News Microsoft’s official guide to switching from a Microsoft Account to a local account in Windows has been reinstated

[Admin]

Microsoft’s official guide to switching from a Microsoft Account to a local account in Windows has been reinstated. These particular instructions were scrubbed from the article back in June.

Microsoft’s official guide to switching from a Microsoft Account to a local account in Windows has been reinstated : Read more

 

[ezst036]

It is easy to understand why Microsoft wants new Windows users to sign into the OS using an online account. The company gets lots of useful data for monetizing users this way.

Needs to be seen again and again.

Microsoft deserves credit for restoring this page, however large or small that credit is. Most users won't use it and MS knows that.

 

[vijosef]

Too little, too late. My next PC will be linux only.

MS made too many fouls. It has lost all credibility, and I only expect it to become worse and worse. I'm sure it will keep falling down.

 

[cknobman]

Too little, too late. My next PC will be linux only.

MS made too many fouls. It has lost all credibility, and I only expect it to become worse and worse. I'm sure it will keep falling down.

Exactly.

I'm done with Microsoft.
Honestly there isnt anything left that makes Windows a "must have" for me anymore and Microsoft keeps giving good reason for it not to be the OS I want to use.

Besides I have work issued laptops with Microsoft's virus of an OS on them.
Its alarming the lengths my companies go to modifying the Windows installation in order to make them "comply" with privacy issues.
One company is one of the largest health insurance companies in America and still has everyone on Windows 10 because they are trying to make 11 "secure", LOLOLOLOL

 

[Alvar "Miles" Udell]

Every other company that requires an account to use a product: No big deal! Falloutthumbsup.jpg

People when Microsoft wants one: YOU ARE THE DEVIL! YOU MUST BE BOYCOTTED! I SWITCHING TO LINUX! YOU MUST PAY!!!


Heck, TomsHardware is no doubt monetizing you for visiting the site without an account and monetizing you for creating an account to post, as is Google or whomever hosts your email account, and on and on.

 

[ezst036]

Every other company that requires an account to use a product: No big deal! Falloutthumbsup.jpg

People when Microsoft wants one: YOU ARE THE DEVIL! YOU MUST BE BOYCOTTED! I SWITCHING TO LINUX! YOU MUST PAY!!!


Heck, TomsHardware is no doubt monetizing you for visiting the site without an account and monetizing you for creating an account to post, as is Google or whomever hosts your email account, and on and on.

What "other company"???

Why didn't Windows 10 monetize its users with ads? "But it did!" Fine.
Why didn't Windows 7 monetize its users with ads?
Why didn't Windows XP monetize its users with ads?

You can't escape this one Miles.

We have the advantage by leveraging Microsoft's own history. We can just go back another level. Microsoft never had to be exploitative against its user base. It chose to be exploitative against its user base. You people who push this extremely bizarre line of comparing a website to an operating system want to act like Microsoft never published an OS before.

Where'd this Microsoft thingy come from? Windows is an OS? Who knew! Where'd dat come from?

 

[JRStern]

I'm not the most ignorant guy on the planet, and I'd need about 1,000 words on this to fully understand what the issue is, and what Microsoft is recommending or not recommending, defaulting and not defaulting.

I suppose that means you can't repeat it all in every news update like this, but I'm guessing it does leave others like me mystified.

 

[Grobe]

Too little, too late. My next PC will be linux only.

this.

Exactly.

I'm done with Microsoft.

and this.

Guys, have you spend any considerable time using Linux as a daily OS?

No? Then I dare bet you still use MS a year from now. Old habits are crazy hard to get rid of.

Every other company that requires an account to use a product: No big deal!

Ok. I'll share some thoughts on this issue, if you don't mind.

Ok - say we have this large pit, filled up by different tech companies. Somewhere in that pit, there is Microsoft - it may not even float at the top so you can spot it right away.

However - there is a thing that makes Microsoft stand out compared to the other. When your granny goes and buys a computer, she get Windows. That's it - the only option, at least on the rock that I live on.
So - in theory, yes you can install whatever OS and software you want on a computer that is yours - but in practice, that is not true. For me living in Scandinavia, go get a Linux laptop in a computer store is just plain impossible (have to buy from another country and thereby being subject to custom fees).

But it's much worse for a granny, because in most cases she would be completely dependent on a tech-savvy family member or thrustworthy friend in order to get anything else than Windows.

