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Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything

windowscentral.com

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Re: Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything

#441

Post by partomniscient »

halfcat wrote: post #54
ActorNightly wrote: post #48

This may get buried here, but there is one important distinction missing from all these articles. Win 11 Pro allows you to enable local login, and disable all the intrusive microsoft stuff. Ive been on win 11 for the past 5 years and don't even remember my microsoft password at this point. IIRC you still have to set one up when you first install, but then once you switch to local login, any time you open up a microso…

You don’t have to login with the online account. Before you install: - Disable the network cards in the BIOS - Install - When prompted to setup the network press Shift+F10 - Type: start ms-cxh:localonly - Setup the local account - After install completes re-enable the network cards in the BIOS Nothing could be easier. Truly the most user-friendly OS.

Or don't bother with the above - install Windows 10 without an online account and just unplug the network card. Download the Win11 upgrade binary. Run the upgrade and keep clicking no to the many (but not excessive) times it suggests to create a Microsoft Account.

Time intensive, but doesn't require much knowledge or pulling hardware.

Re: Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything

#442

Post by ImJamal »

jasode wrote: post #194
sviruz wrote: post #169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Running Windows 10 Enterprise IoT LTSC still gives you updates until 2031 with the added benefit of no app store. I run it as my main OS since last October and have yet to encounter any issues.

>Running Windows 10 Enterprise IoT LTSC [...] have yet to encounter any issues. It depends on the type of software a user runs. I installed Windows 10 LTSC on a friend's computer last year thinking she could run it for at least 5 more years and just ignore the newer Windows 11/12/whatever. But she needed Intuit TurboTax 2025 and it requires Windows 11 and it's a hard requirement. The installer aborts on Windows 10. I…

I am not sure the differences, but turbotax has an online version.

Re: Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything

#443

Post by newtonianrules »

Telaneo wrote: post #385
newtonianrules wrote: post #321

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Games with kernel anti-cheat. This one’s easy, if they don’t support Steam Deck (basically a proxy for Linux support), I don’t play them.

Tell that to someone with 6000 hours in Rainbow Six Siege and plays it every single day.

If they don’t support Steam Deck (basically a proxy for Linux support), I don’t play them.

Re: Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything

#444

Post by Grombobulous »

sgtaylor5 wrote: post #420
Grombobulous wrote: post #283

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The other potentially obvious question is why bother using an OS that’s out of support when Linux is so good? I left Windows 11. The last straw wasn’t Microsoft accounts or Windows updates. I actually thought the OS was fine, most OS updates actually added great new features, and anything I considered an annoyance was easy to disable permanently. Toss your Windows 11 ISO into Rufus and disabling things like Microsoft…

For me, I can't switch to Linux because of my accounting software; it's only on macOS. They are very few Linux business accounting software programs suitable for sole proprietors. GNUcash is too hard to set up. Online accounting software is not good, because one is giving ownership of one's financial data to another entity, who could deny access at any moment. I've had five clients who have lost access to their Micro…

You mention clients losing access to Microsoft accounts, which is a requirement for running Windows 11.

So it’s the same risk whether you choose online accounting software or Windows accounting software.

I’m aware that bypassing the Microsoft account is presently trivial, but I figured I’d point out this food for thought.

Re: Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything

#445

Post by user_7832 »

AlecSchueler wrote: post #394
abustamam wrote: post #392

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel like there's other solutions to protecting your and your family's PII than encryption by default.

Could you share them?

Not selling drives without securely wiping the data, for starters.

"What about unhappy exes?" Well if they really care about the kid and know the exact spouse is techy enough, they'll put their ego aside for the kid and ask their ex to do it.

Re: Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything

#446

Post by kexelion »

timedude wrote: post #359
ndsipa_pomu wrote: post #277

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is that sarcasm? What happens if MS decides that using competitors software is "shady" - they have previous form of unfair competition practices, so it's not unlikely. Also, what happens if the US administration decides that MS software is only authorised if you have white skin and support Trump?

It could also simply be a false positive, as that seems to be happening a lot lately.

As someone who lives in the terminal and uses Obsidian, this is cool. Out of curiosity — have you thought about voice input? 90% of my “notes” start as me talking into my phone for 60 seconds after a meeting, AI structures it, then I drop the markdown into Obsidian. The typing bottleneck is real. A :voice command or something would be killer.

Re: Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything

#448

Post by liendolucas »

daemin wrote: post #425
liendolucas wrote: post #317

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Users should be given a choice and clearly and concisely explain the consequences of choosing one or the other. Simple as that. What it should definitely not happen is to do this behind scenes and store recovery codes on a microsoft account. Why those codes have to be stored on their servers? A screen should display the recovery codes and instruct the user to print them and keep them in a safe place in case of requir…

I believe users are given an option on Windows setup to encrypt the drive with Bitlocker or not. I've done an install in the last few months and seen it. They should also be given an option of storing the keys in the cloud service tied to an account. Most would still click yes, but the fact that law enforcement can ask for those keys without your consent is an issue. Here is a question for you though, you probably ha…

I don't because I'm not a Windows user since a very long time. See my other comment.

My youngest brother had exactly the described problem in the article just the moment he needed his data the most and called me in panic having no idea as to why his computer randomly decided to ask for recovery codes.

Re: Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything

#449

Post by hyperman1 »

cogman10 wrote: post #405
hyperman1 wrote: post #386

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is not the correct model. For a typical user, they can bring the laptop to someone knowledgeable, who will pop out the drive for them. The main question is: What is the biggest risk: theft or data corruption. In my experience, corruption and ransomware is more common so FDE should be off for households desktops or laptops, as these rarely leave the house. A business tends to have managed devices and data loss is…

There is a happy medium. Encrypt the user directory/s and leave the rest of the disk unencrypted. There is still a risk that the user loses valuable data due to corruption, but there is much less of a risk of the entire system being unusable or unrecoverable because of corruption or ransomware.

You're proposing encrypting the only thing that merits recovery?
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