- cross-posted to:
- technology@beehaw.org
- cross-posted to:
- technology@beehaw.org
For those who care, at the first setup screen instead of answering any of the questions press Shift + F10.
CMD will open.
Type (no quotes) “net user Prefferedusername /add” (replacing Prefferedusername with the user name you wish to use) and press enter.
Next type “net localgroup administrators Prefferedusername /add” and press enter.
Next type “net user Prefferedusername /active:yes” and press enter.
Next type “net user Prefferedusername /expires:never” and press enter.
Next type “net user administrator /active:no” and press enter.
Next type “net user defaultUser0 /delete” (this is case sensitive make sure the “U” is capitalized) and press enter.
Next type “regedit” and press enter.
This opens registry editor, navigate to “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\OOBE”
Delete “DefaultAccountAction”, “DefaultAccountSAMName”, and “DefaultAccountSID”
Right click on “LaunchUserOOBE” and rename it to “SkipMachineOOBE” and make sure the value is set to “1”.
Close registry editor and type “shutdown /r /t 0”

Lol im stealing that
its ok, not mine
Next type “ net user Prefferedusername/active:yes” and press enter.
A space is needed before the slash on this command, right? And no space before net.
You are correct I will update my instructions. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.
That’s a lot of instructions just to use the computer you paid for and is yours…
Linux has its stupid bullshit too, its just 12 of one and a dozen of another sort of situation. For example I don’t have to jump through hoops to auto mount a secondary drive on windows I just install the drive and there it is. But on linux I have to jump through all sorts of ridiculous hoops for some stupid reason. However it will auto mount flash drives and sd cards even though those are the ones more likely to pose a security risk.
Say what? That’s not true in the slightest, if the drive is mountable it will show up in your file manager.
articles like this wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t true, they will appear but they wont auto mount https://techhut.tv/auto-mount-drives-in-linux-fstab/
*some distros may auto mount but I never used one that did
I think people are confused because the difference between mount on access and mount on boot is meaningless for 98% of people. I can think of reasons to need the latter, but not many.
You are probably right, most folks aren’t even aware because they have no need for it. The only reason I need it is for my gaming rig that launches big picture mode on startup. I have no need for it on any of my desktop machines.
Yeah, but again you don’t have to do all this stuff just to use the PC. And for having the tiny user base Linux does it’s amazingly pro-user compared to the monopolistic bullshittery that is Microsoft Windows.
Windows users: “I don’t want to swap to Linux, you have to follow arcane instructions from the Internet and use the terminal to do basic tasks”
Also Windows users: “Now here is how you add a local user:”
at the first setup screen instead of answering any of the questions press Shift + F10.
CMD will open.
Type (no quotes) “net user Prefferedusername /add” (replacing Prefferedusername with the user name you wish to use) and press enter.
Next type “net localgroup administrators Prefferedusername /add” and press enter.
Next type “net user Prefferedusername /active:yes” and press enter.
Next type “net user Prefferedusername /expires:never” and press enter.
Next type “net user administrator /active:no” and press enter.
Next type “net user defaultUser0 /delete” (this is case sensitive make sure the “U” is capitalized) and press enter.
Next type “regedit” and press enter.
This opens registry editor, navigate to “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\OOBE”
Delete “DefaultAccountAction”, “DefaultAccountSAMName”, and “DefaultAccountSID”
Right click on “LaunchUserOOBE” and rename it to “SkipMachineOOBE” and make sure the value is set to “1”.
Close registry editor and type “shutdown /r /t 0”
I’ve been doing this in command prompt:
reg add HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\OOBE /v BypassNRO /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
shutdown/r /t 0
After reboot it lets you choose “I don’t have internet” and you can continue with creating a local account.
Haha does this mean they removed only the BypassNRO script, but not the underlying regkey?
If they did it would make all the bullshit I typed earlier entirely pointless, and honestly I hope its true because having to do all of the just to get a local account is ridiculous.
And same people are complaining that Linux is difficult to install…
No, they aren’t. The only people I ever here say that are angry linux fanboys complaining that people won’t use their preferred distro. This guide is for the people who want to do such a thing. If you don’t want to then don’t no one cares. Use Bazzite or Mint if you think linux is too hard.
i’ve run across a couple prebuilts where shift-f10 didn’t work at any screen of the oobe. those just got clean installs via rufus.
Honestly that is the best approach if you are able too, but this guide is for those who can’t or won’t for whatever reason. https://schneegans.de/windows/unattend-generator/ is also a great resource if you want to customize it further.
That’s a lot of instructions just to use the computer you paid for and is yours…
Intructions unclear.
Invalid command: net rap user Prefferedusername Usage: net rap user add Add specified user net rap user info List domain groups of specified user net rap user delete Remove specified usernet user fossilesque /add I don’t know where you are getting “rap” from but remove that.
The noose keeps tightening.
Google also has been trying to argue that modifying client side javascript is equivalent to hacking.
Modifying code running on your own fucking machine, in your own fucking browser.
Yes.
At this rate, we will be having a “local files are hard for the average user” debate, here, in another decade.
Which, maybe it will be, at that point.
Windows is already claiming this.
Hahah apple does so since iOS 1
iOS is designed from the ground so that people are trained to think in apps rather than files
This is why it took so long until files appeared and why it is still no file browser like in any other operating system (only local directories for some apps and cloud folders)
The crazy thing is that so many issues matter all at once.
Yes. I guess that’s fair though. Most people don’t like change.
if you keep enshittifying the file management systems, this will happen.
They just can’t admit that they’re using ai for the server side scripting, seeing how it doesn’t work out.
Its so nice on peertube nowadays. !peertube@lemmy.world if anyone wants to join and watch/post videos.
And of course arbitrary try Linux out. Its a very productive OS.
Unfortunately it’s not as easy as “join and post videos”. Finding an instance willing to host your videos is a massive issue. You might even have to pay a company to spin one up for you, whereas YouTube will just host your videos for free. There’s the obvious sustainability issue, but for a small channel, or someone who doesn’t have cash reserves and is just trying video-making out, no upfront investment is kinda a no-brainer.
I’m litteraly running mine on an old tiny mini PC. And as long as you dont abuse instances, hosting videos is as easy as signing up and clickng post.
I know it’s a normal thing, to not instantly look for alternatives to software you might have used for your entire life, and I get it, if it hasn’t harmed you or done you wrong, then it’s probably fine to stick with what you know.
But as someone who first experienced alternatives to Windows back in 2006, and like others who walked the more beaten path, we’ve grown tired of this stuff. The slow, decline of Windows, and the promise of something better with every update.
It won’t surprise me if one day they decide to full send it and charge a monthly subscription to use the full OS, not one bit. Enshittification, it’s bound to happen. I’m teaching my child about linux now, so they’ll be aware that software doesn’t have to suck.
Try something different, it’s a good way to live, to know you don’t have to remain where you are if you don’t want to. Of course, only if you want to!
Right. A long winded response ignoring the subject of google censorship.
-1
It seemed somewhat topical to me. Google’s censorship is the same trend of enshittification that Yar is talking about.
There are tons of other comments talking about the censorship issue. Using this moment to plug open source software is not unreasonable.
Me in 2026: diving into the dark web to find an instruction manual
They took control of the digital town square and now its a prison. Monopolitistic shithole corporate vampire behavior.
“Freedom is dead. Freedom remains dead. And we’ve killed it. How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we have to invent?”
-Nietzsche 2026
They realise that A LOT of those videos are not primarily about Windows?
I’ve seen many reviews of vintage devices where the uploader just casually installs Windows 11 in a “nonstandard” way, just because it’s the only way.
Besides, you still have to activate it. Rufus doesn’t help you get around that, so it’s not even piracy.
Time for Peertube to shine!
Only if people can find the videos.
That indeed is a huge problem. Whenever I try peertube, I get zero search results and I don’t know whether it is because there are so few videos or because the indexing is so badly done or because people do not provide metadata with their uploads…
I find Garyjay helps with this, by mingling videos from other services.
Sometimes by the time I’ve tried one of the first videos to load from other services, the PeerTube results have loaded for me.
I use NewPipe on android and while it is slow to the point of annoyance it is usable. Also completely stopped my doomscrolling so now I am forced to enjoy and appreciate the little things in life like love and friendship ughhhh
Weird that Google would be doing Microsoft a solid like this
It’s a big club and we ain’t in it.

