Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Windows 11 is closing a loophole that let you skip making a Microsoft account

theverge.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

41–50 of 210 posts

Re: Windows 11 is closing a loophole that let you skip making a Microsoft account

#41

Post by sunshowers »

colordrops wrote: post #11
jwoglom wrote: post #3

> We’re removing the bypassnro.cmd script from the build to enhance security and user experience of Windows 11. This change ensures that all users exit setup with internet connectivity and a Microsoft Account. "enhancing security and user experience" -- what a ridiculous, bold-faced lie. Bravo Microsoft.

It's standard practice for corporations to lie about their motivations for decisions. Why is this acceptable?

It is standard practice to stretch the truth to a breaking point. In this case, Microsoft could argue that a connected account leads to a better experience. It also (more tenuously) argue that it leads to better security, in terms of protection against ransomware via OneDrive backups.

I hate this practice.

Re: Windows 11 is closing a loophole that let you skip making a Microsoft account

#43

Post by wmf »

sokoloff wrote: post #32
wmf wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Security updates do come from the Internet.

Aren’t those needed overwhelmingly as a result of being connected to the internet?

Realistically, people connect to the Internet. Air-gapped environments aren't using Windows 11 Home.

Re: Windows 11 is closing a loophole that let you skip making a Microsoft account

#44

Post by gigel82 »

vbezhenar wrote: post #20
p0w3n3d wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can't it be added again by users? Cmd does not sound like a complicated piece of binary code

This script just added single key to the registry and rebooted the machine (restarting the installer). The underlying functionality which allowed to use local user, if registry key was present, was coded into the installer itself. So if they just removed that 2-line bat file, it's not a big problem. You still can add that entry to the registry, just with more complicated command. Here's its code: @echo off reg add HK…

It's probably safe to assume that they'll remove the BypassNRO functionality altogether from Setup, not just the script that enables it.

Re: Windows 11 is closing a loophole that let you skip making a Microsoft account

#45

Post by transcriptase »

DecentShoes wrote: post #23

The best marketing campaign for Linux, is Windows 11.

The best marketing campaign for Windows is finally deciding on a distro only to be presented with a bunch of bullshit options (gnome, cinnamon, xfe, kde, mate, etc) the average person is expected to somehow understand the difference between or care about if they did. And no, someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing is not going to feel comfortable picking at random.

Then the 95% odds that trying to dual boot without the correct incantations fucks up being able to boot into Windows, which somehow after 20 years still hasn’t been fixed.

And I say this as someone who’s been using it personally and professionally for 20 years. The year of the Linux desktop will come when people are met where they are, not where you want them to be. If the simplest standard things require sifting through forum posts from 2006 for hours on end, you’ve already lost.

Re: Windows 11 is closing a loophole that let you skip making a Microsoft account

#46

Post by fumufumufumu »

Aren't they just following Apple? Technically you can use an iPhone and Mac without an Apple (iCloud) account but it's pretty dang unsupported except for corp devices. If I recall correctly you can't install anything from the app store on an Mac/iPhone without an Apple account. On Mac you can run other stuff without an account. You can't on iPhone. You'd need XCode, XCode you can only get from the App Store or possibly from the developer site, Both the App store and the developer site require an account.

I'm not saying it's good, but I'd be curious how many non-corp users are using a Mac without an Apple account.

My current Windows box, Windows 11 Pro (forgot the version names). I setup an account registered with MS to get it installed. Then set up a separate user account, not registered with MS. I use that 2nd account for everything. I haven't logged into the first account in years.

Re: Windows 11 is closing a loophole that let you skip making a Microsoft account

#47

Post by rvba »

Windows 11 taskbar has space... for 11 icons when run on a laptop screen.

This is killing my (and maaaany others) productivity since in some jobs you constantly need to switch between multiple windows.

Yea, extrnal programs exist, but they can br buggy, cost extra money on top... and good luck installing them on a coporate computer.

Ive seen like 20-30 people with the same problem: taskbar being useless. Windows 11 is bad at switching windows.

The taskbar cant even highlight the active window since everything is "graphically flat" too

Re: Windows 11 is closing a loophole that let you skip making a Microsoft account

#48

Post by gambiting »

diego_sandoval wrote: post #19

What are you supposed to do if you have no Internet connectivity? You basically have a brick on your hands until you can connect it to the Internet? That's ridiculous.

I mean, Xbox has been like this for a long time and clearly it's not dettering sales at all - and even with Windows the functionality to skip it has been well hidden and required bringing up windows console and typing in a command that rebooted the installer - hardly something that your average person would do I guess. So yeah, it's ridiculous, but Microsoft knows it will make zero difference to sales.

Re: Windows 11 is closing a loophole that let you skip making a Microsoft account

#49

Post by [deleted] »

proc0 wrote: post #36
qwerpy wrote: post #15

What is MS's motivation to push so strongly to have everyone on a Microsoft account? I really hope it's not primarily so that they can more effectively target your computer for ads. Or upsell some service subscriptions.

Bad leadership/ direction of product. These decisions are bad in the long term as people find alternatives. Windows will just be used by large non-tech orgs that need excel and are locked in that ecosystem. Then there is the gaming crowd and I think Steam is in a unique position to do something here. Everything points to Windows 11 being the last Windows, but not for the reasons MS intended.

[deleted]

Re: Windows 11 is closing a loophole that let you skip making a Microsoft account

#50

Post by gavinhoward »

So I have Windows 10, and I was not looking forward to the "upgrade" to 11 at 10's EOL because of the TPM requirement.

With this change, I have decided to accept the insecurity of not updating and stick with 10. The only thing I do on Windows is ensure my FOSS is cross-platform.

Post reply on HN