We’re From Microsoft And We’re Here To Help
Say goodbye to one of the last ways you could activate Windows 11 and avoid linking it to an online account. The start ms-cxh:localonly command has now been deprecated, much like the easy way to make use of the BypassNRO command. There may still be a chance to use the latter command via a registry update, which you can see at Bleeping Computer, but it has yet to be tested anywhere as of this post. You may also be able to bypass it by using Rufus to create a Windows 11 ISO, but likely not for too much longer.
The reason Microsoft have decided to do this is not terribly reassuring. They claim it is to ensure Windows 11 is set up correctly, stating “While these mechanisms were often used to bypass Microsoft account setup, they also inadvertently skip critical setup screens, potentially causing users to exit OOBE with a device that is not fully configured for use.” They are likely referring to the Apple-like screens you need to go through with a normal Windows 11 install; such as deciding the advertisements that the OS you paid for will show you are targeted or just random. It is likely skipping the chance to pay for OneDrive and Office 359 are also somewhat upsetting to Redmond.
The vast majority of us object to this requirement for privacy reasons, but there are other reasons to be upset. If you live in an area with spotty internet or subscribe to an ISP that requires you to sign into an account before accessing the internet, you will find yourself unable to set up a new Windows 11 machine. The guarantee that your computer is associated with an online account is wonderful for hackers, as they will be able to get a terrifying amount of access to your computer and any data stored upon it. They could likely even steal your Windows 11 license and you would need to pay for a new one to be able to authenticate your OS again
Last, but not least, won’t someone think of the hardware reviewers? We reimage machines prolifically, and often with enough changes to the hardware to trigger Microsoft’s systems to flag the testbench as a new system which requires a new Windows 11 license. It has yet to be tested at PCPer but it may no longer be possible to skip licensing Windows 11 long enough to test several motherboards.
The other huge hurdle is Microsoft’s unilateral diktat that you may only have 10 licensed machines associated with a single account. If a reviewer was willing to pay Microsoft to be able to review multiple systems they would still hit a limit after 10 machines and would need to go through the process of removing a machine from their account. This is not a particularly handy process, which can take some time to register and can get confused if it sees a machine configuration previously registered and then removed. The 10 machine limit is already frustrating for IT professionals and may well be for reviewers as well.
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