I consider Win 10/11 spyware. I've uninstalled Edge only to find out it will automatically reload itself. This, to me, is unacceptable. No software should have more control over my machine than I do
Some fields may not like being left blank. For instance, while holding the ALT Key Down, Enter 255 and release. It's an invisible character, similar to space character. If you use a combination of Alt+255 and Space (that you only know) in critical fields like passwords, when scammers hack your device, they can never find your actual characters!☺
I was in the middle of watching this video when my wife said that her laptop had upgraded from WIN 10 to WIN 11 without her input and it was asking for her MS account info to access the computer. Will check on it when I get home. Hope to have my new phone from you soon. Thanks.
I bought a new laptop a month or so ago, found a work around on you-tube Just turn off your WI-FI before you set up your new PC and you can set up an account with out signing in to Microsoft. worked for me.
I decided to abandon Adobe years ago. I use KDEnlive on Linux, Windows, and MacOS. It's a step or two down from Premier but does a great job, and DaVinci Resolve (a step up from Premier IMO) can always be used instead. I groan a bit when I have to reboot into Windows now. It's like going to the DMV: it's slow, boring, often annoying, but it has to be done if you want to drive certain software.
Recently upgraded an older HP notebook from Windows 7 Home Premium to Windows 11 (Home). The same issue presented itself when I did the installation. When the install program asks you to enter your M/S account, simply unplug the ethernet cable from your PC (or unplug your router, if you're using WiFi). The installation will then skip this step and allow you to login with a local account. Worked for me.
From my experience, that is only a valid method for version 21H2 22H2 and newer will kick you back to the wireless setup if you do that (There is a way to get around that which i know of, and use myself)
You just don't know how. You must fill a wrong MS account email address few times after what, the installer will ask you if you want to use a local account.
You can fresh instal W11 with a local account and not an MS account hit shift F10 to bring up cmd promt. W11 Bypass at setup screen. press shift+f10 in the command prompt enter OOBE\BYPASSNRO The system will then reboot and then when you see the setup screen you will now see at the bottom the option "I don't Have the internet"(you may need to remove lan connection) is now an option and then go from there to setup W11 as a local account.
Microsoft keeps breaking ways to install it without a Microsoft account. The future of Windows is always on, always connected to Microsoft. I won't be too surprised if what you tell people they can do here doesn't work a year from now, or if Windows 12 doesn't allow you to create an offline account at all. *sigh* This stuff is really anti-customer behavior.
Truth there. I bought a new laptop beginning of the year and got around the acount creation by keeping it off the network and simply going back/next on the screen where it tried to get you to create an id until it gave up and said hey, no internet and I could go in and create local accounts. My much more recent desktop purchase, that didn't work it was very persistant before letting me onto the machine itself, and the moment I hooked up the network cable, the very next log in was right back to account creation. On the plus side, I told it I didn't have an email address to associate hoping it would give up. nope, it invited me to create a hotmail account and so I did with a one word alias, it was happy enough with that. So at least my "microsoft account" is contained within the microsoft system in its entirety and not directly associated with any emails I do use, other than the data mining it is probably doing while I'm doing whatever I'm doing. [edit to add, both laptop and desktop came with win11 Home. And the laptop has not bothered me about creating a user account. yet]
I wonder if the method i use to get around it will likely be the only method that works going forward (my method essentially puts it into “unattended installation mode”, except i only have the unattended installation partly configured, just enough to get around the MS account)
Why TF does Microsoft think it has the right to see everything you're doing on your computer and have zero commitment to privacy. Absolutely disgusting. Although Apple does exactly the same on iPhones.
Partly I think because google and apple does it too. Remember that ms didn't do this on windows XP. Personally, I believe that half of microsoft are from satan and then there are few people who try to do a decent job. This is exactly what happened with google when they threw the "Do no evil" in the dust bin. Google was once a quite honest company too, until they decided not to be. These companies _need_ your personal data, while that wasn't necessarily true before. And there isn't really any moral guide lines stopping them anymore.
Ive come up with my own method for doing this which bypasses the need to link a microsoft account in the first place (it works on all editions, home and pro, the only downside is it doesn’t work with an OEM install, as my bypass has to be applied during the installation stage, and its as simple as having a USB drive with a special file on it connected to the PC (the file tells the setup wizard to skip the wireless setup, and to also skip the Microsoft Account screens, so that the bypass works regardless of if ethernet is connected) The installation wizard is designed to look for this type of file on USB drives (for the purposes of doing an unattended installation), and it will copy the file to a location on the local drive when it installs Windows, so that it will be detected by the OOBE setup In theory it is possible to manually inject this file so that the OOBE setup will detect it on an OEM installation, but i have never tried doing so
When windows 11 tried to force me to open an account I turned off the power a couple of pages in when I couldn't back up and when I rebooted the machine it opened in local user only and never asked again. It worked on updates too. Quick and easy. Maybe it doesn't work on all machines but give it a shot.
I'm putting this trick on a 3x5 card. Thanks. I had to set up a Win11 PC for a client a few days ago and had a real bad moment or two when I feared I'd bought him a $1000 brick. >:/
Rob, there should be a way to have Windows present you with a maintenance window, during start-up. I believe that if you cut the power, two or three times, during set-up, you will be presented with that maintenance window. From there, you can open a command prompt, and run regedit. I do not remember the specific registry setting, or its associated field's value... but there is a registry entry that will tell Windows 11 to present you with the local admin account option. Once you have the registry set, then on your next re-boot to set up your computer, you will be presented with a local account option. Since you were using a laptop, you would have to disconnect the battery to cut the power and perform the above.
Wow I am so glad I took a look at this video Rob I didn't have a clue that say One Drive was so intrusive (for example) and while I have always believed that for every Microsoft spyware stuff one can find there are in fact many others to take over the task this in itself must have been a real task to write the software to do just that. So I am subbing to your channel and hope to learn much more from it.
Holy crap I’ve been trying to do this for MONTHS. This video is the equivalent of that one post in an old forum that becomes the sacred texts on how to solve a hyper-specific problem. Literal God-send. Edit: well the warning at 5:01 throws a wrench in the works.
@@fookingsog that is hilarious, I just recommended his channel to another who was on the same track in a comment post above. Yes, debloating your own ISO and then going through these steps CAN make all of this easier.