Getting to the point now: Most other tech companies in that pit either have competitors (granny have a real choice in the store) or the nature of the product make it only useful for professional users or at least tech-savvy ones.

In a nutshell - most Windows users are not super users and doesn't feel there are any choices. For most other tech companies, the user base would have a better position to make other choices.

 

[ThomasKinsley]

Guys, have you spend any considerable time using Linux as a daily OS?

It's doable. For those who would prefer a simpler experience, Chrome OS and Android (Dex) are fully useable by the average PC user that only needs email and browsing. They might even provide a more stable experience too.

As someone who's used many OS's, it seems apparent to me that Microsoft should be leveraging their default OS status by introducing long-sought features and building good will with the Windows community. Instead, they are chasing people off and convincing tech users to go elsewhere by treating their customer base as poorly as they can. It has resulted in Windows steadily losing market share since 2009. At the current rate, Windows will continue to decline. Co-Pilot is not going to make a dent.

 

[Alvar "Miles" Udell]

What "other company"???

Amazon, Google, Apple, Samsung, LG, Nintendo, Sony, TomsHardware Forums, restaurant apps, among basically every company who provides a product or service, not to mention your bank, insurance company, phone company, utility company, and so forth. All of them use your data to make money, so why is it such a big deal that Microsoft does for Windows? Heck, why is it not a big deal that TESLA requires an account to drive a Tesla yet it is for Microsoft to use Microsoft?

However - there is a thing that makes Microsoft stand out compared to the other. When your granny goes and buys a computer, she get Windows. That's it - the only option, at least on the rock that I live on... For me living in Scandinavia, go get a Linux laptop in a computer store is just plain impossible (have to buy from another country and thereby being subject to custom fees).

According to Statcounter, the OS breakdown for Sweeden is:

Windows	34.63%
iOS	28.2%
Android	22.73%
OS X	7.43%
Chrome OS	5.12%

In Denmark, it is:

Windows	50.95%
iOS	19.38%
Android	15.29%
OS X	10.03%
Chrome OS	2.48%
Linux	1.18%

The two most populated Scandanavian countries have a large Apple user share, both are very heavily majority iOS when it comes to mobile over Android, so there is very much an alternative to Windows that "granny" apparently uses.

Oh, and if it is a tech novice "granny" using it, that's the exact person who NEEDS to be using a Microsoft account with automatic cloud backups, just as they would Apple with automatic backups.

I get it, the hate against Microsoft on TomsHardware is real from the chief editor to the freelancers, and even Windows Central is fairly terrible so I have a feeling it's Future PLC pressing the hate to all their publications, but it's seriously not a big deal and not the end of the world.

 

[yahrightthere]

Every other company that requires an account to use a product: No big deal! Falloutthumbsup.jpg

People when Microsoft wants one: YOU ARE THE DEVIL! YOU MUST BE BOYCOTTED! I SWITCHING TO LINUX! YOU MUST PAY!!!


Heck, TomsHardware is no doubt monetizing you for visiting the site without an account and monetizing you for creating an account to post, as is Google or whomever hosts your email account, and on and on.

No doubt what you say is true, however I don't & never will like it. When I buy a Microsoft Window OS, or any other product, I should own it without giving up my right to privacy & without consenting to have the company use my information, especially without recompense.
Guess it's cheaper to payoff governments then to have them come after you for privacy right violations.
To me the default should be opt in, not trying to find how to opt out, if there even is an opt out.
As for DRM they should apply both ways, if any company wants to use my information they have to get my consent, & not by being forced to give my consent by agreeing to their DRM as part of buying & using their product.
Yes I know this will never happen, but hey at least I can dream!

 

[Grobe]

All of them use your data to make money, so why is it such a big deal that Microsoft does for Windows?

So, not for the sake of the argument alone, but:

• "all of them" have competition that for the user is neither hard nor difficult to drop them and go to the competitor instead (user don't need to be tech savvy).
• Many or most of the services mention can be logged in via a web portal, you're probably not forced to use a separate app for that, and a web browser can be set up to maintain the user privacy, while an app does give the end user less control over data collection.

Oh, and if it is a tech novice "granny" using it, that's the exact person who NEEDS to be using a Microsoft account with automatic cloud backups, just as they would Apple with automatic backups.

"Need" is such a dense term - I'd say it's a selling point. Now days, it's also common that the computer stores have their own cloud backup pre-installed on the computers and phones they sell.
When the online account is full of files and granny is being told to pay to upgrade, well it doesn't sit well in my mind.

