XPost: comp.os.linux.advocacy   
   From: ldo@nz.invalid   
      
   To all those Windows hackers who are so proud of their ability to   
   install Windows 11 on setups that Microsoft doesn’t officially support   
   -- tough luck. The company keeps on tightening the screws with every   
   new Windows 11 build   
   :   
      
       In a new update released to the Dev channel of the Windows Insider   
       Preview program yesterday (build number 26220.6772), Microsoft   
       announced it was "removing known mechanisms for creating a local   
       account in the Windows Setup experience (OOBE)." Microsoft says   
       that these workarounds "inadvertently skip critical setup screens,   
       potentially causing users to exit OOBE with a device that is not   
       fully configured for use."   
      
   However,   
      
       It's unclear what "critical setup screens" Microsoft is referring   
       to; when using the workarounds to create a local account, the   
       Windows setup assistant still shows you all the screens you need   
       for creating an account and a password, plus toggling a few basic   
       privacy settings. Signing in with a Microsoft account does add   
       multiple screens to this process though—these screens will attempt   
       to sell you Microsoft 365 and Xbox Game Pass subscriptions, and to   
       opt you into features like the data-scraping Windows Recall on PCs   
       that support it. I would not describe any of these as "critical"   
       from a user's perspective, but my priorities are not Microsoft's   
       priorities.   
      
   Yup, “critical” as in “critical to Microsoft’s revenue-generation   
   operations”. The fact that you paid them money for Windows itself just   
   isn’t enough any more.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)