@@robbraxmantech Rob, here in Italy a man killed a woman and took her mobile phone. Nobody knows where is her mobile phone, Police has been looking for her mobile phone for 2 weeks. So, how you can explain that? You always says that mobile phone connect to the cell tower and give all data to it etc etc. So why Police can’t find the mobile phone of the girl killed 2 weeks ago?!??!?!?
He could have simply migrated to DaVinci Resolve. He would have saved himself a ton of money, not have a monthly subscription and still be on Linux. For a so-called 'security pro' I do not understand why he wouldn't do this.
You switch online account to local account, But from the beginning never connect to wifi when you start a new windows installation and always create local account
What I did (as found in the Internets): Started the install procedure. Once it asks for the online account - press Shift + F10 On the command prompt type: OOBE\BYPASSNRO it will reboot the PC and this time it allows you to select "Use a local account" - which is what I wanted. (No internet connection was required)
Have you been able to connect your machine to a LAN after doing what you're describing? I have a Windows 11 Home Edition machine that I haven't registered with Microsoft and it appears to be *_impossible_* to connect it to my home LAN without setting up a Microsoft account and also having Internet connectivity.
Always disable inbound and outbound rules for Cortana and other undesired MS applications. Not a solution, but at least, it will make the app to not work properly.
Thanks Rob. I was watching your previous video on windows 11 user accounts, and I was confused because the windows 11 home version is different then the Professional version. Now things are more clear.
While Windows 11 home and Windows 11 pro like and feel very much alike, Windows PRO (professional), has features designed for working in a network environment with other computers and users. I Believe that Microsoft should just drop the home version of Windows since most home users have many PCs anyway. MIcrosoft should consider making a Windows "Lite or windows low memory version" version instead of Windows home.
I'm sure you might already know this but there is "Tiny11" which is a Windows 11 tiny edition. This edition is based on Windows 11 Pro 22H2 and includes everything you need for a comfortable computing experience since this tool doesn’t have the bloat and clutter of a standard Windows installation. Hope that helps if you didn't know. Plus, it might be off-topic, kind of from what your comment said. I hope I didn't misunderstand your point.
Hello @@0secdox, Is "Tiny11" a version of Windows produced by Microsoft. If not, who offers help or support for users of "Tiny11" when they enounter problems with it? Thanks, Peter Selig
It's best just to do a clean install with a new laptop. With rufus and an official ISO, you can eliminate the need for a ms account (and app cleanup) from the start. Also, with an OEM copy of windows, a lot of those garbageware apps are baked into the OS. So when you make a new user account, half of them will automatically get reinstalled.
The best call is abandon windows at once. I’ve dropped it last month for good and I’m not missing. For me it wasn’t so complicated as a Mac OS user for 10 years, it was hard to get used to windows again. I’m happy using Linux.
What distro did you decide to go with being a new user to Linux? I'm interested because even to this day, I've never used a Win11 PC and am truly looking into possibilities of trying to use and learn Linux. Is it better to run on a laptop or PC. I have so many older dual core laptops that should be able to work, right? As a beginner, if you don't know, I totally understand. Thank you for your time.
I'm soooo glad you are doing this video. I own Windows 11 Pro and was pushed into MS365 during an update which I had no idea. Now can't get it off. So none of my Windows work now unless I agree to purchase the monthly subscription to MS 365. For programs I already own. Omg. Sooo MS365 is so annoying. Thank you for doing this video.
I think you missed something big! Windows Home turns on bitlocker by default and stores the key in that MS account. I have had numerous Windows Home laptops come in for repair because windows refuses to boot until you manually enter the bitlocker key. If you have not previously stored your key elsewhere then the only way to get the key is from that initial MS account. Without it your data is probably toast. View bitlocker status with command: manage-bde -status You should be able to retrieve your bitlocker status and key with command: manage-bde -protectors C: -get You should be able to turn off bitlocker with command: manage-bde -off C: I am sure you backup your data already, right? BUT DO THIS ABOVE BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!
I work on finding vulnerabilities and such…when I saw this feature I got to work. After 1 week, I’ve now created a USB drive which I insert before powering the machine on. This USB bypasses the following: Network requirements, TPM, S-Mode and a drive locked with Bitlocker will not stop the installation either. Any hardware requirements are ignored…it will work on any Intel or AMD processor that I have tried it on; which is lots and lots due to my work.
You dont need to make a windows account , you can just shift +f10 on the installation and type ipconfig /release then try to fake make an account, it gonna then give you the option to make a local account instead.If ur on a pc vs a laptop it even easier you just dont plug internet while doing the installation
I am locked out of my tablet computer. I got a notice from Microsoft you may have been hacked. I looked, and no, I had not tried to sign in from Italy. What did Microsoft do? I am locked out.
I in the same camp as concerned about Microsoft taking over open access vehicles, whether software or hardware. If you place Microsoft 11 on a machine then intend to run Linux on the same machine then what I have heard is that the Linux version has to be Microsoft approved and Microsoft validated due to Microsoft changing variables / encryption on the hard drive
I wonder if folks can get around the post-install LAN networking restrictions by doing the install without the m$ account, and routing the thing to basically /dev/null and using a local LAN DNS, or something like that. Then just leave the machine that way permanently? I haven't used Windows in years, but I may need to go back for an app or two until vendors catch on that we're all ditching Windows.
I've noticed that I'm permitted back on you tube once I accept their ads, but now, all of a sudden in my OUTLOOK mail, while I still get ads in my direct list of daily mails, they have invaded my STORED emails, from A to Z. Somehow, they do not allow me to get rid of them, they've manipulated my computer so that every stored category has an email in it from advertisers ... as soon as I go down from A to Z to get rid of them, and return to A again, another ad has taken it's place with no way to get rid of them... help ?
Considering ALL THE YEARS that unix and its successor linux have existed, and just how good they are, I'm astonished at both their unfriendliness and installation issues and snags... not to mention the downright strangeness of the hard drive/SSD organization they leave in the wake of their installation on ANY consumer system.
It's actually fairly organized and logical. Just not to a windows user. An average user doesn't really need to access the drives by the name/description. Most distros it will just show up and you click on it. Linux Mint and PoPOS are popular first versions
Does this complicate things when you try to install "Feature Updates" in Windows? Does Microsoft not check you out to see if you are up to "tricks" like this?
i dont know, but you are so right, i dont like the options, but maybe is time to move onto linux, sure, i've been heard that for so many years, personally i'm so used to windows, that is why they abuse over our privacy. Now? google in android is so effin linked now to aur PC's via Gmail and chrome.
