USB installer removes Microsoft account requirements 11 Microsoft (and more)
Andrew Cunningham
One of the new “features” that the Windows 11 22H2 update comes with is the Microsoft account requirement for all new installs, regardless of whether you’re using the major or professional version of the operating system. It’s a shame, because the 22H2 update fixes some of the original flaws of Windows 11 while adding some nice quality of life improvements.
An easy solution to this requirement is the USB Rufus build tool, which can create USB installation media for Windows and all kinds of other operating systems. Rufus has already suggested several flags to remove Windows 11 system requirements from the installer, remove the need for cumbersome Windows Registry tweaks and other solutions. But the 3.19 beta will also remove Microsoft account requirements for new installs, making it easier to set up a new Windows PC with a traditional local account.
When setting up Windows 11, make sure your computer is not connected to the Internet before creating your user account. This trick bypassed Microsoft account requirements in Windows 11 Pro and some newer versions of Windows 10, but has been removed completely from Windows 11 22H2. The Rufus is only back to pre-22H2 condition.
If you use Rufus to avoid the Windows 11 system requirements, your system will remain “unsupported” once Windows 11 starts. This means periodic reminders about unsupported devices and the mysterious threat involved. Microsoft may eventually stop providing security updates and patches for unsupported systems. On the other hand, Rufus does not prevent the TPM and security features of Windows 11 from running after the operating system is installed, so if you want to create a single USB installer that covers both supported and unsupported devices, Rufus allows it.
Microsoft provides its own media creation tools for people who want to make USB installation drives for Windows 10 or Windows 11, but this of course does not offer the same solutions to the company’s requirements.
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