News Elon Musk blasts Microsoft about Windows 11’s account requirement – takes several hours to bypass it

[gtarthur]

Yeah, but people keep telling me that he's a genius and invented so many things.
You'd think that he'd be running his own linux distro that he created, instead of windows like some normie would.

Let's pop open the embedded OS for Tesla and SpaceX systems - it's not Windows down there, is it?

 

[Geef]

Wouldn't this be the perfect time to create a Microsoft Account?

Your name is Mike Hawk born in June 9th 1969.

Let the AI hack that account and spread it all over the internet! 😉

 

[35below0]

Regardless of what I think of Musk, he has a point:
One should not need a Microsoft account (or any other kind) or find "loopholes" (for lack of better wording) in order to install an OS on a personal computer. Is it a good idea? Perhaps. Recommended? Potentially, especially if you have more than one machine and want to keep everything seamless between them (say, a tower and a laptop). But should it be NEEDED? No.

It's the phones. We live in a world where everyone with a phone makes an even more useless account just to use the phone. Ironically, also a car if they own a certain model xD, as someone pointed out above.

Don't get me wrong, you *are* correct. But the masses don't care and just move along, and you and me and the OSs follow suit.

Unlike the phones, technically it isn't neccessary to ever use the Microsoft account. They'd probably get into legal hot water if they did that, so instead they make it seem like you have to. All the "features" and offers are entirely skipable. I'll be switched if i ever logged in.
Deviously, i think they force you to sign in if you want to change your username. But that's not a part of OS or Windows i care about so, whatever.

 

[gtarthur]

It's the phones. We live in a world where everyone with a phone makes an even more useless account just to use the phone. Ironically, also a car if they own a certain model xD, as someone pointed out above.

Don't get me wrong, you *are* correct. But the masses don't care and just move along, and you and me and the OSs follow suit.

Unlike the phones, technically it isn't neccessary to ever use the Microsoft account. They'd probably get into legal hot water if they did that, so instead they make it seem like you have to. All the "features" and offers are entirely skipable. I'll be switched if i ever logged in.
Deviously, i think they force you to sign in if you want to change your username. But that's not a part of OS or Windows i care about so, whatever.

Yes, the phones but don't you think it's totally hypocritical for the owner of X/Twitter which requires an account to complain about Windows "requesting" that using an account is advantageous? Do as I say, not as I do.

 

[hotaru251]

I keep my PCs on my MS account, but I'm just some regular guy nobody is looking at.

I keep my PC's connected to my very 1st hotmail account i made way back in days to play neopets....its basically trash acct over yrs its 99.9% junks/spam/scam/etc & i lied about age and stuff (casue i was a young child and always faked my age)

but yeah most ppl have no data worth anything except to ads brokers... (and who doesnt run a ad blocker so you never even see em?)


more shocking is why was he running Windows? He could of ran linux & WINE

 

[ezst036]

Yes, the phones but don't you think it's totally hypocritical for the owner of X/Twitter which requires an account to complain about Windows "requesting" that using an account is advantageous? Do as I say, not as I do.

I don't see an issue for a product (an operating system) which does not actually need such a thing. Only local logins actually are necessary. And even that, for a single user/owner computer is not necessary either. At best there are security implications with local login scenarios.

You need a internet login because Microsoft forces you to. It's entirely arbitrary.

The product is the issue, the person is not.

 

[Manxe Kitairn]

That's the problem of being too rich or too famous. Stick your head up too high and somebody wants to lop it off. Just ask Richard III. Or Atuhualpa. Or Oddo.

 

[Manxe Kitairn]

Seems to me the problem is with Microsoft [as usual]. Windows failed to send an intelligible error message that identified the problem as "already registered and logged in on another device".

I left those idiots years ago and went to GoogleOS. Their Windows 8 upgrade bolloxed up my machine and took me out of their game. Never looked back. Loved what I saw. Never paid another penny to defend my machine. Windows SUCKS.

 

[RandomWan]

I recall clearly when I was installing windows 11 that they have you connect to wifi first. And if you do connect (as elon had an open access point) you are not provided with the option to select "offline" or "limited" account. Its quite deceptive really. If you dont connect to any network then the option may be there.

They don't force the requirement to connect online anymore, so you can choose a couple of alternate options when it prompts you to make a Microsoft account and create a local account instead. It's not apparent, but it's there. They used to force you to go online to setup at all, so you had to bring up the command prompt, force a restart of OOBE, and then pickup where you left off without the online requirement.

I haven't tested recently with the computer online to see if you can make a local account while being connected.