I would recommend using a virtual machine with GPU pass through so windows can be containerized, you could even use Macos which is more stable for content creation instead of windows. Nowadays with all the cores computers and even laptops comes with you can easily have more than enough horsepower to do all this stuff on your main machine without having the hassle and risk of dualbooting and the security nightmare of having windows running on bare metal on your machine
Nice Vid as usual. I just picked up a new MSI Stealth Studio - with win11 preinstalled. As I was switching to linux i needed to log into win11 to turn off the rgb keyboard before installing linux. Managed to get in with a local offline account ok (but had to try a couple of methods before it worked), turn off rgb, before upgrading ram to 64gb 5200mhz and removing the 1tb win11 nvme to a 4tb nvme.
When installing new windows 11 home you can do the following to bypass internet connection and then afterwards choose " I don't have internet" and "continue with limited setup" in order to create a local account only. At the connect to internet screen, open cmd with Shift + F10 and type OOBE\BYPASSNRO
Can you imagine if a class action lawsuit was placed against the tech giant with the result that they had to pay every user for the every scrap of data they collected off of people? I hate the microsoft account stipulation, but recently ran into an issue that prevented a clean install upgrade because the original win10 machine was never tied to a microsoft account, it was installed with a local one, but the original key was not recognised and the trouble shooter forces the microsoft cloud account on you and the key is still not accepted even though its an expensive original key.... it now seems that the windows product key is tied to a microsoft account wether you like it or not... and I dont like it
I want to set up a system without windows than runs some type of word processor, a spread sheet program and some type of internet browser with email. Can you point me to as good product?
Great Rob. One question. What did you do with the folders which are in your email address in the registry in regedit? Did you also rename those folders to some other email address?
I bought a second hand computer...seller changed the microsoft account - made up a new one for me with a hotmail email - but after a few months Microsoft tells me I need parental permission to use it (I am 74) and wants stuff like my date of birth! No way.
@Rob Braxman - Have you been able to connect your machine without a Microsoft account to your LAN? I was given a notebook computer as a gift a few months ago with Microsoft Windows 11 Home Edition pre-installed. To my disgust, I found that without a Microsoft account it is IMPOSSIBLE to set it up on my LAN to share files with my Linux machines and some very old Microsoft machines, so I've had to move files back and forth with a Flash drive or via a cloud service. I dislike the idea of Microsoft being involved in my LAN and the files that I move around therein.
The account is a smoke screen, the real tracker is product id. That’s why so many sites selling cheap id, the real money is your personal data linked through the product id.
Nonono, you do not understand, you actually _need_ these features and that is why ms, as a service to their customers, will also force recall on them. It's a feature. Not a privacy issue. Remember that.
I wanted to buy one of those cars, but their invasion of privacy is horrific. Their was a scandal where the employees were just accessing the vehicle camera and sending videos to each other.
Right? I don't know what to think of Rob...is he a three letter agency mole...is he simply another creator grifting for a dollar??? Whatever the case, I don't blindly trust him and nor should you. In fact, don't trust any content creator. Absorb the information, do your own research, then critically think to arrive at your own conclusion.
Ahh, but you can bypass the MS account requirement, even on Home version...here's how: During initial startup, make sure you DISCONNECT ethernet and DO NOT connect wireless, then, at the first screen asking a setup question; Press SHIFT-F10, it will bring up a command window. Then type: "OOBE\BYPASSNRO" press enter and reboot. After reboot, when you get to the screen prompting for account, on the bottom right you should see I don't have internet or Install with limited setup, or something to that effect, choose that option and continue with setup with just a username and password. Enjoy.
I just use chntpw to create a local account if the machine is already in production. If it's a new install, shift + F10 during the prompt to create the M$ account gets me to where I can open a command prompt, launch Task Manager, and then I club the process to death like it was a politician. Then proceed to create that local account. It worked as recently as last week, but you never know when they'll figure out how to make that impossible, too.
I've been trying to get a local account on win home 11 since I got this pc. Over the course of days, suddenly I see the local administrator account, then the option finally appeared to sign in with a local account. I used it. It's the same layout as my original MS account login, but the account manager says its a local account and wants me to sign in with a Microsoft account. Nope. They 'claim' it is better to be able to sync all my devices. Sorry, MS, your popularity ends at my PC. Not a single other device uses anything associated with MS. They screwed up win 10 by trying to make it look like a phone, among other things. Finally I'm free from their accounts!
Hi Rob, I was wondering if you could do a video on alternatives to One-Time Pass-Codes for those of us who would rather not use a smart phone, but need to receive the OTPs to log into online banking, authorise bank payments, log in to crypto wallets etc, from our desktop PC. Is there a way to emulate this process via the PC itself, thus not requiring the smart phone? The problem I see is that the OTP is sent as an SMS to your registered mobile number, so you'd need some device capable of reading a SIM card that you could connect to your PC, I assume. (One might call such a device a "smart phone"..... xD ). A possible alternative is to buy a virtual mobile number from one of the many online providers and use that to receive the OTPs, but I've never tested whether they are truly for your own use, or shared by other people, or even reliable in the longer term. Also no idea whether they are even capable of receiving OTPs. Your technical knowledge and expertise would be welcome on this increasingly annoying matter! Thanks
@@robbraxmantech I watched the passkey video you did 4 weeks ago but it has no relevance whatsoever to what I'm asking. Maybe one-time pass codes (OTP) via SMS are not a thing in the USA ? Here in UK/Europe you can't do anything security related without them, and they are a nuisance with no apparent work-around f you don't possess a smartphone with a live SIM.
Turning off the privacy stuff still isn't enough. There's still lots of telemetry happening, as shown by Wireshark when I was running this crap OS. Windows 11 home talks, and talks.
Your explanation may be technically well presented, without a step-by-step image, for me it is no more than learning Chinese without the characters. I too am concerned about my privacy.
I would recommend also searching for the numerical string that followed the original user/email identifier because chances are pretty good something is using just that numerical string instead of the actual user name / emal in the registry as well.
You don't have to hve a Microsoft account to sign in but they have made it so networking between two Windows 11 computers works perfectly if you are signed in on a Microsoft account on both of them. If not they do not want to talk to each other.
i was able to bypass the account at the beginning of starting a fresh install of windows and bringing up cmd and putting a command i found online and it did the trick, theres no email account linked to my pc at all.
