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Microsoft is plugging more holes that let you use Windows 11 without MS account

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Re: Microsoft is plugging more holes that let you use Windows 11 without MS account

#941

Post by firen777 »

wing-_-nuts wrote: post #652
bobajeff wrote: post #616

Earlier quoted context omitted.

About Gnome (Shell). I disagree it looks very pretty but the UX a huge step backwards from Gnome 2. Users are better off with KDE, XFCE or Mate.

I installed linux mint xfce edition on a laptop with only 8 gb of ram, and while there were a few hiccups where I had to adjust, it's a breath of fresh air. Super low memory usage, no wayland nonsense, it. just. works.

> only 8 gb of ram

I still have fond memory of my brother upgrading his windows XP desktop to 1 GB RAM to play BF2142 and I was like "school hasn't even taught me that number yet".

What the hell happened to software development when "only 8 gb of ram" is used sincerely?

Re: Microsoft is plugging more holes that let you use Windows 11 without MS account

#942

Post by layla5alive »

noirscape wrote: post #604
tombert wrote: post #585

I doubt it’s going to happen, but a part of me prays that people will eventually get sick Microsoft’s increasing bullshit and it really can become the Year of the Linux Desktop. Gnome has genuinely gotten pretty great in the last couple years, and I think a lot of former Windows would genuinely like it if they gave it a chance, and virtually any Linux you install will have less tracking bullshit than Windows. I suspe…

I think people will sooner just start hard breaking Windows ISOs just to get rid of MS's garbage (arguably already the case if you use Rufus, which customizes the OOBE setup to already reject checks and tracking if you tick the boxes. They also have a checkbox to iirc disable the TPM check that's killing a lot of older device support because there's nothing in W11 that actually relies on a TPM, it's just an artificia…

Maybe it's time for the Linux version of WSL. Wine is already that for some subset of things - maybe the best way to run Win32 software in 2030 could be on Linux...

Re: Microsoft is plugging more holes that let you use Windows 11 without MS account

#943

Post by qingcharles »

edm0nd wrote: post #630
Night_Thastus wrote: post #598

My biggest annoyance is that I specifically bought a Windows 11 license, from the MS store, using my MS account. I did this because I assumed that if something went wrong, I would always be able to recover it. I could never 'lose' the key if it was tied to my account. Well unfortunately, MS screwed me. When I upgraded my PC I was apparently supposed to transfer the license before deleting the old PC from my account.…

Just use Massgravel and problem is solved :) https://github.com/massgravel/Microsoft-Activation-Scripts

I have legit licenses for Win 11 and I still use massgrave as it's easier.

Re: Microsoft is plugging more holes that let you use Windows 11 without MS account

#944

Post by qingcharles »

logifail wrote: post #625
LeifCarrotson wrote: post #619

Rufus and Massgravel still function as a pressure release valve to prevent too much outrage from building up, but Microsoft is working hard to direct more and more of the flow into the channels that get them the most revenue. If HN readers want to set up a machine without any of the bloatware, with all the "developer-mode" switches turned on, without a Microsoft account, there are still ways to get it done. I actuall…

I've been using Win10 LTSC since it first shipped, but the pain of it just keeps on increasing (not being able to load the latest .Net; Teams and more and more other apps refuse to run despite the OS still being "in support" now and for many years to come). Any tips for moving to Win11 LTSC? (I've been avoiding Win11 for as long as I can...)

Isn't it a pain to get a working key for Win 11 LTSC?

I've not bothered since switching from Win 10 LTSC to Win 11. Win 11 is definitely faster and better for everyday use in 2025, IMO.

I start with installing a Tiny11 build: https://ntdotdev.wordpress.com/2024/01/08/the-complete-tiny1...

Massgrave it to pro.

Then I debloat: https://github.com/Raphire/Win11Debloat

And you end up with a super zippy install that I've had zero compatibility problems with over the last year.

Re: Microsoft is plugging more holes that let you use Windows 11 without MS account

#945

Post by qingcharles »

presto8 wrote: post #188

Discovered Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC edition recently. It's great! It is supposed to get security updates through 2032. It doesn't have Cortana, OneDrive, CoPilot, Edge, etc. (Which is a good thing IMO.) Nor does it require a cloud account to use.

I've not bothered since switching from Win 10 LTSC to Win 11. Win 11 is definitely faster and better for everyday use in 2025, IMO.

I start with installing a Tiny11 build: https://ntdotdev.wordpress.com/2024/01/08/the-complete-tiny1...

Massgrave it to pro.

Then I debloat: https://github.com/Raphire/Win11Debloat

And you end up with a super zippy install that I've had zero compatibility problems with over the last year.