 

[35below0]

Yes, the phones but don't you think it's totally hypocritical for the owner of X/Twitter which requires an account to complain about Windows "requesting" that using an account is advantageous? Do as I say, not as I do.

I can't complain about hypocritical when Elon is involved. It breaks the scale.

 

[vanadiel007]

Guess he can buy Microsoft next, drop off a sink on their door step, and fix them up.
Or he could just use his smart brain and figure out how to log into a Windows PC.

I am not sure what would be easier for him.

 

[BillyBuerger]

It would be nice if at least the fact that someone as high profile as Elon is complaining about this that maybe Microsoft might do something about it. When the rest of us complain, they just ignore. But I won't keep my hopes up.

 

[cryoburner]

In order to have Linux all a "normal person" has to do is buy a Steam Deck at retail. Boom, there's Linux. Plenty of "normal person"s are already doing what you deem impossible.

Besides, Microsoft has lost over 20% of its market share since the XP days. One in nearly 4 people are itching to get out and Microsoft has nothing to entice them back.

Despite the existence of the SteamDeck, less than 2% of Steam users are on Linux, and less than half of those are using SteamOS. The SteamDeck is a niche device with a form factor that's not going to be for everyone, and usage of SteamOS on desktops and laptops is practically unheard of, after Valve's prior SteamMachine effort completely failed. On a portable gaming device with limited hardware and atypical controls it can make some sense to use a customized OS, since Windows is not really designed around such devices, but people are likely to be more hesitant to use it on their main systems.

And only about another 1.5% of Steam users are on MacOS, with the remaining 96.5% of users being on Windows. Looking back at cached versions of Steam's hardware survey, the percentage of Steam users on Windows appears to have actually increased a bit from a few years ago, since any gains for Linux from SteamDeck users were countered by a drop in users on MacOS.

Claims that a given year is going to be "The year of Desktop Linux" have long been kind of a running joke, since people have been making those claims for 20+ years. Convincing someone to change their desktop operating system to something unfamiliar and less widely supported is not an easy task, and in most cases people just won't see the benefit. While the demographic of users visiting this site may dislike many of the changes happening to Windows, the majority of users are not likely to care all that much. Things like registering an account to use an OS and invasive tracking of user data have been the norm on devices like smartphones for the last decade, and many have been using those as their primary computing devices in recent years.

 

[ThomasKinsley]

It's easy to dunk on Elon for this error, but MS is making it harder to acquire a local account. I can't help but feel like we're all waiting for the day when MS will make an online account required. We're being conditioned.

 

[Alvar "Miles" Udell]

WHY do people complain about having to use a Microsoft account on their PCs? If you're a repair shop obviously you want to just use a local account, but you use a Google account with your Android phone (in addition to a Samsung or other manufacturer's account), and an Apple account with an iPhone or Mac and that's no big deal, but heaven forbid Microsoft make you use one!

Oh yeah, don't forget the account you need for a gaming console or streaming service...Why is it only a Microsoft account on a Windows computer that makes the masses go ape?

 

[ThomasKinsley]

WHY do people complain about having to use a Microsoft account on their PCs? If you're a repair shop obviously you want to just use a local account, but you use a Google account with your Android phone (in addition to a Samsung or other manufacturer's account), and an Apple account with an iPhone or Mac and that's no big deal, but heaven forbid Microsoft make you use one!

Not everyone wants every device plugged into Internet accounts. Phones benefit from a plethora of sensors and always-on technology. PCs don't.

 

[The TrippyHippie]

WHY do people complain about having to use a Microsoft account on their PCs? If you're a repair shop obviously you want to just use a local account, but you use a Google account with your Android phone (in addition to a Samsung or other manufacturer's account), and an Apple account with an iPhone or Mac and that's no big deal, but heaven forbid Microsoft make you use one!

Oh yeah, don't forget the account you need for a gaming console or streaming service...Why is it only a Microsoft account on a Windows computer that makes the masses go ape?

I wonder the same thing maybe because the masses are told microsft=bad, spying, invadiing your privacy or other perceived nefarious actions so often? but all your other accounts your fine they would never look at store, harvest or sell any of your data or do anything without telling way before hand surly? or people just not vocal about them, it's a funny one for sure.

 

[Alvar "Miles" Udell]

And of course the irony of the owner of a social media company who uses your data to make money, and CEO of a car company who tracks you with a Tesla account is now complaining about having to use a Microsoft account to use Windows.