Do you mind posting the commands you used. I've been reading throughout the comments, and there have been a couple of cmd work arounds that they say are working to install Windows 11 without the need of a M$ account. Thanks in advance if you do.
This must have been a fairly recent change, as a Win11 Home system I received back in early Jan. '23 allowed activation without a MS account. There is no MS account associated with any user account on my system, and I didn't have to go through these steps, thankfully.
Did you upgrade from Windows 10? Clean installs, including OEM installs, have the requirement for a Microsoft Account (and you cannot complete setup without connecting to the internet or linking a MS account, unless you use one of the tricks i know of)
@@pineappleroad Nope, not an upgrade. This was Win11 Home from Corsair on a warranty replacement system shipped directly to me from Taiwan. The system I ordered / purchased, which had a pump failure, was Win10; the replacement unit was shipped with Win11. Did they do an 'upgrade'? No idea.
@@uzer_zero when you turned it on, was it already set up or did it go through the initial setup screens? If it went through the initial setup screens, then unless a bypass was applied, it would force you to connect it to the internet, and then once you connect to the internet, it then forces you to use a Microsoft account (for 21H2, you can get around this by disconnecting from the internet then clicking the back button when the Microsoft account screen comes up, but this trick does not work with 22H2, as it kicks you back to the wireless setup) If it gave you the option of not connecting to the internet, then it is either the Pro edition with 21H2 (the 22H2 pro edition doesn’t have the option to skip connecting to the internet), or a bypass was applied to make that option available
@@pineappleroad This was in January, on a system that had likely been sitting on a shelf in Taiwan over the holidays - possibly assembled and initial setup in Nov-Dec or even earlier?? It had 21H2 initially, and I always disconnect from Internet before turning on a new machine to set it up. I don't recall doing anything out of the ordinary to set up a non-MS user account - certainly not what's described here.
I just had this issue with my computer. My c drive starting acting crazy. My VPN and Internet turn off randomly for no reason and my Microsoft account was just being accessed from Romania... my iMessaging on my iphone works even though I don't have an apple ID signed into the phone... and my voicemail box has set itself up. Any advice? I'd like to modify and make changes but I'm so new the info and have no training.. do you have video tutorials? I'm desperate to get educated because this crap keeps happening.
Every now and again when I check my apps list there's new stuff there. The most recent concerning ones are snip and sketch and remote desktop viewer. Anyone know how I can stop this?
I did everything you said, I deleted the original install account, I could change every email name in the registry, but the one associated with the original account login it wont let me change.
Unless you know someone who is a cyber security expert and can do a full forensic analysis, I would not touch any of those 3rd party custom ISOs with a 10 foot pole. Those 3rd party ISOs could easily contain malware, keyloggers, etc. And don't trust some content creator who says, "It is safe - I ran it through _blah blah blah._" There are way too many content creators, who don't know their nose from their elbow, unknowingly giving bad advice, just to get a click. I honestly would learn how to create my own custom ISO. It's also easier if you have a second computer on hand you can use for testing.
This is one of the many reasons I do not allow a Windows 10 or higher based computer access to any network. Linux is different. Luckily i don't have one for a employment based reason.
I consider Win 10/11 spyware. I've uninstalled Edge only to find out it will automatically reload itself.
This, to me, is unacceptable. No software should have more control over my machine than I do
Unfortunately with every update it installs.
Some fields may not like being left blank. For instance, while holding the ALT Key Down, Enter 255 and release. It's an invisible character, similar to space character. If you use a combination of Alt+255 and Space (that you only know) in critical fields like passwords, when scammers hack your device, they can never find your actual characters!☺
I was in the middle of watching this video when my wife said that her laptop had upgraded from WIN 10 to WIN 11 without her input and it was asking for her MS account info to access the computer. Will check on it when I get home. Hope to have my new phone from you soon. Thanks.
Yep, did that to me too.
I bought a new laptop a month or so ago, found a work around on you-tube Just turn off your WI-FI before you set up your new PC and you can set up an account with out signing in to Microsoft. worked for me.
I decided to abandon Adobe years ago. I use KDEnlive on Linux, Windows, and MacOS. It's a step or two down from Premier but does a great job, and DaVinci Resolve (a step up from Premier IMO) can always be used instead. I groan a bit when I have to reboot into Windows now. It's like going to the DMV: it's slow, boring, often annoying, but it has to be done if you want to drive certain software.
Recently upgraded an older HP notebook from Windows 7 Home Premium to Windows 11 (Home). The same issue presented itself when I did the installation. When the install program asks you to enter your M/S account, simply unplug the ethernet cable from your PC (or unplug your router, if you're using WiFi). The installation will then skip this step and allow you to login with a local account. Worked for me.
From my experience, that is only a valid method for version 21H2
22H2 and newer will kick you back to the wireless setup if you do that
(There is a way to get around that which i know of, and use myself)
@@pineappleroad Oops, my mistake. I meant to say Windows 10, not W11. My laptop won’t support W11.
You just don't know how. You must fill a wrong MS account email address few times after what, the installer will ask you if you want to use a local account.
Quick and easy way for a new install. DON'T connect to WiFi or ethernet. Your install will be forced to a local account.
Not true for 11 home. You have to start with an ms acct or it won't load windows.
@@logician44 use command in terminal to bypass that
oobe\bypassnro
@@Mr.Eminem I'll bypass it...by not installing that defective OS. And DONE...
@@Mr.Eminem that is also not possible.
You can fresh instal W11 with a local account and not an MS account hit shift F10 to bring up cmd promt.
W11 Bypass at setup screen.
press shift+f10
in the command prompt enter
OOBE\BYPASSNRO
The system will then reboot and then when you see the setup screen you will now see at the bottom the option "I don't Have the internet"(you may need to remove lan connection) is now an option and then go from there to setup W11 as a local account.
The real question. How to bypass windows s mode to get to the desktop.
Microsoft keeps breaking ways to install it without a Microsoft account. The future of Windows is always on, always connected to Microsoft. I won't be too surprised if what you tell people they can do here doesn't work a year from now, or if Windows 12 doesn't allow you to create an offline account at all. *sigh* This stuff is really anti-customer behavior.
They dont seem to know the reason they stayed popular is because they remained a tool and not a nuisance.
Truth there. I bought a new laptop beginning of the year and got around the acount creation by keeping it off the network and simply going back/next on the screen where it tried to get you to create an id until it gave up and said hey, no internet and I could go in and create local accounts.