Re: Microsoft is plugging more holes that let you use Windows 11 without MS account

#947

Post by _carbyau_ »

blincoln wrote: post #559
mythz wrote: post #300

The best thing to happen to Linux Desktop is Windows 11, with perfect timing too as modern Linux has been a joy to use as a daily driver. Normally I'd be unhappy when a sleazy corp forces me to give up on 25 years of muscle memory of using my preferred OS, but I'm thankful they gave me the push I needed to rip off the ad/spyware laced Windows Band-Aid that I only need to do once in my life. It's been over a year sinc…

100% agree. I supported enterprise Windows systems for a decade, although I had Unix and Linux experience as well and liked all of them. I skipped Windows 8 entirely. For the 10 era, I had at least one Linux VM on each of my systems, and migrated to open-source where possible even on the host OS (Blender, Inkscape, etc.). Windows 11 pushed me to flip things around - Linux as the host OS, and a Windows VM or dual-boot…

Regards " stability issues with Explorer", I doubt it is Explorer itself.

2 thoughts:

1. Possibly something hooked into Explorer. Not necessarily malicious but could be like an acrobat extension or image editor extension or similar that helps to make thumbnails/previews. Or a context menu hook in.

Use Sysinternals Autoruns [0] to have a look. It is a free diagnostics tool from MS that shows everything that loads on startup. It looks at Start menu Startup folder, registry run and runonce keys and a bunch more places where things are hooked in. No restarts or anything required simply to look. It will show plugins/addons to Explorer too. Easy disable/re-enable process allows for somewhat easy troubleshooting. You'll have to restart Explorer after a "disable" step to see the results though.

Be sure to use the "hide microsoft entries" option if you want to narrow it down some.

2. Filesystem filters - things like antivirus "scan on read". If a "scan on read" goes to an antivirus that is not playing ball it will halt the "file open" request for example.

The command "fltmc" will list filesystem filter drivers. But making sense of which one belongs to what software is a further exercise. Which is why I suggest this investigative path as number 2...

[0]:https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/aut...

Re: Microsoft is plugging more holes that let you use Windows 11 without MS account

#948

Post by efreak »

physicles wrote: post #491
hxii wrote: post #459

While my D2D is MacOS and Windows 10, I’m not a newcomer to Linux and I WISH I could just move myself and my wife to Linux instead of waiting until W10 kicks the bucket. But until the experience and process are seamless (or at least much more simplified), I honestly cannot see people “just switching”. I had to jump through SO MANY hoops to stop my case fans from automatically spinning at 100% and getting CoolerContro…

I have a similar experience with my GPU. Got a 3090 and found that nvidia’s linux driver enforces a minimum GPU fan speed of 30% regardless of temperature. That’s unacceptably loud if you’re in the same room. After hours of searching online, flashing the GPU’s bios is apparently the only solution, so I bought a bunch of acoustic foam instead. I’m still 100% Linux on all devices, but this bit really sucks.

> flashing the GPU's bios is apparently the only solution

Wouldn't disconnecting the fan and plugging it into the motherboard instead also work?

Re: Microsoft is plugging more holes that let you use Windows 11 without MS account

#949

Post by _carbyau_ »

jonbiggums22 wrote: post #795
xela79 wrote: post #520

So I just figured out a workaround that actually works! At least until Microsoft puts out a new Windows installer that fixes this, here's what you can do: First, make sure you unplug your ethernet cable or turn off WiFi before you start installing Windows. This way your computer isn't connected to the internet during setup. When you get to that screen where it's asking you to sign in with a Microsoft account (you kno…

What happens when you install without account using an old ISO without this "patch" and then just update it?

This is my plan.

Re: Microsoft is plugging more holes that let you use Windows 11 without MS account

#950

Post by jazzyjackson »

gerdesj wrote: post #68
jazzyjackson wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're forgetting business critical software outside of office that's windows only or windows/macos. Stuff like Quickbooks, AutoCAD/Autodesk, off the top of my head

All of which are very easily replaceable. That list is laughable for an example of lock in. I used to run AutoCAD on a 80286 with a maths co-pro with 1 MB RAM. It has changed somewhat since! Who gives a shit about QB? - you could just run it in a VM and it probably runs under Wine. You can also just switch accounting vendor - there are quite a few. Double book keeping is a good 600 years old and can be considered pre…

I love how you suggested I go back to bookkeeping by hand if I want to buck the Microsoft/Intuit monopoly. I'm talking about tracking accounts receivable on thousands of invoices with individual parts that ship separately. There's very few options out there, and if I want it to "just work" with live account balances of my bank forget about it
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