I get it, the hate against Microsoft on TomsHardware is real from the chief editor to the freelancers

I'd preferred to rather use the term well grounded and constructive criticism - Say, isn't it true that most end users would benefit if Microsoft bends to the criticism ?

 

[ezst036]

I get it, the hate against Microsoft on TomsHardware is real from the chief editor to the freelancers, and even Windows Central is fairly terrible so I have a feeling it's Future PLC pressing the hate to all their publications, but it's seriously not a big deal and not the end of the world.

There isn't anything you are "getting" if you can't explain why Windows XP, 7, 8, Vista, 95, etc didn't monetize users with ads but now Windows 11 does.

You avoided the elephant in the living room because you've got no explanation for it. There's simply no excuse.

 

[Air2004]

I'll bet those people that say that they're done with Microsoft because of this (or that) are the same people that said they're moving to Canada if Trump got elected.

 

[FoxTread3]

Every other company that requires an account to use a product: No big deal! Falloutthumbsup.jpg

People when Microsoft wants one: YOU ARE THE DEVIL! YOU MUST BE BOYCOTTED! I SWITCHING TO LINUX! YOU MUST PAY!!!


Heck, TomsHardware is no doubt monetizing you for visiting the site without an account and monetizing you for creating an account to post, as is Google or whomever hosts your email account, and on and on.

July 9, 2024 - I'm sorry but I have to differ with you. You stated, "TomsHardware is no doubt monetizing you for visiting the site without an account and monetizing you for creating an account to post". Tom's hardware is a publication that no one has to use. In my opinion you are comparing apples to nuts. Obviously there is a difference. How many people even know about Tom's Hardware, (no offence Tom's), and get along nicely. However, millions of people purchase Microsoft Windows, and depend on it like they do any important service or utility to run their machines. I agree with you about Google/Chrome. However, we know what their business model is, and can opt out of using any of their devices or services. Google Voice saved me on average, and probably more, fifty dollars a month in telephone fees. Offering phone calls, text, voice mail, and a phone number that I selected from a list they provided. I estimate using fifty dollars as a base, that I have saved over ten or more years, SIX THOUSAND DOLLARS, at least. I knew that I was providing Google/Chrome with my info and I felt, and still do, that it is a fair deal. I have started using other browsers, and devices (Apple Mini Computer), to cut down on my reliance on Google/Chrome. Since they are getting more aggressive in their business model, to make up for various regulatory restrictions that being placed on them and other Tech companies. Stay well.

 

[FoxTread3]

Microsoft’s official guide to switching from a Microsoft Account to a local account in Windows has been reinstated. These particular instructions were scrubbed from the article back in June.

Microsoft’s official guide to switching from a Microsoft Account to a local account in Windows has been reinstated : Read more

July 9, 2024 - My thanks to the reporter that published this article. Once again I am very pleased that I subscribe to Tom's Hardware newsletter. I am also extremely pleased that Microsoft has made the decision to make it easy for people to use local accounts, which I do. If Microsoft had not done this and made it ever increasingly hard to avoid their "spying on and monetizing" their victims... errr.. I mean their customers. My future game plan, when I couldn't take it any more. Was to load Linux on one of my full tower PCs, and take the one that I play the one and only game that I care about. Off line, and download the updates for it on another device and then load those files it on to that PC. As regulatory bodies start to shut down more of the Tech companies sources of revenue. I'm sure that I will have to adjust how I expose myself to their attempts at monetizing me, and making me their product.

 

[FoxTread3]

Microsoft’s official guide to switching from a Microsoft Account to a local account in Windows has been reinstated. These particular instructions were scrubbed from the article back in June.

Microsoft’s official guide to switching from a Microsoft Account to a local account in Windows has been reinstated : Read more

July 9, 2024 - I realize that I may be in the minority of computer users, but no one has access to my any of my computer devices. The reporter of this article said.. "Microsoft warns that local account users should create a password reset disk, as “if you don't do this and then forget your password, you won't be able to recover it.” Helpfully, it has published a new guide for this task. " This of course is true, and I did make a reset disk. However, with all of the new and old ways of recording information that we may need at some point. I find it hard to believe that it's a big deal to store passwords etc. in various places should the need arise. It shouldn't be a big deal to store passwords in a safe place(s), to recover it/them when necessary.