My much more recent desktop purchase, that didn't work it was very persistant before letting me onto the machine itself, and the moment I hooked up the network cable, the very next log in was right back to account creation. On the plus side, I told it I didn't have an email address to associate hoping it would give up. nope, it invited me to create a hotmail account and so I did with a one word alias, it was happy enough with that. So at least my "microsoft account" is contained within the microsoft system in its entirety and not directly associated with any emails I do use, other than the data mining it is probably doing while I'm doing whatever I'm doing.
[edit to add, both laptop and desktop came with win11 Home. And the laptop has not bothered me about creating a user account. yet]
I wonder if the method i use to get around it will likely be the only method that works going forward (my method essentially puts it into “unattended installation mode”, except i only have the unattended installation partly configured, just enough to get around the MS account)
Why TF does Microsoft think it has the right to see everything you're doing on your computer and have zero commitment to privacy. Absolutely disgusting. Although Apple does exactly the same on iPhones.
Partly I think because google and apple does it too. Remember that ms didn't do this on windows XP. Personally, I believe that half of microsoft are from satan and then there are few people who try to do a decent job. This is exactly what happened with google when they threw the "Do no evil" in the dust bin. Google was once a quite honest company too, until they decided not to be. These companies _need_ your personal data, while that wasn't necessarily true before. And there isn't really any moral guide lines stopping them anymore.
I was just about to fire up my new machine... I think that I shall watch a few more of these videos.
Ive come up with my own method for doing this which bypasses the need to link a microsoft account in the first place (it works on all editions, home and pro, the only downside is it doesn’t work with an OEM install, as my bypass has to be applied during the installation stage, and its as simple as having a USB drive with a special file on it connected to the PC (the file tells the setup wizard to skip the wireless setup, and to also skip the Microsoft Account screens, so that the bypass works regardless of if ethernet is connected)
The installation wizard is designed to look for this type of file on USB drives (for the purposes of doing an unattended installation), and it will copy the file to a location on the local drive when it installs Windows, so that it will be detected by the OOBE setup
In theory it is possible to manually inject this file so that the OOBE setup will detect it on an OEM installation, but i have never tried doing so
If Microsoft keeps acting dum for users soon nobody will want Microsoft because it's a nightmare and not user friendly
When windows 11 tried to force me to open an account I turned off the power a couple of pages in
when I couldn't back up and when I rebooted the machine it opened in local user only and never asked again.
It worked on updates too. Quick and easy. Maybe it doesn't work on all machines but give it a shot.
I'm putting this trick on a 3x5 card. Thanks. I had to set up a Win11 PC for a client a few days ago and had a real bad moment or two when I feared I'd bought him a $1000 brick. >:/
Thank you. I have been looking for a small computer to just connect with my financial services. Having to log in with Microsoft was a deal breaker.
Rob, there should be a way to have Windows present you with a maintenance window, during start-up. I believe that if you cut the power, two or three times, during set-up, you will be presented with that maintenance window.
From there, you can open a command prompt, and run regedit.
I do not remember the specific registry setting, or its associated field's value... but there is a registry entry that will tell Windows 11 to present you with the local admin account option.
Once you have the registry set, then on your next re-boot to set up your computer, you will be presented with a local account option.
Since you were using a laptop, you would have to disconnect the battery to cut the power and perform the above.
On a laptop, can't you simulate cutting the power by holding down the power-on button for five seconds?
Wow I am so glad I took a look at this video Rob I didn't have a clue that say One Drive was so intrusive (for example) and while I have always believed that for every Microsoft spyware stuff one can find there are in fact many others to take over the task this in itself must have been a real task to write the software to do just that. So I am subbing to your channel and hope to learn much more from it.
Holy crap I’ve been trying to do this for MONTHS. This video is the equivalent of that one post in an old forum that becomes the sacred texts on how to solve a hyper-specific problem. Literal God-send.
Edit: well the warning at 5:01 throws a wrench in the works.
regardless of my warnings, seems to work fine
That part is just extra bonus points remember it for your next clean install.
@@MadCowMusic Need some kind of script to make it easier!!! I bet @ChrisTitusTech could do it!!!
@@fookingsog that is hilarious, I just recommended his channel to another who was on the same track in a comment post above. Yes, debloating your own ISO and then going through these steps CAN make all of this easier.
@@robbraxmantech
Rob, here in Italy a man killed a woman and took her mobile phone.
Nobody knows where is her mobile phone, Police has been looking for her mobile phone for 2 weeks.
So, how you can explain that? You always says that mobile phone connect to the cell tower and give all data to it etc etc.
So why Police can’t find the mobile phone of the girl killed 2 weeks ago?!??!?!?
You can remove the Microsoft ID - but you'll never eleminate the **association** between the ID and the machine. Once they have you, they have you. 🤷
Well, create a new account based on a new email you never will use again.
He could have simply migrated to DaVinci Resolve. He would have saved himself a ton of money, not have a monthly subscription and still be on Linux. For a so-called 'security pro' I do not understand why he wouldn't do this.
Exactly! I thought the same!
You switch online account to local account, But from the beginning never connect to wifi when you start a new windows installation and always create local account
@@salvador.garcia He said the email address he used is only used with microsoft. Paranoia can be over done and consume hours of time.
Isn't Adobe products a security leak and invasion of privacy as well?
Windwos 11 Pro no longer lets you skip the microsoft acct. It changed a while ago.
What I did (as found in the Internets):
Started the install procedure.
Once it asks for the online account - press Shift + F10
On the command prompt type: OOBE\BYPASSNRO
it will reboot the PC and this time it allows you to select "Use a local account" - which is what I wanted. (No internet connection was required)
Have you been able to connect your machine to a LAN after doing what you're describing? I have a Windows 11 Home Edition machine that I haven't registered with Microsoft and it appears to be *_impossible_* to connect it to my home LAN without setting up a Microsoft account and also having Internet connectivity.
I am also curious about what happened after you connected it online. Thanks in advance
Hey, @Stewart! This is also a crucial consideration for me... if you notice this and have a moment, would you care to mention what happened?
Always disable inbound and outbound rules for Cortana and other undesired MS applications. Not a solution, but at least, it will make the app to not work properly.
You know you have Alexa installed don’t you? Better get rid of that also. 😂😂😂😂😂😂
Thanks Rob. I was watching your previous video on windows 11 user accounts, and I was confused because the windows 11 home version is different then the Professional version. Now things are more clear.