This is another reason why we have got to stop centralizing everything on the web. When you reply on these platforms, you have lost all autonomy over your brand, data and content. And they get to decide what you see and do. We need to go back to everybody hosting (self-hosting or paid hosting) their own data, content and building out their own communities again. I also miss going to more than 3 websites a day.
It’s easier than ever to make your own website. You could vibe code one up super fast and throw up some images or videos.
Getting people to see the stuff you make is the major hurdle. These platforms have that benefit because everyone is already there.
Not to mention if you were able to get traffic to your site it probably won’t scale well lol.
That being said you should all be making web sites! Things were better when there were more places to go
You’re correct on the being seen part, but maybe this would involve retraining people to start using a different search engine that works. But I know most of this is will never see the light of day, but maybe one day we can hope for a better future for the internet.
I do fear, with AI now replacing search by many people, what will the internet look like in the next 5 years. Scary to think what that will look like.
deleted by creator

what kind of “non-standard windows 11 installs” ?
If it includes using Rufus I’m going to explode
What’s wrong with Rufus?
It edits the iso (making it non-standard) to run on not-anymore-supported hardware.
I know. What’s wrong with that?
From Microsoft’s POV, it probally breaks the ToS.
Oh yeah, I temporarily forgot the priority for laws in The US (from least to greatest):
- Local law
- state law
- HOA agreements
- NIMBY pet peeves
- federal law
- The Constitution
- corporate terms of service
- whatever trump posts on Truth Social, so long as its in all caps
I used Ghost Spectre once and it was great, but was scared off it by frequent mentions online of other security flaws with prebuilt ISOs, the same potential risks as any closed-source and unregulated software. I never saw issues, just got fearmongered out of it
utilizing things like ReviOS or something, by passing the forced account creation, etc.
just searched youtube for “ windows 11 without microsoft account”.
there are thousands of videos still up.
people will just believe anything that fits their worldview and not check anything out….It’s disheartening, really. I fully sympathize with the efforts of software freedom and independent media platforms, but it’s just so annoying how people with “my” world view are just like all other people as well – we believe what we want to believe and only question what goes against our beliefs.
I’m not saying I’m better, but I just hate it in general.
Its like the Tide pod thing. Two or three instances and suddenly its a wave of it happening.
Load Linux. Leave microsloth to die


