 

[techfreak]

I am not taking sides here but this Windows 11 online MS account I hope the bypass will stay there.
Why I install offline is that so I can install latest system drivers from Manufacturer than using
MS update to install drivers.
MS drivers sometimes can be either not compatible or install the wrong driver.
For example Intel 8/9th the chipset driver if you use MS update to install
it will install Intel 6/7 gen driver which can cause stability issues.
I did notice this when customer PC have stability issues due to wrong chipset driver install.

 

[USAFRet]

In conjunction with my earlier comment, he could probably have used elon@tesla.com, and some random pwd.
🤔

 

[emike09]

Always do a clean ISO install of any new computer. I just barely reformatted my desktop and used the latest W11 Pro ISO from the Microsoft Media Creation tool and was easily able to create a local account and didn't sign in with any MS account. I can't speak for Windows Home, but at least in Pro, it's pretty easy. They do hide it a little bit during setup, as it's been for the last several years, but it wasn't rocket science to get it set up local only.

 

[stonecarver]

WHY do people complain about having to use a Microsoft account on their PCs?

.Why is it only a Microsoft account on a Windows computer that makes the masses go ape?

For the last 100 years yes your name needs to be with your utilities Water, gas ,electric, and phone.

And before cable TV all you did was flip on the TV and watch it. Now you buy a new TV and you can't even use it intel you register it. Your stuck just like Windows OS waiting for you to complete your information before your into TV's desktop.

Than all the accounts to even watch TV. TV was FREE. Let alone not have to register to watch channel 7.

It was just 14 years ago NONE of this was a mandatory function of life. You just used to buy your cell phone bring home and make calls. Now you phone camera wants to know if it has permission to tell it where your GPS is at that exact moment.

You can't even use your smart phone if you have one that google is tied to. Again your at there mercy to give up your personal information to google to use you phone that your not even paying google as your phone carrier.



Anyone who is 15 years old to there mid 30's now feel that's the norm to have to make an account for things that you never had to.

It is what it is but just to say why do people complain when you have to do it on other things.
You never Used to have to in the first place. It was just Utilities

And like I said 14 years ago that flip happened and now people feel it's always been that way so why complain. I has not always been that way at all.

Even if you took Windows back to 1990's 3.0 days and you add the years 34 that until Windows 11 you just back than bought and used OS no Microsoft account.

 

[The TrippyHippie]

For the last 100 years yes your name needs to be with your utilities Water, gas ,electric, and phone.

And before cable TV all you did was flip on the TV and watch it. Now you buy a new TV and you can't even use it intel you register it. Your stuck just like Windows OS waiting for you to complete your information before your into TV's desktop.

Than all the accounts to even watch TV. TV was FREE. Let alone not have to register to watch channel 7.

It was just 14 years ago NONE of this was a mandatory function of life. You just used to buy your cell phone bring home and make calls. Now you phone camera wants to know if it has permission to tell it where your GPS is at that exact moment.

You can't even use your smart phone if you have one that google is tied to. Again your at there mercy to give up your personal information to google to use you phone that your not even paying google as your phone carrier.



Anyone who is 15 years old to there mid 30's now feel that's the norm to have to make an account for things that you never had to.

It is what it is but just to say why do people complain when you have to do it on other things.
You never Used to have to in the first place. It was just Utilities

And like I said 14 years ago that flip happened and now people feel it's always been that why so why complain. I has not always been that way at all.

Even if you took Windows back to 1990's 3.0 days and you add the years 34 that until Windows 11 you just back than bought and used OS no Microsoft account.

I think its stupid they force you to create or login to an account after a fresh install but then again I got to this version of windows because i upgraded my paid for windows 8 digital licence and a windows 8.1 boxed when Microsoft offerd the free upgrade path to winows 10 and then to windows 11,

I am fairly sure if you build a brand new PC when doing a fresh install of windows 11 if you select I dont have a code then choose a version of windows pro or home install the OS when you are asked to login or create an new account, if you create a new account (email address) then log in to desktop for the first time then check system activation it will say windows is activated with a digital licence linked to your Microsoft account, so are they giving you the O/S for free with every account you create ?

 

[dalauder]

Increasing deceptive manipulation like this from Microsoft is why all my Windows machines are shifting to dual boot Linux. When I finish getting virtual machines working well on Linux, I'm done with Windows forever. It's a screwy platform.

 

[Joseph_138]

So, in other words Mr. Genius doesn't know how to avoid having an MS account.

Did you know how to do anything, before someone taught you how? He never encountered this issue before, so of course, he doesn't know how to bypass it.