While Windows 11 home and Windows 11 pro like and feel very much alike, Windows PRO (professional), has features designed for working in a network environment with other computers and users. I Believe that Microsoft should just drop the home version of Windows since most home users have many PCs anyway. MIcrosoft should consider making a Windows "Lite or windows low memory version" version instead of Windows home.
I'm sure you might already know this but there is "Tiny11" which is a Windows 11 tiny edition. This edition is based on Windows 11 Pro 22H2 and includes everything you need for a comfortable computing experience since this tool doesn’t have the bloat and clutter of a standard Windows installation. Hope that helps if you didn't know. Plus, it might be off-topic, kind of from what your comment said. I hope I didn't misunderstand your point.
Hello @@0secdox,
Is "Tiny11" a version of Windows produced by Microsoft. If not, who offers help or support for users of "Tiny11" when they enounter problems with it?
Thanks,
Peter Selig
Brax I know I have my differences with you but you are looking gaunt
I pray all is well with you sir…. Your voice is greatly welcomed and important.
My solution is to not use M$ for anything. I just don't need it.
I tried wmic etc and got 'wmic' is not recognized as internal or external command. Now what?
It's best just to do a clean install with a new laptop. With rufus and an official ISO, you can eliminate the need for a ms account (and app cleanup) from the start.
Also, with an OEM copy of windows, a lot of those garbageware apps are baked into the OS. So when you make a new user account, half of them will automatically get reinstalled.
The best call is abandon windows at once. I’ve dropped it last month for good and I’m not missing. For me it wasn’t so complicated as a Mac OS user for 10 years, it was hard to get used to windows again. I’m happy using Linux.
What distro did you decide to go with being a new user to Linux? I'm interested because even to this day, I've never used a Win11 PC and am truly looking into possibilities of trying to use and learn Linux. Is it better to run on a laptop or PC. I have so many older dual core laptops that should be able to work, right? As a beginner, if you don't know, I totally understand. Thank you for your time.
@0secdox Linux Mint and PoPOS are common first options and very new user friendly. You should have no real problems on pc or laptop
I'm soooo glad you are doing this video. I own Windows 11 Pro and was pushed into MS365 during an update which I had no idea. Now can't get it off. So none of my Windows work now unless I agree to purchase the monthly subscription to MS 365. For programs I already own. Omg. Sooo MS365 is so annoying. Thank you for doing this video.
How about searching Office Open Source instead of MS 365
I think you missed something big! Windows Home turns on bitlocker by default and stores the key in that MS account. I have had numerous Windows Home laptops come in for repair because windows refuses to boot until you manually enter the bitlocker key. If you have not previously stored your key elsewhere then the only way to get the key is from that initial MS account. Without it your data is probably toast.
View bitlocker status with command: manage-bde -status
You should be able to retrieve your bitlocker status and key with command: manage-bde -protectors C: -get
You should be able to turn off bitlocker with command: manage-bde -off C:
I am sure you backup your data already, right? BUT DO THIS ABOVE BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!
So what happens when Microsoft wants to update Windows 11? Is the system updatable after those changes?
Thanks Rob.
I purchased a cheap laptop to run software for a 3D printer. The ID that I set up was a fake. 😊
I work on finding vulnerabilities and such…when I saw this feature I got to work. After 1 week, I’ve now created a USB drive which I insert before powering the machine on. This USB bypasses the following: Network requirements, TPM, S-Mode and a drive locked with Bitlocker will not stop the installation either. Any hardware requirements are ignored…it will work on any Intel or AMD processor that I have tried it on; which is lots and lots due to my work.
Would be very interesting to hear similar things about Mac OS.
You dont need to make a windows account , you can just shift +f10 on the installation and type ipconfig /release then try to fake make an account, it gonna then give you the option to make a local account instead.If ur on a pc vs a laptop it even easier you just dont plug internet while doing the installation
I am locked out of my tablet computer.
I got a notice from Microsoft you may have been hacked. I looked, and no, I had not tried to sign in from Italy.
What did Microsoft do? I am locked out.
Fully agree... No Microsoft account plus all Microsoft spies (communication attepts) blocked in hosts file. Only updates allowed.
I in the same camp as concerned about Microsoft taking over open access vehicles, whether software or hardware. If you place Microsoft 11 on a machine then intend to run Linux on the same machine then what I have heard is that the Linux version has to be Microsoft approved and Microsoft validated due to Microsoft changing variables / encryption on the hard drive
I wonder if folks can get around the post-install LAN networking restrictions by doing the install without the m$ account, and routing the thing to basically /dev/null and using a local LAN DNS, or something like that. Then just leave the machine that way permanently? I haven't used Windows in years, but I may need to go back for an app or two until vendors catch on that we're all ditching Windows.
I've noticed that I'm permitted back on you tube once I accept their ads, but now, all of a sudden in my OUTLOOK mail, while I still get ads in my direct list of daily mails, they have invaded my STORED emails, from A to Z. Somehow, they do not allow me to get rid of them, they've manipulated my computer so that every stored category has an email in it from advertisers ... as soon as I go down from A to Z to get rid of them, and return to A again, another ad has taken it's place with no way to get rid of them... help ?
Considering ALL THE YEARS that unix and its successor linux have existed, and just how good they are, I'm astonished at both their unfriendliness and installation issues and snags... not to mention the downright strangeness of the hard drive/SSD organization they leave in the wake of their installation on ANY consumer system.
It's actually fairly organized and logical. Just not to a windows user. An average user doesn't really need to access the drives by the name/description. Most distros it will just show up and you click on it. Linux Mint and PoPOS are popular first versions
LibreOffice uses Java and JavaScript... About giving up your privacy. Besides that, nice video, I keep enjoying them
Does this complicate things when you try to install "Feature Updates" in Windows?
Does Microsoft not check you out to see if you are up to "tricks" like this?
i dont know, but you are so right, i dont like the options, but maybe is time to move onto linux, sure, i've been heard that for so many years, personally i'm so used to windows, that is why they abuse over our privacy. Now? google in android is so effin linked now to aur PC's via Gmail and chrome.
I would recommend using a virtual machine with GPU pass through so windows can be containerized, you could even use Macos which is more stable for content creation instead of windows. Nowadays with all the cores computers and even laptops comes with you can easily have more than enough horsepower to do all this stuff on your main machine without having the hassle and risk of dualbooting and the security nightmare of having windows running on bare metal on your machine
GPU passthrough doesn't work on most machines.
