces remain the same.

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I consider myself properly spanked. Nonetheless, my opinions concerning cloud storage and the declining state of user interfaces remain the same.

Fair enough. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and opinions need to respected :).

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Error 0xC1900101 – 0x40017 when installing Windows 8.1 – Microsoft Community:
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows8_1-windows_install/error-0xc1900101-0x40017-when-installing-windows/8c893ae6-0e9b-4b7d-a647-b9065099efd6

Hello everyone,

We would like to thank all those who have helped us to collect data by sending us logs. The cause for error 0xC1900101 – 0x40017 is known to be faulty drivers, however it can be difficult to identify exactly which drivers are creating the error.

Note: Please double-check the error code before reading further. There are many variations of error 0xC1900101, each with a different location code — the error extension, located after the dash. The information in this thread is intended only for location code 0x40017. If you are receiving a different location code, these steps are unlikely to resolve your issue.

There have been reports of a USB driver causing this error. Until a specific USB driver can be determined as a root cause, if you receive this error, we recommend you unplug all USB devices (other than your mouse and keyboard) as a troubleshooting step and try the upgrade again. If the upgrade is then successful, you can plug the devices back in and they should function normally.

We have identified a few drivers associated with the following hardware or software that could be causing this problem:

1. SteelSeries– Mouse and keyboard manufacture. The SteelSeries Engine is currently not supported on Windows 8.1. Please seetheir FAQfor more info and updates.

2. NVIDIA — Video card manufacture. Check to make sure you’ve upgraded to thelatest video drivers.

3. ESET – Antivirus and security-related products. Please see the ESET Knowledgebase to learn how to safely upgrade to Windows 8.1 with ESET Smart Security or ESET NOD32 Antivirus installed.

4. Trusteer Rapport– Credit card fraud protection software. Trusteer recommends installing thelatest updatefor Windows 8.1 compatibility.

If you have any of these programs installed, please let us know if disabling, uninstalling, or upgrading the software or drivers allowed you to install Windows 8.1 successfully.

We are sorry for any inconvenience and appreciate your help and understanding while we continue to investigate this issue.

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My earlier post here shows I found how to log in to Windows 8.1 without using the Microsoft account log in at: http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/windows-and-office/quick-tip-change-to-a-local-account-in-windows-81/ .Also, I found on Youtube a step by step procedure. It works: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBDwfF37mwg

I hope this is what you are looking for ACE1, as I had the very same situation as you. The video is the easiest way, but the guy’s voice is a little different.

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I have a question for someone (anyone) who is logging into Windows8.1 with a Microsoft Account:
What are the ramifications of setting-up the Win8.1 upgrade with Microsoft Account; when/if the users network is not functional and/or unavailable?
Specifically, can the user (with a non-Local Account) still be able to log-into the Win8.1 OS and continue to use their hardware?
Thank you in advance!

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I have a question for someone (anyone) who is logging into Windows8.1 with a Microsoft Account:
What are the ramifications of setting-up the Win8.1 upgrade with Microsoft Account; when/if the users network is not functional and/or unavailable?
Specifically, can the user (with a non-Local Account) still be able to log-into the Win8.1 OS and continue to use their hardware?
Thank you in advance!

Yes, you don’t need the network to login to Windows.

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For anyone still puzzling over this (as I was, having forgotten Susan’s advice by the time I did the upgrade) you may want to check out this post in another forum by member nsemrau. I used the “disconnect” link he/she describes and it completely restored my 8.0 local account. I’m a happy camper again!

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