@@GoonyMclinux only if the graphics card is nvidia, gpu pass through only works on amd radeon
Rob, can you please do a video on Ghost Spectre custom windows 10 and 11 ISOs, and more specifically if they are safe to use?
I wish I could give this an extra like. It deserves it.
So kind of you!
Hey, that's my job :) done
I gave one for you
Nice Vid as usual. I just picked up a new MSI Stealth Studio - with win11 preinstalled. As I was switching to linux i needed to log into win11 to turn off the rgb keyboard before installing linux. Managed to get in with a local offline account ok (but had to try a couple of methods before it worked), turn off rgb, before upgrading ram to 64gb 5200mhz and removing the 1tb win11 nvme to a 4tb nvme.
Amazon right now has a 50% deal on the 4TB Samsung drive.
When installing new windows 11 home you can do the following to bypass internet connection and then afterwards choose " I don't have internet" and "continue with limited setup" in order to create a local account only.
At the connect to internet screen, open cmd with Shift + F10 and type OOBE\BYPASSNRO
Can you imagine if a class action lawsuit was placed against the tech giant with the result that they had to pay every user for the every scrap of data they collected off of people?
I hate the microsoft account stipulation, but recently ran into an issue that prevented a clean install upgrade because the original win10 machine was never tied to a microsoft account, it was installed with a local one, but the original key was not recognised and the trouble shooter forces the microsoft cloud account on you and the key is still not accepted even though its an expensive original key.... it now seems that the windows product key is tied to a microsoft account wether you like it or not... and I dont like it
I want to set up a system without windows than runs some type of word processor, a spread sheet program and some type of internet browser with email. Can you point me to as good product?
Chromebook
Was hoping for a video on how to bypass account when first booting a W11 machine.
Informative video nonetheless, thank you.
Great Rob. One question. What did you do with the folders which are in your email address in the registry in regedit? Did you also rename those folders to some other email address?
Don't mess with it unless you know which app is using that. Is it outlook?
I bought a second hand computer...seller changed the microsoft account - made up a new one for me with a hotmail email - but after a few months Microsoft tells me I need parental permission to use it (I am 74) and wants stuff like my date of birth! No way.
@Rob Braxman - Have you been able to connect your machine without a Microsoft account to your LAN? I was given a notebook computer as a gift a few months ago with Microsoft Windows 11 Home Edition pre-installed. To my disgust, I found that without a Microsoft account it is IMPOSSIBLE to set it up on my LAN to share files with my Linux machines and some very old Microsoft machines, so I've had to move files back and forth with a Flash drive or via a cloud service. I dislike the idea of Microsoft being involved in my LAN and the files that I move around therein.
unfortunately you still need it to write code with visual studio. I detest these goog, msoft etc
The account is a smoke screen, the real tracker is product id. That’s why so many sites selling cheap id, the real money is your personal data linked through the product id.
We don't want your silly accounts Microsoft! I could use my computer just fine before without it so don't force it on me now, or ever.
Exactly. Zuck 'em
Nonono, you do not understand, you actually _need_ these features and that is why ms, as a service to their customers, will also force recall on them. It's a feature. Not a privacy issue. Remember that.
Rob always telling us he owns a Tesla. When you drive such E-vehicle Tesla knows your exact location, phone number and your identity.
I wanted to buy one of those cars, but their invasion of privacy is horrific. Their was a scandal where the employees were just accessing the vehicle camera and sending videos to each other.
Right? I don't know what to think of Rob...is he a three letter agency mole...is he simply another creator grifting for a dollar??? Whatever the case, I don't blindly trust him and nor should you. In fact, don't trust any content creator. Absorb the information, do your own research, then critically think to arrive at your own conclusion.
@@jerk_store This man knows his shit. He is a hacker who has written useful privacy software. He has a good name in the privacy advocacy community.
Ahh, but you can bypass the MS account requirement, even on Home version...here's how: During initial startup, make sure you DISCONNECT ethernet and DO NOT connect wireless, then, at the first screen asking a setup question; Press SHIFT-F10, it will bring up a command window. Then type: "OOBE\BYPASSNRO" press enter and reboot. After reboot, when you get to the screen prompting for account, on the bottom right you should see I don't have internet or Install with limited setup, or something to that effect, choose that option and continue with setup with just a username and password. Enjoy.
Thank you for the valuable information, Rob. If I may ask: What Antivirus would you recommend?
None
Well if you're running Windows, you can use defender but don't add any other and don't pay for it
@@robbraxmantech Thank you very much
I just use chntpw to create a local account if the machine is already in production. If it's a new install, shift + F10 during the prompt to create the M$ account gets me to where I can open a command prompt, launch Task Manager, and then I club the process to death like it was a politician. Then proceed to create that local account. It worked as recently as last week, but you never know when they'll figure out how to make that impossible, too.
I've been trying to get a local account on win home 11 since I got this pc. Over the course of days, suddenly I see the local administrator account, then the option finally appeared to sign in with a local account. I used it. It's the same layout as my original MS account login, but the account manager says its a local account and wants me to sign in with a Microsoft account. Nope. They 'claim' it is better to be able to sync all my devices. Sorry, MS, your popularity ends at my PC. Not a single other device uses anything associated with MS. They screwed up win 10 by trying to make it look like a phone, among other things. Finally I'm free from their accounts!
Hi Rob,
I was wondering if you could do a video on alternatives to One-Time Pass-Codes for those of us who would rather not use a smart phone, but need to receive the OTPs to log into online banking, authorise bank payments, log in to crypto wallets etc, from our desktop PC. Is there a way to emulate this process via the PC itself, thus not requiring the smart phone? The problem I see is that the OTP is sent as an SMS to your registered mobile number, so you'd need some device capable of reading a SIM card that you could connect to your PC, I assume. (One might call such a device a "smart phone"..... xD ). A possible alternative is to buy a virtual mobile number from one of the many online providers and use that to receive the OTPs, but I've never tested whether they are truly for your own use, or shared by other people, or even reliable in the longer term. Also no idea whether they are even capable of receiving OTPs. Your technical knowledge and expertise would be welcome on this increasingly annoying matter! Thanks
watch the passkey video. It's coming in the fall.
@@robbraxmantech I watched the passkey video you did 4 weeks ago but it has no relevance whatsoever to what I'm asking. Maybe one-time pass codes (OTP) via SMS are not a thing in the USA ? Here in UK/Europe you can't do anything security related without them, and they are a nuisance with no apparent work-around f you don't possess a smartphone with a live SIM.
@@wagmiorngmi get an sms number from an online provider
WinOTP is an option
Thank you Mr. Braxman.
VERY informative and helpful.
You have earned a new subscriber.
CHEERS!
Thank you!
Turning off the privacy stuff still isn't enough. There's still lots of telemetry happening, as shown by Wireshark when I was running this crap OS. Windows 11 home talks, and talks.
Sorry, I am not very technical. Do you know if Windows 10 constantly talk to MS server like Windows 11?
@@AC-qn2wy Yes 10 does its just not as bad as 11
@Marcos.Gallardo this solution didn't work. After the registry tweaks, windows blue screened and fixed all of the issues.
@Marcos.Gallardo thanks for the suggestion. I am going to look into that today. Thanks in advance
Your explanation may be technically well presented, without a step-by-step image, for me it is no more than learning Chinese without the characters. I too am concerned about my privacy.
True
I would recommend also searching for the numerical string that followed the original user/email identifier because chances are pretty good something is using just that numerical string instead of the actual user name / emal in the registry as well.
It's called the SID. Once you eliminate the user, the SID should be left dangling
good timing. I have been wanting to get a new laptop
What about blocking windows from updating? So it never download and install updates
You don't have to hve a Microsoft account to sign in but they have made it so networking between two Windows 11 computers works perfectly if you are signed in on a Microsoft account on both of them. If not they do not want to talk to each other.
i was able to bypass the account at the beginning of starting a fresh install of windows and bringing up cmd and putting a command i found online and it did the trick, theres no email account linked to my pc at all.
Do you mind posting the commands you used. I've been reading throughout the comments, and there have been a couple of cmd work arounds that they say are working to install Windows 11 without the need of a M$ account. Thanks in advance if you do.
Best way to disable the Microsoft Account is to install Linux and forget Windows altogether.
My recent 10 update tries to force me to "sign in" to a MS account.
Some people say they could set up Windows 11 without an account, by starting _offline._
I was wondering how on earth it could demand an account with no internet.
You are a legend Rob Thank you very much! 😀
Most underrated channel on RUclips. I love his channel
This must have been a fairly recent change, as a Win11 Home system I received back in early Jan. '23 allowed activation without a MS account. There is no MS account associated with any user account on my system, and I didn't have to go through these steps, thankfully.
Did you upgrade from Windows 10?
Clean installs, including OEM installs, have the requirement for a Microsoft Account (and you cannot complete setup without connecting to the internet or linking a MS account, unless you use one of the tricks i know of)
@@pineappleroad Nope, not an upgrade. This was Win11 Home from Corsair on a warranty replacement system shipped directly to me from Taiwan. The system I ordered / purchased, which had a pump failure, was Win10; the replacement unit was shipped with Win11. Did they do an 'upgrade'? No idea.
@@uzer_zero when you turned it on, was it already set up or did it go through the initial setup screens?
If it went through the initial setup screens, then unless a bypass was applied, it would force you to connect it to the internet, and then once you connect to the internet, it then forces you to use a Microsoft account (for 21H2, you can get around this by disconnecting from the internet then clicking the back button when the Microsoft account screen comes up, but this trick does not work with 22H2, as it kicks you back to the wireless setup)
If it gave you the option of not connecting to the internet, then it is either the Pro edition with 21H2 (the 22H2 pro edition doesn’t have the option to skip connecting to the internet), or a bypass was applied to make that option available
@@pineappleroad This was in January, on a system that had likely been sitting on a shelf in Taiwan over the holidays - possibly assembled and initial setup in Nov-Dec or even earlier?? It had 21H2 initially, and I always disconnect from Internet before turning on a new machine to set it up. I don't recall doing anything out of the ordinary to set up a non-MS user account - certainly not what's described here.
I just had this issue with my computer. My c drive starting acting crazy. My VPN and Internet turn off randomly for no reason and my Microsoft account was just being accessed from Romania... my iMessaging on my iphone works even though I don't have an apple ID signed into the phone... and my voicemail box has set itself up.
Any advice?
I'd like to modify and make changes but I'm so new the info and have no training.. do you have video tutorials? I'm desperate to get educated because this crap keeps happening.
Every now and again when I check my apps list there's new stuff there. The most recent concerning ones are snip and sketch and remote desktop viewer. Anyone know how I can stop this?
May be reset your computer to factory settings?
*Be sure to BACK UP ALL OF YOUR DATA before the reset though.*
I did everything you said, I deleted the original install account, I could change every email name in the registry, but the one associated with the original account login it wont let me change.
With all that deletions, will MS games like MSFS still work?
What do you think about custom slimmed down isos that eliminate all the junk?
Unless you know someone who is a cyber security expert and can do a full forensic analysis, I would not touch any of those 3rd party custom ISOs with a 10 foot pole. Those 3rd party ISOs could easily contain malware, keyloggers, etc. And don't trust some content creator who says, "It is safe - I ran it through _blah blah blah._" There are way too many content creators, who don't know their nose from their elbow, unknowingly giving bad advice, just to get a click. I honestly would learn how to create my own custom ISO. It's also easier if you have a second computer on hand you can use for testing.
@@jerk_store Thanks!
can you use a slipstream tool to make the image so you have dinner controls including account setups?
Thank you. I hated that on the WINVER app, my email account was showing
Uplug your internet during setup > shift f10 > type OOBE\BYPASSNRO
Love your work, you are very smart and cunning. Love it....
In windows 10 I did similar don't use windows ID, but did not search registry. More work now
Is it possible to upgrade from earlier versions to Windows 11 without a Microsoft account?
I like it when you said "I will do the bashing for you" that made me laugh! 🤣
Very informative! Thanks for sharing!
Teach us how to remove the google account from our Androids! Thanks! (from a user that LOVES his Microsoft account and all its features)
MICROSOFT is not good now. I am willing to leave MS if there another OS besides Linux..!
This is so enlightning. Thank you Rob.
Thanks sir for sharing this important information
This is complicated. Please provide step by step instructions for a simple layman like me to understand.
This is one of the many reasons I do not allow a Windows 10 or higher based computer access to any network. Linux is different. Luckily i don't have one for a employment based reason.